ST. PAUL, Minn. – After one quarter Saturday in its regular-season finale, the College of Saint Benedict basketball team found itself in a hole.
 
St. Thomas shot nearly 90 percent from the field in the first quarter and led 33-10, but head coach Mike Durbin told his team simply that they had time. CSB took that message to heart, and stormed back to close the game to 11 at halftime. A big fourth quarter cut the gap to three, but the Tommies held on for a 67-64 win in St. Paul.
 
CSB wraps up the regular season 22-3 overall and 16-2 and in second in the MIAC. This marks the best conference finish for the team since the 2009-10 season. Saint Benedict hosts the winner of the Gustavus/St. Kate's first-round matchup at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22, in a MIAC semifinal game in Claire Lynch.
 
The Tommies – who end the regular season 23-2 overall and 18-0 in the MIAC – led 60-44 heading into the fourth quarter. But Saint Benedict started the quarter on a 15-2 run that included six points from Niki Fokken to make it a three-point game, 62-59, with three minutes left to play.
 
The two teams exchanged buckets, and CSB got within two when Fokken hit a free throw, but the Tommies responded with a three to put the gap back at five with 1:30 left to play. Fokken scored again and later hit another free throw to make it a two-point game with just under two minutes left, but UST hit another three. Fokken scored with 1:08 left to make it a three-point game again, but that was the last time CSB scored.
 
The Tommies started the game hot, shooting 87.5 percent from the field to take a 33-10 lead. Saint Benedict outscored the Tommies 23-11 in the second quarter to get within 44-33 at halftime, but UST outscored CSB again in the third quarter to increase that lead to 60-44 after three quarters. CSB outscored St. Thomas 20-7 in the final quarter, and 54-33 after the first quarter.
 
Fokken finished with 25 points to lead CSB, which shot 44 percent from the field and went 5-for-10 from long range. Thompson tied her career-high with 18 points and Chelsey Guetter added 12 points. Fokken – who is now just 18 points away from the 1,000-point career milestone – also had six rebounds and five assists. Saint Benedict went 7-for-11 from the line and had 33 rebounds and 15 turnovers.
 
Hannah Spaulding led UST with 20 points and nine rebounds and Kaylie Brazil had 14 points. The Tommies finished the game shooting 45 percent from the field, including nine 3-pointers. The Tommies went 2-for-3 from the line and had 36 rebounds and 18 turnovers.
 
CSB gets to sit back and watch Tuesday's first-round action as it waits to see who it faces Thursday in the semifinals. The Tommies face the winner of Tuesday's game featuring Bethel and Saint Mary's.