PELLA, Iowa – Sophomores Joy Brandenstein and Kyla Elsbury provided 32 points off the bench to spur the St. Olaf College women's basketball team to a 75-67 win over Central College in its season opener on Friday evening at P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium.

Brandenstein scored a team-high 18 points and Elsbury added 14 for St. Olaf (1-0), which shot 46.2 percent (12-for-26) from three-point range compared to 14.3 percent (2-for-14) for Central (0-1.). The game was the first for the Oles under head coach Megan Lueck and the first meeting between the two programs since Nov. 27, 2015.

Brandenstein easily surpassed her previous career high of 10 points by shooting 6-for-11 from the field and 4-for-4 from behind the arc, while Elsbury was 4-for-8 on three-pointers on her way to 14 points. Elsbury's 14 points were 11 more than her previous career-high output.

Senior Paige Yagodinski and sophomore Chloee Smith also scored in double figures for the Oles with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Yagodinski was 5-for-10 from the field and 2-for-5 from behind the arc, while Smith shot 6-for-10 overall while leading the team with six rebounds and four assists. The Oles outscored the Dutch by a 41-16 margin in bench points in the win.

Both teams shot under 30.0 percent in a low-scoring first quarter that saw Central carry an 11-10 lead into the second. St. Olaf was 4-for-5 from long distance in the second, but the Dutch shot 11-for-18 (61.1 percent) in the quarter to open up a 34-28 halftime lead. The Oles held a 28-27 lead with 1:19 to go in the half before Central closed the half on a 7-0 run to take its largest lead of the half.

Brandenstein scored 11 points on 3-for-3 shooting from three-point range in the third quarter to help St. Olaf to a 53-46 lead after three. The Dutch led by as many as eight early in the quarter, but the Oles went on a 19-2 run over a four-minute stretch that included back-to-back three-pointers by Elsbury to build a double-figure lead.

After scoring the final four points of the third, Central opened the fourth with a three-pointer to get within four and later trimmed its deficit to one at 57-56 with 6:19 remaining. Smith ended a scoring drought of 2:31 for the Oles with a put-back and sophomore Kaylee Cole followed with a basket to push St. Olaf's lead back to five with 5:27 to go.

Central got back within a point on three more occasions before Brandenstein and Smith hit three-pointers on consecutive possessions inside the final two minutes for St. Olaf to give the Oles a 71-64 lead with 58 seconds on the clock. Elsbury and Yagodinski sealed the win by making four consecutive free throws.

St. Olaf will wrap up its opening weekend at Grinnell College on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 5 p.m.