NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College women's basketball team picked up its first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) victory of the season by downing St. Catherine University, 62-53, on Saturday afternoon at Skoglund Center.

St. Olaf (4-5, 1-5 MIAC) outscored St. Catherine (4-2, 4-2 MIAC) by a 21-8 margin in the second quarter to take the lead and went on to claim its second-straight victory in the series between the two programs. The Oles led for the final 22:48 of the game, including leading by double figures for the final 15:58.

Senior Rachel Kelly led all scorers with 19 points on 7-for-13 shooting from the field and hit all five of her free throws, while also grabbing six rebounds and handing out two assists. Classmate Grace Hegland shot 7-for-10 from the floor and contributed 15 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. The Oles committed a season-low 10 turnovers and scored 42 points in the paint in the win.

Seven Wildcats scored in the first quarter to help the visitors to a 16-11 lead after 10 minutes. After a short jumper by sophomore Paige Yagodinski opened the scoring, St. Kate's scored the next nine points to get out to a seven-point lead inside the first four minutes. The Wildcats led by eight late in the quarter until a Yagodinski three-pointer in the final minute cut their lead to five.

St. Olaf got its offense going in the second quarter, shooting 8-for-12 (66.7 percent) from the field in the quarter, while holding St. Kate's to three made field goals. Facing a 23-17 deficit, the Oles held the Wildcats scoreless for five and a half minutes during a 13-0 run to take a 30-23 lead with less than two minutes remaining in the quarter. Sophomore Ziling Zhen hit all three of her shots to score six points off the bench in the quarter, as St. Olaf went into the locker room with a 32-24 lead.

In the third quarter, the Oles went on an 8-0 run over a four-minute stretch to extend their lead to 40-27 midway through the quarter and led by double figures from the 5:58 mark of the third quarter until the final minute of the game. Hegland and Kelly combined for 14 of St. Olaf's 17 third-quarter points, as the Oles shot an even 50.0 percent (13-for-26) from the field in the second half. Kelly scored 13 of her 19 points in the second half.

St. Olaf returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 4 with a 7 p.m. road game at Macalester College.