Head coach Mike Durbin talks about the win | Sophomore Niki Fokken after the historic win

ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict basketball team made history Wednesday night, but it didn't come easily for the Blazers.
 
Saint Benedict (8-4, 3-2) gutted out a 63-56 overtime win against Macalester, marking the program's 500^th MIAC win since joining the league in 1985. CSB is the third program to reach the milestone – both Concordia and St. Thomas have at least 540 MIAC wins – and was the last team to join the conference in 1985.
 
The Blazers are now 500-138 since the 1985-86 season. CSB head coach Mike Durbin, who took over the program in 1986-87, has coached the team to all but eight of those wins.
 
After getting down early against the Scots (5-6, 1-4), the Blazers came back and the game stayed close from the second quarter on. Macalester led 43-42 to start the fourth, and the entire quarter was very close with each team fighting back to tie the game or take a slight lead. After five lead changes and a scoreless final two minutes, the score sat at 53-53 as time expired.
 
Annie Dittberner scored to start the overtime and Macy Kelly gave CSB a 57-55 lead with just under three minutes left. The Scots got within one, but Niki Fokken scored to start a 6-1 run and give CSB the lead for good.
 
In the first quarter, The Scots took an early 12-2 lead to start off the game. From here, the Blazers responded with 11 unanswered points to bring the score to 14-13. After tying the game at 15-15 thanks to a basket by Kelly in the first play of the second quarter, the two teams battled back and forth within two points until the Scots pulled ahead to a 32-27 lead. The Blazers then narrowed the gap and were left with a four-point deficit at halftime as the score sat at 30-24. At the end of the half, Ke'Avae Taylor led the Blazers with 10 points as Fokken sat with 10 points and four rebounds. Chelsey Guetter also finished the first half with four rebounds.
 
In the third quarter, the Blazers went on a 6-0 run to take a 36-34 lead to start off the half thanks to a pair of baskets by Guetter and another from Taylor. The two teams continued to trade off the lead until the end of the quarter as the Scots held a 43-42 lead.
 
Fokken led the Blazers' with a double-double 17 points and 12 rebounds. Taylor also finished the night with 14 points and four rebounds. Guetter powered the defense with 10 rebounds as Allison Newton finished the night with a team high of six assists. Kelly added 10 points for CSB, which shot 38.5 percent from the field, but hit just two 3-pointers. The Blazers went 11-for-16 from the line and had 48 rebounds and 14 turnovers.
 
Erin Murray led all scorers with 19 points for Macalester and Regan Fruh added 12 points and nine rebounds. The Scots shot 32.8 percent from the field and hit six long-range shots. Macalester went 10-for-17 from the line and had 38 rebounds and 19 turnovers.
 
After their third conference win of the season, the Blazers move on to face off against Concordia College on Saturday, Jan. 9. This game starts at 3 p.m. in Claire Lynch.