NORTHFIELD, Minn. (Interstat) — Saint Olaf overcame a fast Northwestern-Saint Paul start and held off a late Eagles push for a 59-55 victory in a women’s NCAA Division III basketball game at Skoglund Center on Wednesday. The Oles improved to 2-0, while the Eagles slipped to 1-1 before an announced attendance of 116.

Northwestern-Saint Paul opened with purpose and built an early cushion behind Lydia Schmitter and Joanna Talso. Schmitter made a layup and a 3-pointer early, then added free throws as the Eagles moved ahead. Carli Mattes converted a jumper and two driving layups, and Schmitter’s free throw made it 10-4 before Saint Olaf settled in. Sami Sarner hit two 3-pointers to keep the Oles close, while Erin Schauer made a hook shot, a layup and two free throws. Graycie Smith added a layup and free throws, and Hallie Koltz scored inside. Northwestern-Saint Paul answered with Talso’s layups, Lauren Grimm’s 3-pointer and layup, and Ava Gavi’s 3-pointer and free throw to take a 35-30 lead after the opening quarter.

Saint Olaf tightened the game after halftime. Sarner opened the third-quarter scoring with a pullup jumper, and Schauer and Joy Brandenstein kept the Oles within striking distance. Schmitter continued to attack for Northwestern-Saint Paul, and Talso added a jump shot, while Grimm hit another 3-pointer. Brandenstein’s stepback jumper and turnaround helped Saint Olaf close the gap, and Sarner made two free throws after a Schmitter layup. Mattes added a layup, but Brandenstein’s late turnaround pulled the Oles within 46-44 entering the fourth quarter.

The Oles took their first lead of the second half when Brandenstein made a 3-pointer with 9:45 remaining. Northwestern-Saint Paul answered with two free throws from Talso, but Emmanuella Sennowo scored consecutive layups to put Saint Olaf back in front. Schmitter drove for a layup to keep the Eagles close, and Mattes made a free throw as Northwestern-Saint Paul pulled within two. Schmitter made another free throw, Schauer’s 3-pointer with 3:45 remaining gave the Oles a 56-52 cushion, and after the Eagles cut the deficit to 57-55 on Mattes’ free throws, Koltz made two free throws with 4.6 seconds left to seal the outcome.

Schmitter finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, three assists and one block for Northwestern-Saint Paul, matching Saint Olaf’s Schauer for the game high in scoring. Talso added 13 points, six rebounds, three assists and one block, while Mattes scored 11 points and blocked one shot. Schauer paced Saint Olaf with 19 points and three rebounds. Hahn had three points and 13 rebounds for the Oles, and Brandenstein added nine points, four rebounds, two assists and one block. Smith had five points, four rebounds and four assists, Sarner contributed 10 points, three rebounds, two assists and one block, Sennowo scored six points and grabbed four rebounds, and Blom had five rebounds and four assists for Northwestern-Saint Paul.

Northwestern-Saint Paul scored 55 points from 72 possessions for an offensive rating of 76.4. Saint Olaf scored 59 points from 75 possessions for an offensive rating of 78.6. The Eagles shot 20 of 49 from the floor, 4 of 18 from three-point range and 11 of 19 from the free-throw line. The Oles shot 21 of 58 overall, 6 of 14 from beyond the arc and 11 of 17 from the charity stripe. Saint Olaf held a 10-5 edge in offensive rebounds, while Northwestern-Saint Paul had an 11-9 advantage in assists and a 6-3 edge in blocks. Both teams committed 19 turnovers.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected Northwestern-Saint Paul to win 60-51, while Interstat’s ELO system had given Saint Olaf a 71.6 percent probability of winning.