ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict basketball team kicks off the conference season this week when it hosts St. Catherine University. The Blazers welcome the Wildcats at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 30, in Claire Lynch Hall.

About St. Catherine

The Wildcats head into the matchup 3-1, including an 82-74 win against UW-Stout Sunday afternoon in St. Paul. St. Catherine is coming off a 2015-16 season where it went 14-11 overall and did not make the MIAC tournament. Five wildcats average double digits in points this game and Mari Lee is averaging 16.8 points per game.

Last Year

Saint Benedict lost to Saint Catherine 57-56 last year on Feb. 10 in St. Paul. The Blazers went into the fourth quarter down 46-36, and outscored Wildcats by nine in the fourth, but fell one point short in the comeback. Niki Fokken led Saint Benedict with 17 points and 12 rebounds. LaShay Holt had 19 points and seven rebounds for the Wildcats.

Saint Benedict has opened the 2016-17 season with four straight wins, with the latest being a 67-53 win against UM-Morris last Tuesday. Through four games, Alison Newton leads the team with 11.5 points per game followed by Kate Banovetz with 9.8 points per game, and Chelsey Guetter averages 8.8 rebounds per game.

This marks the first 4-0 start for Saint Benedict since 2010-11, and a win would mark the team's first 5-0 record since 2003-04. CSB looks to stay undefeated with a win over St. Catherine before another conference game Saturday, Dec. 3, when it hosts Carleton College at 3 p.m.