NORTHFIELD, Minn. – It took a second-half rally, but the College of Saint Benedict basketball team reached the 20-win milestone Wednesday night.
 
CSB was down six points after one quarter and five points at halftime, but used a big third quarter to pull away for an eventual 68-59 win over Carleton College Wednesday in Northfield.
 
The win pushes Saint Benedict's record to 20-2 overall and 14-1 in the MIAC. This is the 25^th time in head coach Mike Durbin's 32-year career CSB has reached 20 or more wins in a season, and the first time since 2012-13. Durbin is now one of just five coaches in Division III women's basketball to have 25 or more 20-win seasons in a career.

"I'm so proud of this team," head coach Mike Durbin said Wednesday night. "Twenty wins is a byproduct of a team that believes in one another."
 
Wednesday's win also marks the best overall and MIAC start for Saint Benedict since the 2003-04 season. CSB started the year 20-2 overall that year, and got off to an 18-1 MIAC start.
 
The Knights (7-15, 4-11) seemed to have CSB's number early. Saint Benedict shot just 30 percent from the field in the first half and was down as many as 10, 22-12, early in the second quarter. Kate Banovetz and Niki Fokken scored and Chelsey Guetter hit a three to make it a two-point game, but Carleton pushed its lead back to eight before Maddie Schmitz hit a three with 37 seconds left to make it a five-point game, 33-28, at halftime.
 
The Knights maintained a slim lead throughout the first half of the third quarter, but Sidney Schiffler hit a three and Megan Thompson hit a pair of free throws to give Saint Benedict the lead. The lead changed hands seven times after that, but a three by Thompson put CSB up two, 52-50, heading into the final quarter.
 
Carleton cut the gap to one, 56-55, with 8:02 left to play, but Schiffler scored on a fast-break layup to spark a 7-0 run that included a three by Schiffler and put CSB up 63-55 with 6:06 left. Neither team scored for more than two-and-a-half minutes after that three, and a layup by Schmitz put CSB up eight with 3:48 to play, and it was two more minutes before anyone scored again – and it was Schiffler with another three to make it an 11-point game with 1:08 left.
 
Schiffler and Fokken both scored 14 points to lead CSB, which ended the game shooting 38.2 percent from the field. Schmitz added 12 points and Banovetz finished with 11. Chelsey Guetter had nine rebounds and Banovetz had five assists. CSB hit eight 3-pointers – including four from Schiffler – and went 8-for-12 from the line. CSB had 41 rebounds and seven turnovers.
 
Sarah Waldfogel led all scorers with 17 points for Carleton and she also had eight rebounds. The Knights shot 37 percent from the field, hit four 3-pointers and went 15-for-23 from the line. The Knights had 36 rebounds and 11 turnovers.
 
CSB is back at home Saturday, Feb. 10, when it hosts Augsburg at 3 p.m. Saturday is senior day and parent day for CSB, and Saint Benedict will also recognize Carol Agnes, who received a Breaking Barriers Award Wednesday as part of National Girls and Women in Sports Day.