ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict basketball team suffered its first loss of the season Wednesday night, falling 68-44 to Hamline in a MIAC contest in Claire Lynch Hall.
 
The Pipers (5-2, 4-1) outscored the Bennies 24-12 in the first quarter, and Saint Benedict (6-1, 3-1) was never able to recover.
 
CSB was able to stay close to start the game as Lydia Hay scored twice and Carla Meyer hit a three. But after Tori Szathmary hit a pair of free throws to get the Bennies within two, 11-9, with 4:23 left in the first, Hamline went on a 13-3 run to end the quarter. A three from Meyer and a layup from Gabby Martin made it a nine-point game with less than four minutes left in the half, but the Pipers pushed the lead to 13 at halftime, and were able to maintain that lead the rest of the game.
 
Meyer finished with a game-high 16 points to lead the Bennies, who shot 31 percent from the field, went 10-for-15 from the line and had 30 rebounds. Hay had five rebounds and Meyer added three assists to her stat line.
 
Lydia Lecher was one of four players in double digits for Hamline with 12 points and Chan'el Anderson-Manning had eight rebounds. The Pipers shot 47 percent from the floor – and shot better than 50 percent each of the first three quarters – went 12-for-17 from the line and forced 23 Bennie turnovers. Hamline had 15 steals to the Bennies' four.
 
Saint Benedict is on the road Saturday for the first time since Nov. 23 when it heads to St. Paul to take on Macalester in a 1 p.m. game. The Bennies wrap up the semester at home Wednesday, Dec. 15, when they host Carleton at 7 p.m.