ST. PAUL, Minn. – Sophia Jonas hit the game-winning lay-up and Hannah Johnson had a career-best performance of 11 points and 13 rebounds to lead the College of Saint Benedict (6-1, 5-1 MIAC) to a dramatic 53-52 road MIAC decision over Hamline (7-1, 5-1 MIAC) on Saturday afternoon.

With the victory, Saint Ben's won its fourth straight game to move into a tie for first place in the MIAC with Bethel (5-3, 5-1) and Hamline (7-1, 5-1). The Bennies, which now sit 4-0 in road games this year, next play in Hilo, Hawaii on Dec. 18-19 with games against Worcester State (Dec. 18) and DePauw (Dec. 19).

Of the six total lead changes in the game, four of them came in the final minute, culminated by a lay-up from Jonas with seven seconds left. CSB, which led by as many as 14 points in the first half, called a timeout after Hamline had taken a 52-51 lead with 10 seconds to go on a lay-up from Lyndia Lecher. Then, Jonas made the shot to lift CSB into first place.

"This was a feel-good win for sure as we have struggled at Hamline in the past. We battled all day and came up with several big plays, especially down the stretch," said CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin, who earned his 722^nd career win. "Sophia hit some big shots as did several others and Hannah stepped up with a great game. I am really proud of her with all that she has been through. She provides such a presence on the floor," he said.

The Bennies started fast by grabbing a 12-7 lead after the first quarter and took a 28-17 lead to the halftime break with a 16-10 advantage in the second quarter. Hamline rallied with a 19-13 edge in the third quarter to draw within 41-36 of CSB. Then, the Pipers had a 16-12 advantage in the fourth quarter and twice took the lead late.

By the Numbers
In 19:45 on the floor, Johnson had a career-best 11 points (9 points vs Carleton, 1-25-20) on 4-of-6 shooting and was 3-of-3 at the foul line. She had a career-best in rebounds with 13, pulling down 10 defensive boards. Aside from recording her first career double-double, the senior from Willmar, Minn., dished four assists while recording both a steal and a blocked shot.

As for Jonas, the reigning MIAC Offensive Player of the Week had her 15^th career double-digit scoring game and her sixth in seven games this season. She was 5-of-13 from the floor and had a trio of three-pointers in 10 attempts. Jonas, a sophomore from Hudson, Wis., had three triples in a game for the 15^th time in her career while surpassing 300 career points (311).

CSB also had nine points, two assist, four rebounds and a steal from junior guard Carla Meyer. In addition, junior forward Lydia Hay added six points and seven rebounds while senior forward Tori Szathmary had six points and six rebounds.

Overall, CSB was 20-of-58 from the floor for 34.5 percent but made just 5-of-23 for 21.7 percent from three-point range. However, the Bennies defense was a major factor as they held Hamline to 24.7 percent on 18-of-73 shooting, including 15.4 percent (4-of-26) from three-point range. Hamline had a 12-to-8 edge in made free throws. In a closely-contested game, the specialty numbers slightly favored Hamline, who lost the rebound battle, 44-to-42 but had a 10-to-7 edge in points off turnovers and 26-20 margin of points in the paint. CSB used its strong board work to an 8-to-4 margin in second chance points.

First Quarter – Szathmary leads CSB to 12-7 lead at break
CSB, which was 5-of-16 for 31.3 percent in the first quarter, led 12-7 at the break. Gabby Martin hit an early three for a 6-4 lead. Martin now is one point away from 300 career points with 299. In the quarter, Szathmary had four points and four rebounds to keep the Bennies in front. With a basket from Meyer off an Abigail Kuboushek assist, CSB took a 10-7 lead. Then, Szathmary converted an assist by Morgan for a 12-7 lead with under 40 seconds to play.

2^nd Quarter – Jonas and Meyer hit 3s to help CSB to 28-17 advantage
In the second quarter, CSB outscored Hamline, 16-to-10, and did so with clutch shots from Meyer and Jonas from deep. Jonas hit a triple which was followed by a basket inside by Hay for a 17-9 lead with nine minutes to play.  Morgan made a lay-up (3:02) and Meyer hit a three-pointer as the Bennies led, 28-14, with 2:06 to play in the quarter.

Halftime Numbers –

In the opening half, CSB outshot Hamline, 38.5 percent (10-of-26) to 13.9 percent (5-of-36) as the defenses-controlled play. CSB, which had six points and four rebounds from Szathmary and four points and seven rebounds from Johnson, had a 23-to-21 rebound edge and made three triples to one for Hamline.

3^rd Quarter – Johnson helps CSB hold 41-36 lead at break
Hamline, which had seven baskets to five for the Bennies in the third quarter, used a 19-to-13 advantage to cut the lead to just five points at the break (41-36). The Pipers opened the quarter with 10 straight points to draw within, 28-27, with 7:00 to play. Johnson's jumper ended a 3:50 scoreless run and gave CSB a 30-27 lead. Then, Meyer had a steal and lay-up as the Bennies extended the advantage to 32-27. Hamline answered with four straight points to draw within, 32-31 at the 2:45 mark. A jumper from Jonas and basket by Johnson started a 9-5 run as the Bennies had a five-point lead at the quarter break.   

4^th Quarter – Jonas provides game winner in closing seconds
The fourth quarter was a bit back and forth with a memorable finish. CSB, which made 5-of-16 shots for 31.3 percent, took a 44-36 lead at the 8::28 mark when Johnson converted a three-point play. After Hamline cut the lead to three, Jonas knocked in a triple for a 47-41 lead with 4:20 to play off assist from Martin. Then, the home-standing Pipers rallied late and with a 9-2 run took a 50-49 with 59 seconds to play. CSB's Meyer answered with a basket with 26 seconds left for the lead (51-50) and set the stage for a final frenetic 10 seconds.  Lecher, who had 12 points for Hamline, gave the Pipers the lead at 52-51 with 10 seconds left and after a CSB timeout, Jonas came up with the game-winner.