NORTHFIELD, Minn. – On an emotionally-charged Senior Day for the Carleton College women's basketball team, a sophomore came up with arguably the biggest play of the afternoon. Jill Yanai's traditional three-point play with 1:19 remaining gave the Knights the lead for good against cross-town rival St. Olaf College, propelling Carleton to a come-from-behind 65-62 victory.
The afternoon marked the final home game in the careers of seniors Katie Chavez, Samantha Cooke, and Erica Ellefson.
"It was a great day at West Gym celebrating our three seniors and picking up a hotly-contested win," said Carleton head coach Tammy Metcalf-Filzen. "Sam, Erica and Katie have given everything they have to help establish the foundation needed for this program to move forward, and I am incredibly grateful to them."
The triumph—Carleton's third in a row—also kept the playoff hopes alive for the Knights (10-13, 7-11 MIAC), who in Metcalf-Filzen's first season back at the helm of the program, have more than tripled last season's victory total (3-22 in 2018-19) and posted the program's first double-digit win total since the 2008-09 campaign.
Carleton again used a balanced scoring effort to pick up the victory as five Knights finished in double figures. Chavez and Yanai tied for the scoring lead, with 15 points apiece, with the latter corralling a game-high 12 rebounds to earn her second double-double in three games and the fourth of her career. Cooke finished with 13 points to go along with five rebounds. That trio was joined in double figures by Aiana Whitfield and Anna Hughes with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Ellefson may not have reached double figures, but definitely made a statement on the other side of the ball. Her emphatic block during the second quarter prevented a St. Olaf fast break and brought the Carleton faithful to their feet.
The Oles (8-15, 5-13 MIAC) were led in scoring by Ella Skrein (18 points) and Britta Koenen (10). Skrein went 5-of-6 from 3-point range and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, but she was held scoreless over the final seven minutes of the contest.
Carleton shot .354 on the day compared to a .343 clip for St. Olaf. The visitors pulled down a whopping 18 offensive rebounds, but turned those extra possessions into only 11 points. Meanwhile, the Knight regularly cashed in at the free throw line, hitting 21-of-29 attempts (.724) compared to only 5-11 (.455) for the Oles.
The game began as a back-and-forth affair as the opening quarter featured four ties and four lead changes. The Oles ended the period on a mini 8-2 run and led 18-13 at the first intermission. St. Olaf led throughout the second and third quarters, widening their advantage as wide as 12 points at one point.
Carleton still trailed 47-39 with 4:00 left in the third quarter, but the home team went on a 10-1 run that tied the game at 48-48 early in the fourth period. The Oles responded with an 11-6 spurt to grab a 59-54 lead with 4:28 to play.
The Knights rallied and scored the next 11 points to seize the victory, with six of those points coming from Yanai. Her go-ahead shot—an off-balance, left-handed attempt in the lane—and subsequent free throw put Carleton ahead 61-59 with 1:19 still to play. Carleton hit four more free throws to seal the result.