St. Paul, Minn. – The Macalester College women's basketball team played its 15^th game of the season in a MIAC matchup against St. Olaf. The Oles defeated the Scots 72-60. Macalester is now 7-8 (5-7 MIAC).
 
The Oles opened the game on a 6-2 run for the first three minutes. Sophomore guard Andrea Palmen (Kenosha, Wis./The Prairie School) answered back with a three-pointer for the Scots, making it 6-5. Junior forward Emma LaFrenz (Edina, Minn./Edina) made a layup to put Macalester up 7-6 with 5:31 on the clock. A back-and-forth battle ensued the rest of the quarter, and it was all tied at 13 going into the second.
 
Palmen started off the second quarter with another three. Yet St. Olaf went on a run of 12-2 right after, and took a 25-18 lead with 4:47 left in the half. The Scots fought back and a last second layup from first year guard/forward Katherine Norquist (Chicago, Ill./Walter Payton College Prep) put the Scots within six, 31-25, at the end of the half.
 
The second half started with LaFrenz tallying in a free throw and a layup. This started a 10-7 run for the Scots, with senior guard Celine Sabbagh (Eau Claire, Wis./Regis) putting up a three-pointer and knocking down a pair of free throws at the end of the run to put the Scots within three (38-35) with 6:10 on the clock. Both teams continued to score offensively, including Norquist, who put up six points in the last six minutes while junior guard Solana Cushing (Minneapolis, Minn./South) knocked down a three with 28 seconds on the clock. A late layup by the Oles saw the score 48-44 in favor of St. Olaf going into the final quarter.
 
The last ten minutes saw the Oles on fire with their free throws, going 14 for 18 in the quarter, 17 for 24 on the night. LaFrenz would start a 10-6 run for the Scots with just over a minute played in the quarter by knocking down a pair of free throws. Cushing would put down another three-pointer during the run, but the Oles' precise shooting was too much to overcome, and the Scots fell 72-60.
 
LaFrenz earned herself her fifth double-double of the season, leading the Scots with 13 points and 11 rebounds. She also registered three assists. Sabbagh, Cushing, and Norquist all tallied 11 points apiece.
 
Macalester's next game is Saturday, January 22. They will take on Saint Mary's for a MIAC game at 1:00 p.m.