ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict Women's Basketball Team (0-0), which features an experienced and talented roster, is ready to open the season. Led by five returning starters and several others who saw extensive action a year ago, the group will travel to face Minnesota-Morris (0-1) in a 4 pm season road opener at James Gremmels Court.
 
A year ago, CSB finished 15-11, including 11-10 in the MIAC for fifth place. The Bennies beat St. Scholastica, 61-33, in the MIAC first round before falling to Hamline, 78-61, in the quarterfinals. In its last 15 road openers, CSB has a 9-6 record and sit 15-0 in that span in home openers. A year ago, the Bennies took a 64-57 win over Minnesota-Morris in their home opener on Nov. 12. In their road opener, they beat College of St. Scholastica, 61-49, in Duluth, Minn., on Nov. 20, 2021.
 
As for Minnesota-Morris, the Cougars dropped an 85-60 decision to Concordia College (Minn.) in their opener on Nov. 9 in Moorhead, Minn.
 
Series Notes
CSB owns an 11-3 series lead over Minnesota-Morris with 11 straight wins in the series. A year ago, on Nov. 12 at Claire Lynch Hall, the Bennies took a 64-57 decision as Gabby Martin had 14 points. CSB led, 42-24 at halftime. In away games in the series, CSB is 4-1 while sitting 7-2 at home. Minnesota-Morris won the first three games of the series including a 78-66 decision on Jan. 26, 1982.
 
Breaking Down Minnesota Morris
Head Coach Tim Grove enters his 17th season as the head coach of the Cougars women's basketball team in 2022-23. Grove has led the Cougars to six regular season conference titles (2010-15), two conference tournament titles (2011, '15) and three NCAA Tournament appearances (2010, '11, & '15). He has an overall record of 252-160 with a conference mark of 177-49. Five times he has been named the UMAC Coach of the Year. In 2021-22, the Cougars finished 13-15 with an 8-6 league mark. UMM was picked to finish second in the UMAC. The Cougars return starters in Jadyn Sondrol (8.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg), Jay Kwateh (7.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg), Ella Van Kempen (6.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and Haley Wollschlager 6.3 ppg, 3-1 rpg), Sondrol and Kwateh were honorable mention All-UMAC selections. In the opener (85-60 loss), Jadyn Sondrol led the Cougars with 10 points and two rebounds. Malory Anderson had seven points and six rebounds while Reece Wassink scored 10 points off the bench.
 
CSB Schedule Breakdown –
After opening on the road at Minnesota Morris, the Bennies will open MIAC play on the road at St. Olaf in Northfield, Minn., with a 3 pm start on Nov. 19. CSB will host Gustavus Adolphus in the home opener at 7 pm on Tuesday, Nov. 22. After a road trip to Duluth, Minn., to face the College of St. Scholastica at 7 pm on Nov. 30, the Bennies will play five games in December, including two at home. They host Augsburg at 3 pm on Dec. 3 and Macalester College at 7 pm on Dec. 7. They then travel to Hamline in St. Paul, Minn., on Dec. 10 for a 3 pm contest. CSB then closes 2022 by playing at the Big Island Classic in Hilo Hawaii to face Worcester State on De. 18 and then meet DePauw on Dec. 19 with both contests at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium. After the first of the year, CSB plays 15 games starting with a road trip to St. Catherine on Jan. 4. The MIAC Tournamenmt Championship begins on Feb. 21 with the quarterfinals. The league title game is 3 pm on Saturday, Feb. 25.
 
Inside Look at CSB WBB
CSB is a veteran squad which returns All-MIAC point guard Carla Meyer along with All-MIAC honorable mention standouts Sophia Jonas and Gabby Martin. In addition, senior Tori Szathmary was named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team while Lydia Hay also returns as a starter.
 
CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin, who has 716 career wins, likes the focus and effort from his team during the preseason. After a fifth place finish in the league and 15 overall victories a year ago, the team has high expectations.
 
"We would love to be in the MIAC's top four at the end of the end of regular season, yet we know it will that's no easy task," said Durbin, who is ranked in the top 20 coaches in wins regardless of the division. "We are not trying to necessarily be the best, but to be the best version of ourselves! We want to be successful at home, while trying to steal some road games; it will take consistent play as well as good fortunate between now and late February," said Durbin, who begins his 37th season with the program.
 
A young team a year ago, the Bennies will try to use their experience to its advantage, noted Durbin. "We went from an inexperienced team a year ago to experienced team this season. As a coaching staff we have a better grasp of each players strengths. Yet we will need our incoming class to gain confidence and maturity as quickly as possible for us to meet our goals," he said.
 
CSB returns 76 percent of its scoring and rebounding from a year ago
A year ago, CSB averaged 60.8 points per game while allowing 60.1 per game. It was a team that hit 37.2 percent from the field and 27.8 percent from three-point range as well as 62 percent at the foul stripe. CSB forced 12.8 turnovers while committing 11.3 per game. The team averaged 37.8 rebounds, 2.5 blocked shots and 7.6 steals per outing. From that 2021-22 team, CSB returns 76 percent of its scoring and rebounding.

The offense is led by sharpshooter Carla Meyer, a junior from New Brighton, Minn., who finished seventh in the league with 14.4 points per game. She scored double digits in 21 of 24 games (29 double-digit career scoring games), including a career-best 26 points against Bethel on Feb. 2, 2022. Meyer, who has made four threes in a game five times, was seventh in the MIAC with 68 assists and ranked second on the team with 5.2 boards per game. In her career, she has totaled 452 points, 154 rebounds, 71 three-pointers (34.6 percent), 33 games, 32 starts, 38 steals and 113 assists.
 
Gabby Martin, a senior from Pillager, Minn., will be one of four captains and returns after making 26 starts a year ago. She ranked 24^th in the MIAC with 9.9 points per game and led CSB with 51 steals while recording 50 assists. She had a career-best 17 points with six assists against St. Olaf on Feb. 9, 2022. Martin recorded 258 points and 106 rebounds a year ago.
 
Tori Szathmary, who will also be a captain, averaged 8.4 rebounds for fourth in the league while tallying 6.1 points per game. She had double-digit rebounds on seven occasions (eight in her career) with a career-best 12 twice. Originally of Lakewood, Colo., she has played in 56 games at CSB scored double-digits four times (eight times in her career) with three double-doubles.
 
Junior forward Lydia Hay averaged 6.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in 22 starts across 23 games a year ago. Hay, who had 23 blocked shots, recorded five double-digit scoring games, and reached double digits in rebounds once (11, Wisconsin-Superior, 11/23/21). Originally of Maple Grove, Minn., Hay, who has 158 points and 99 rebounds in her career, scored a career-best 14 points against Macalester on 12/11/21.
 
Sophomore wing Sophia Jonas of Hudson, Wis., was third on the team in points with 8.4 and scored a career-high 23 points against St. Olaf. In 25 games, including 14 starts, Jonas had nine double-digit scoring games, scoring a career-high 23 against St. Olaf on Jan. 10, 2022. In that game, when had a career-best five three-pointers. Nine times, she has hit three or more three-pointers in a game. A year ago, she had 210 points, 50 rebounds, 38 assists and 15 steals.
 
CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin has 716 career wins
Durbin, who heads into his 37th season with the Bennies in 2022-23, recorded his 700th win at home (Claire Lynch Hall) on Feb. 24, 2021 in an 88-83 win over the University of St. Thomas. In 36 seasons, Durbin has recorded 32 winning teams, coached 70 All-MIAC First Team selections, 54 honorable mention athletes, 15 players All-MIAC Defensive Team members and 15 all-first year team picks. Overall, he has a 716-264 record, including 712-242 with the Saint Ben's program. Under Durbin's direction, CSB has averaged nearly 20 wins a season for nearly 40 years and has won or shared 13 MIAC championship titles. CSB has finished in the top four in the conference 29 times in his 36 seasons at the helm. CSB has also competed in the NCAA Tournament 17 times in Durbin's 36 years, including eight NCAA Sweet 16 appearances, three Elite 8 appearances and two NCAA Final Four appearances. In 2015-16, Durbin guided CSB to the 500th MIAC win in program history since joining the league in 1985. Saint Benedict is the third program to reach the milestone and was the last team to join the conference. He holds a 557-173 mark in conference play. He is 19th in the NCAA in total wins regardless of division. During the summer of 2003, Durbin was inducted into the Minnesota High School Girls Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. On Dec. 1, 2001, against Macalester at Claire Lynch Hall, Durbin surpassed former University of St. Thomas head coach Ted Riverso to become the winningest coach in MIAC women's basketball history. In 1992-93, Saint Benedict made its first appearance in the NCAA Final Four, and then repeated that accomplishment just six years later. In the 1998-99 season, he led CSB to the NCAA Championship game, finishing as the national runner-up with a 74-65 loss to Washington University (Mo). Four CSB basketball players have received MIAC Player of the Year honors, nine have received All-American Honors and five have received Academic All-American honors. Under Durbin's watch, 20 players have surpassed the 1,000-point milestone in their careers. Durbin, the eldest of nine children, was born and raised in Howard, Ohio. At East Knox High School, he competed in basketball and football. After his high school graduation in 1977, Durbin attended Kent State University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in communication and public relations in 1981. He later earned a master's degree from Ashland College in sports administration. He served as an interim coach at Wittenberg University (Springfield, Ohio) for one year before coming to CSB in 1986.