NORTHFIELD, Minn. - The Carleton College women's basketball team got back on track with a hard-fought 58-53 victory at rival St. Olaf College. The result means the Knights maintain possession of the President's Cup for another year.
 
Carleton (3-8, 2-7 MIAC) snapped a three-game slide with the win. The scoreboard was tied 48-48 before the Knights tallied 10 of the final 15 points.
 
"A great road win in a rivalry game," said Carleton head coach Tammy Metcalf-Filzen. "I am proud of the way we battled in this game and the way the players have endured through some difficult challenges this season. Everyone contributed. It was a great team win!"
 
Both squads shot 40 percent overall, but Carleton forced 20 turnovers and went 17-of-21 at the free throw line compared to only 6-of-10 for St. Olaf (5-7, 2-7 MIAC).
 
Jasmine Choi (Jr./Maple Grove, Minn./Osseo) led the Knights with 14 points, while Aiana Whitfield (Sr./Richfield, Minn./Benilde St.-Margaret's) racked up 12, and Amelia Solt (Fy./Loveland, Colo./Thompson Valley) followed with 11 of her own. Margie Clauss (Jr./Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn) contributed seven points and a team-best eight rebounds.
 
The first quarter saw back-and-forth scoring between the two teams, and the frame closed with the score knotted at 15-15.
 
The Carleton defense took over in the second quarter, holding St. Olaf to a 2-of-10 shooting performance with a whopping eight turnovers. The Knights kept the Oles off the scoreboard until Rachel Kelly hit a pair of free throws with 5:50 remaining in the quarter. Carleton carried a 27-21 lead into halftime.
 
Things got interesting after intermission.
 
Choi scored the opening bucket of the third quarter, but St. Olaf answered with an 18-7 run to take a 39-36 lead with 1:59 left in the period. Baskets by Bella Thomas (So./Minneapolis, Minn./DeLaSalle) and Whitfield followed by two free throws by Liz Hiatt (Fy./Blaine, Minn./Irondale) allowed the Knights to carry a 42-41 advantage into the fourth quarter.
 
The fourth quarter continued at a similar pace to the previous ten minutes, as the lead continued to change hands. With Carleton trailing 46-44, Clauss hit her first 3-pointer of the season.
 
Tied at 48-48 with 3:50 left, a missed layup by St. Olaf put the ball in the hands of Whitfield, who went coast-to-coast to give Carleton back the lead. After a defensive stop, Clauss converted another layup to push the Knights' advantage to four points.
 
Over the final 90 seconds, St. Olaf pulled to within one point on three occasions, but each time Carleton responded. Choi hit a turnaround jumper, and Solt went 4-for-4 at the free throw line over the final 23 seconds.
 
Paige Yagodinski was the lone Ole in double figures, tallying 14 points before fouling out. Kelly entered the game as St. Olaf's leading scorer this season but was limited to only eight points.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton returns home to start a four-game homestand that begins with a 3:00 p.m. contest against Macalester College on Saturday, Jan. 14.