ST. PAUL, Minn. – Despite hot second-half shooting, the College of Saint Benedict basketball team lost 75-58 to St. Thomas Saturday afternoon in a MIAC game in St. Paul, Minn.
 
The Blazers shot nearly 61 percent from the field in the second half – including better than 71 percent from long range – but couldn't overcome a 20-point halftime deficit or a slow start. CSB, which is now 2-4 overall and 0-2 in the MIAC, shot 33 percent in the first half and scored just 19 points against the Tommies, who are 6-0 overall and 2-0 in the league.
 
Saint Benedict hung with the Tommies early, and led by two with just over five minutes gone when Mattie Lueck scored and again a few minutes later when Elena Koch scored to make it 9-7 with just over 13 minutes left in the first half.
 
That was the last lead of the game for the Blazers, however. St. Thomas went on a 24-4 run that spanned nearly 10 minutes and ended with a 31-13 lead for the home team with 4:53 left in the half. A pair of threes by Anna Smith pushed UST's lead to 22, and Koch ended the scoring for the half to make it 39-19 in favor of the Tommies.
 
CSB outscored St. Thomas 39-36 in the second half thanks to hot shooting, but the Tommies' double-digit lead was too much to overcome.
 
Lueck ended the afternoon with 18 points and five rebounds to lead the Blazers, who shot 46.8 percent from the field and made seven of 12 long-range attempts. Koch added 12 points and Abby Miller finished with nine. Emily Lueck finished with five assists and Niki Fokken had four blocked shots. CSB went 7-for-19 from the line and had 30 rebounds and 18 turnovers.
 
Smith led the Tommies with 17 points and 10 rebounds, Hannah Hughes finished with 12 points and Jenna Dockter had 10 points and eight assists to lead UST. The Tommies shot 50.8 percent from the field, hit 10 3-pointers and went 5-for-5 from the line. They had 30 rebounds and 10 turnovers.
 
Saint Benedict returns home for a nonconference game against Martin Luther at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9, in Claire Lynch.