ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – It's not often that a college basketball team is able to win after shooting just 25 percent from the field, but on Saturday afternoon, the College of Saint Benedict basketball team did just that.
CSB overcame two low-scoring quarters and held off Saint Mary's last-second shot attempt to come away with a 47-45 win against the Cardinals in Claire Lynch Hall. The win leaves CSB in a tie for third in the MIAC with Bethel as both teams have 6-2 conference records. Gustavus and St. Thomas remain undefeated at 8-0 in the MIAC, and SMU dropped to 5-3.
After ending the first half on a 17-1 run to take a 27-20 lead into halftime Saturday afternoon, CSB – which is now 10-5 overall – scored just four points and shot six percent from the field in the third quarter. Saint Mary's scored 14 points in the quarter to take a 34-31 lead into the fourth and final quarter.
Saint Benedict started the fourth on a 6-0 run to regain the lead, and the team took the lead for good a few minutes later thanks to two baskets and a pair of free throws from
Chelsey Guetter to make it 45-40 with 6:07 left. SMU got within one on a layup by Sam Jones with just over two minutes left, but
Alison Newton hit a free throw to make it a two-point game with 25 seconds remaining, and the Cardinals couldn't get a decent shot off before the final buzzer.
Saint Mary's (11-4, 5-3) took a 12-8 lead after the first quarter, and led 19-10 midway through the second, but
Sidney Schiffler scored four straight points and later added a 3-pointer to help spark CSB's 17-1 run. Guetter scored the last six points of the run, including a layup at the buzzer to put CSB up 27-20 at halftime.
Guetter finished with 17 points and a career-high 16 rebounds to lead CSB, which shot exactly 25 percent from the field, including 2-for-19 from long range. Schiffler added nine points and
Macy Kelly had four assists. CSB went 17-for-26 from the line and had 43 rebounds and 14 turnovers.
Alexa Huisman led SMU with 11 points and Sam Jones had nine rebounds. The Cardinals shot 30 percent from the field and hit nine 3-pointers. They went 6-for-10 from the line and had 40 rebounds and 20 turnovers.
CSB – which is a percent 8-0 in Claire Lynch this season – is back at home Wednesday, Jan. 18, when it hosts Hamline at 7 p.m.
