Head coach Mike Durbin talks about the win

ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict basketball team cruised past crown to start its home season Friday night. The Blazers outscored Crown 21-9 in the first quarter and never looked back en route to an 81-39 win in the first game of the Quinlivan & Hughes Tip-Off Tournament in Claire Lynch Hall.
 
Grace Wolhowe scored the first five points of the game for the Blazers, and after the Storm (0-2) tied the game at five, Morgan Merritt hit a three for CSB and the Blazers never looked back. Merritt added a second three less than two minutes later and Macy Kelly converted a three-point play to make it 14-7 with 3:17 left in the first.
 
Kelly hit a three at the first-quarter buzzer to make it 21-9 in favor of the Blazers, and Saint Benedict cruised from there. The Blazers outscored Crown 25-9 in the second quarter, and didn't allow the storm to score until nearly three minutes were gone from the third quarter.
 
Fourteen different players scored for CSB (2-0), which shot 41.4 percent from the field. Annie Dittberner and Kelly led the way with 11 points each and Wolhowe finished with 10. Merritt and Sarah Thilenius each added eight points, and Niki Fokken led the CSB defense with six rebounds. Dittberner and Courtney Nelson each had three assists.
 
Saint Benedict hit 12 3-pointers, went 11-for-14 from the line and had a 35-28 edge on the boards.
 
Kayla Carter had 11 points to lead the Storm, who shot 36.6 percent from the field. Crown hit three 3-pointers and went 6-for-13 from the line. Carter also had six rebounds.
 
Crown is back in action Saturday in the second day of the tournament when it plays Saint Mary's at 3 p.m. The Blazers host Saint Mary's in a nonconference game at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22. Sunday's game will be broadcast on AM 1010, uptown1010.com, starting at 6 p.m. The broadcast will be tape delayed due to previously scheduled programming.