WINONA, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict basketball team ended the 2016-17 season in dramatic fashion Saturday afternoon, beating Saint Mary's 60-55 in overtime in Winona, Minn.
 
The win marks the first for CSB in Winona since Jan. 17, 2011, when Saint Benedict defeated the Cardinals 73-61. Saturday's win is the 15^th of the season for Saint Benedict, which is 15-10 overall and wraps up the season 11-7 and in fourth in the MIAC. The team's 15 wins matches last year's win total, and is the most since 2012-13 when CSB went 20-7.
 
The MIAC tournament starts with a pair of quarterfinal games Wednesday, Feb. 22. With its fourth-place finish, CSB earned the fourth seed and hosts No. 5 St. Kate's at 7 p.m. in Claire Lynch. St. Thomas won the league's regular-season title, Gustavus took second and Bethel is third. Augsburg rounds out the six-team tournament.
 
Saint Benedict got off to a slow start Saturday afternoon, and the Cardinals (13-12, 7-11) led 14-6 after the first quarter. CSB picked up its offense in the second, and used late baskets by Morgan Merritt and Alex Johnson to get within four, 24-20, heading into halftime.
 
After getting within two to start the third, SMU pushed its lead back to seven, but Chelsey Guetter and Sidney Schiffler hit threes and Johnson hit a pair of free throws to make it a one-point game, 33-32. CSB took a brief lead at 34-33 on a jumper by Macy Kelly, but Saint Mary's held on to a 42-39 lead after three quarters.
 
A pair of free throws by Niki Fokken put CSB up one early in the fourth, and from there it was a back-and-forth game throughout. Neither team led by more than three, and a pair of free throws by Annie Dittberner put Saint Benedict up three, 52-49, with 19 seconds left, but Emma Schaefer hit a 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining to send the game to overtime.
 
Dittberner scored six of the team's eight points in overtime, including a three to give CSB the lead for good with 1:43 left in the extra period, and three free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
 
Dittberner finished with 16 points and Merritt added 11 to lead CSB, which shot 33.3 percent from the field. Fokken and Merritt both had five rebounds and Merritt also had four assists. Saint Benedict went 18-for-24 from the line and had 37 rebounds and 15 turnovers.
 
Brandi Blattner led SMU with 12 points and 15 rebounds and Schaefer and Alexa Huisman each added 11 points. The Cardinals shot 30.5 percent from the field, went 13-for-21 from the line and had 47 rebounds and 20 turnovers.
 
CSB looks to pick up its first MIAC tournament win since the 2012-13 season Wednesday when it hosts the Wildcats. Saint Benedict beat St. Kate's twice this season, including a 50-47 win on Jan. 25 in St. Paul.