ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Following the Thanksgiving holiday break, the College of Saint Benedict Women's Basketball Team (2-1, 1-1 MIAC) will jump back into action and travels to face the College of St. Scholastica (0-4, 0-2 MIAC) in MIAC action at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 30 in Duluth, Minn.

CSB has opened the season with a 2-1 record, including 1-1 in MIAC play. The Bennies started the campaign with a pair of road wins, including a 57-52 decision over Minnesota Morris and a 63-59 overtime win at St. Olaf which opened MIAC play.  In the home opener on Nov. 22 against Gustavus, CSB dropped a 64-47 decision.

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PREVIEW - CSB VS ST. SCHOLASTICA

Series Notes
In the all-time series, St. Ben's holds a 18-2 advantage over St. Scholastica. In the previous matchup, CSB took a 61-33 decision on Feb. 19, 2022, at Duluth, Minn. Overall, CSB is 8-1 in away games and has a 10-1 home record. The Bennies, which has won 13 straight in the series, won the first game in the series, 85-70, on Feb. 19, 1982.

Breaking Down St. Scholastica
In September 2021, Jason Schmitz was hired as the program's eighth coach. He had previously served as head coach at NCAA DIII Centenary (La.). He is a 2008 University of Mary graduate who has a master's degree in second education at Worcester (Mass.) State College. A year ago, St. Scholastica finished 3-22 with a 3-19 league mark. This year, the Saints, which has opened 0-4 overall and 0-2 in league play, average 47.5 points and allow 71.5 points per game. The team is led in scoring by Lexi Imdieke with 12.25 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Liz Frase is supplying 8.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per outing. The Saints opened the year with an 63-50 setback to Northwestern (Minn.), and a 71-47 loss at UW-Superior. In MIAC play, St. Scholastica has lost to Concordia (Minn.), 77-48, and Hamline, 75-45, in home games.

CSB Schedule Breakdown 
The Bennies will play five games in December, including two at home. After the road trip to St. Scholastica, the Bennies host Augsburg at 3 p.m. on Dec. 3 and Macalester College at 7 p.m. on Dec. 7 at Claire Lynch Hall. CSB will travel to Hamline in St. Paul, Minn., on Dec. 10 for a 3 p.m. contest. The Bennies close 2022 by playing at the Big Island Classic in Hilo, Hawaii including games with Worcester State on Dec. 18 and DePauw on Dec. 19 with both contests at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium. After Jan. 1, 2023, CSB plays 15 games starting with a road trip to St. Catherine on Jan. 4. The MIAC Tournament Championship begins on Feb. 21 with the quarterfinals. The league title game is 3 p.m. 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 from the 2021-22 team that was 15-11. 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 718 career wins, is ranked in the top 20 coaches in wins regardless of the division.  
 
SEASON BREAKDOWN

CSB opened with 57-52 win over Minnesota Morris on the road
Sophomore Sophia Jonas knocked down five threes and scored 15 points to lead CSB past Minnesota-Morris, 57-52, on Nov. 12 on the road. Both Olivia Boily (12 points and 7 rebounds) and Abigail Kubouchek (10 points and 7 rebounds) had career-highs in points and helped CSB to a 22-14 advantage in bench scoring. With the win, CSB improved its series lead over UMM to 12-3 with a 12^th straight win in the series.

Bennies win MIAC opener in overtime at St. Olaf
Carla Meyer, Sophia Jonas and Tori Szathmary scored in double-digits and sparked a second-half rally as the College of Saint Benedict (2-0, 1-0 MIAC) opened MIAC play with a 63-59 road win in overtime over St. Olaf (3-1, 0-1) on Nov. 19. Trailing 32-28 at halftime, the Bennies outscored the Oles, 28-24 in the second half to force overtime. With a 7-3 advantage in the extra session, CSB earned the victory in the closely contested league match up. The key play in the second half (overtime) was from junior forward Lydia Hay (seven points), who converted a three-point play with 16 seconds left to give the Bennies a 61-59 lead. Then, Szathmary had a pair of foul shots late to help the Bennies to the win. It was the 10^th straight victory in the series for the Bennies, which owns a 63-10 all-time mark. Senior center Tori Szathmary recorded the fourth double-double of her career with 14 points and tied a career-high with 13 rebounds (Augsburg, March 3, 2021). In her ninth career double-digit scoring game, Szathmary was 4-of-10 from the floor, hit 1-of-2 from three-point range and 5-6 at the foul line. With the 13 rebounds, she surpassed 300 rebounds for her career (305). Sophomore guard Sophia Jonas continued her sharpshooting from the perimeter by scoring 15 points for the second straight game. She was 4-of-8 from three-point range and had two rebounds. Junior guard Carla Meyer led the team with 18 points.

CSB falls to Gustavus
In its home opener, CSB dropped a 64-47 MIAC decision to Gustavus Adolphus (4-0, 2-0 MIAC) on Nov. 22 at Claire Lynch Hall. CSB was led in scoring by junior guard Carla Meyer who had 14 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot. Overall, the Bennies had struggles shooting from the field as they hit just 25.4 percent on 15-of-59 shooting, including 5-of-27 in the second half. CSB was 4-of-25 from three-point range for 16 percent but knocked down 13-of-18 free throws for 72.2 percent. CSB trailed just 17-15 after the first quarter before Gustavus had a 21-13 margin in the second to take a 38-28 lead to halftime. CSB was outscored, 20-10 in the third quarter as the Gusties built a 58-to-38 lead. The Bennies outscored Gustavus, 9-to-6 in the fourth quarter but it was not enough.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Inside look at CSB
This year, St. Benedict is averaging 59.0 points er game for nine in the league while allowing 58.3 for fifth in the MIAC. The Bennies rank second in the league with 7.3 made three-pointers per game (22 total.). In addition, defensively, CSB is holding opponents to 25 percent shooting (2^nd, MIAC) from three-point range and 37.2 percent (7^th, MIAC) overall from the field.

Bennies Player Notes
Guard Carla Meyer, a junior from New Brighton, Minn., has scored double digits in 23 of 26 games (31 double-digit career scoring games), including a career-best 26 points against Bethel on Feb. 2, 2022. Meyer is averaging a team-best 13.0 points per game (14^th in the MIAC) and has grabbed 4.0 rebounds with 4.3 assists per game. Meyer, who has made four threes in a game six times, has totaled 491 points, 166 rebounds, 78 three-pointers (34.6 percent), 36 games, 35 starts, 42 steals and 126 assists.
 
Gabby Martin, a senior from Pillager, Minn., scored a career-high 17 points against St. Olaf on Feb. 9, 2022 and has a high of eight rebounds at St. Scholastica on Nov. 20, 2021 with a high of six assists also against St. Olaf on Feb. 9, 2022. Martin is averaging 3.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.7 steals per game in 2022-23. With eight steals this year in three games, Martin ranks sixth in the league. She had five steals on Jan. 10, 2022, against St. Olaf on the road for her career best. Martin, who has made 20 career threes at CSB, now has 268 career points and 116 rebounds in playing in her second year with the program.
  
Tori Szathmary  has four career double-doubles, including the latest against St. Olaf on Nov. 19, 2022. She has nine double-digit rebounds totals with a career-high in rebounds of 13 against Augsburg on the road on March 3, 2021, and against St. Olaf on Nov. 22, 22022. This season she is averaging 6.7 points and a team-best 9.7 rebounds per game which places her second in the MIAC. She has three blocked shots this season. She set a career-best in points with 17 against Bethany Lutheran on Nov. 13, 2021. Originally of Lakewood, Colo., she has played in 59 games at CSB. Szathmary has scored double-digits nine times. Szathmary has 290 career points with 314 career rebounds and 22 blocked shots. She has twice made two threes in a game and has 17 made triples in her career.
 
Junior forward Lydia Hay has recorded five double-digit scoring games, and reached double digits in rebounds once (11, Wisconsin-Superior, 11/23/21). This year, Hay is averaging 6.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game with three blocked shots. Originally of Maple Grove, Minn., Hay, who has 177 points and 113 rebounds in her career, scored a career-best 14 points against Macalester on 12/11/21.
 
Sophomore wing Sophia Jonas has scored 15 points twice this season. She now has 11 career double-digit scoring games. She matched her career-best of five made threes in the opener. In 2022-23, Jonas has supplied 11.3 points per game (2^nd on CSB) with 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game. On Jan. 10, 2022, against St. Olaf, she had five threes and set her career high with 23 points. Eleven times, she has hit three or more three-pointers in a game. She has 238 career points, 53 made three-pointers and 56 rebounds.

Sophomore Olivia Boily set a career-best with 12 points while grabbing seven rebounds against Minnesota-Morris in the opener on Nov. 12, 2022. Boily, who is averaging 8.0 points and 4.7 rebounds per game this year, now has played in 25 games with 130 points and 120 rebounds. She has grabbed three or more rebounds three times this season and 15 times in her career. Twice she has reached double-digits in rebounds including a career best 11 against Carleton on Jan. 26, 2022.

Abigail Kuboushek, a sophomore from Prior Lake, Minn., opened her sophomore season by setting a career-best with 10 points and seven rebounds vs. Minnesota Morris. She also had two made three-point shots. Kubouchek, who also recorded her first-double-digit scoring game against UMM this year, now has 49 points and 38 rebounds in her career in 19 games. She is averaging 5.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game this year.
 
CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin has 718 career wins
Durbin, who is in 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. This season, the Bennies stand 2-1 overall and 1-1 in MIAC play. 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 718-265 record, including 714-243 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.