ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict basketball team is looking to continue the success it found last weekend when it traveled to Iowa for the Simpson Invitational. The 5-1 CSB basketball team begins the MIAC season Saturday, Dec. 2, in Claire Lynch Hall when facing off against Bethel University at 3 p.m.
About Bethel
The Royals head into the matchup 3-2, coming off a 55-48 loss to Northwestern. Bethel is coming off a 2016-17 season where it went 22-5 overall, and suffered a second-round loss in the MIAC tournament. Forward Hannah Johnson is back-to-back MIAC player of the week this season, and she leads the team with 17.4 points per game, 11.8 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks. Abby Miller is averaging 16.6 points per game while shooting .486 from three-point range.
Last Year
Bethel beat St. Benedict 75-65 last year on Feb. 4 in St. Paul.
Kate Banovetz scored to make it a two-point game early in the fourth, and a three by
Chelsey Guetter cut the gap to two, 64-62, with 4:11 left to play, but the Royals responded with a 7-0 run to go up 71-62 with 1:36 remaining. Banovetz led Saint Benedict with 17 points, and she also finished with five rebounds. Hannah Johnson scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Bethel.
Who to Watch
This season, all eyes are on seniors
Chelsey Guetter,
Niki Fokken, and
Kate Banovetz after stellar seasons in their junior campaigns. Through six games, Fokken leads the team with 11.6 points per game. After leading CSB to the championship trophy of the Quinlivan & Hughes Tip-Off Tournament and 2-0 in the Simpson Invitational, Guetter was named tournament MVP in back-to-back tournaments and leads the team with 8.7 rebounds per game. First year
Haylee Fingalsen is averaging 7.8 points per game while shooting .405 from beyond the arc.
The Storyline
Saint Benedict heads into the MIAC season with a confidence boost after jumping into the d3hoops.com top 25 poll for the first time since 2010-11 Tuesday. CSB received three points and is in the "Others Receiving Votes" section of the poll. CSB looks to kick off the MIAC season with a win over Bethel this weekend at home, where CSB plays seven of its first 10 games, and where the team was almost unbeatable last season, posting an impressive 11-2 record. CSB continues the MIAC season when it hosts Macalester and St. Olaf next week.
