NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Senior point guard Jill Yanai (Glendale, Calif./Glendale) put up 12 points, six rebounds, three steals, and a pair of assists on her Senior Day, and the Carleton College women's basketball team defeated crosstown rival St. Olaf College, 73-64. The triumph, the Knights' sixth in a row, allowed them to take back possession of the President's Cup by virtue of a season-sweep over the Oles.
 
"A great team effort in a classic crosstown rivalry game," said Carleton head coach Tammy Metcalf-Filzen. "Staying focused on improving each day has served us well. Now we need to recover quickly in preparation for our next game."
 
With the victory, Carleton clinched a home game in the first round of the upcoming MIAC Playoffs. Carleton will be either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the conference tournament.
 
There were impressive performances up and down the roster for Carleton (11-12, 10-10 MIAC). Aiana Whitfield (Jr./Richfield, Minn./Belinde-St. Margaret's) finished a team-high 19 points, while Jasmine Choi (So./Maple Grove, Minn./Osseo) added 18 points, six boards, and five steals. Emma Henry (So./Prior Lake, Minn./Academy of Holy Angels) was the fourth Knight in double figures, registering her second career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds to go along with three assists and two steals.
 
After being honored in a pregame ceremony, Yanai scored the first two points of the game, sparking the Knights to an 8-1 lead. Carleton would not trail the remainder of the day.
 
The Carleton defense held St. Olaf (7-16, 6-14 MIAC) without a field goal over the first 5:36 of the game, and the Knights held a 17-11 lead after the first quarter.
 
The second period saw back-and-forth play with both sides going on multiple mini runs. Yanai beat the buzzer with a layup right before halftime to give the Knights a 35-31 lead at intermission.
 
St. Olaf hung around for much of the third quarter before the Knights closed the stanza with a 6-0 spurt to widen the margin to 57-47 as the teams entered the final stanza.
 
Seven straight points from Whitfield to open the fourth quarter gave Carleton a 64-47 advantage, their largest lead of the afternoon up to that point. As it did early in the first, Carleton's defense was able to lock down the Oles at the beginning of the quarter and kept the visitors off the scoreboard until more than four minutes has passed in the period. Carleton led by as many as 18 points at 67-49 midway through the fourth quarter before St. Olaf used a 15-6 game-ending run to make the margin more respectable. A made 3-pointer at the buzzer was the only time St. Olaf came within single digits during the fourth period.
 
Carleton shot only 39 percent as a team but finished with a 25-7 advantage in points off turnovers and a 13-4 edge in second-chance points.
 
St. Olaf shot 40 percent overall and made 10 triples, but the Oles dropped their fourth straight game despite team highs of 19 points and eight rebounds for K'Lynn Lewis.
 
Up next for the Knights:
Carleton will host Saint Mary's University for a doubleheader on Monday, Feb. 14. The women's game will tip off at 5:45 p.m.