HILO, HAWAII – Sophia Jonas scored 15 points and Carla Meyer added 14 as the College of Saint Benedict (7-1) recorded a fifth straight win with a 64-44 nonconference decision over Worcester State (4-7) at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium on Sunday night. With the victory, CSB moved to 7-1 on the season.

Saint Ben's, which will face DePauw University at 8 p.m. (CST) on Monday (Dec. 19) in its second of two games at the Big Island Classic, jumped to a 19-9 lead after one quarter and held a 35-16 margin at the half. With a 13-6 advantage in the third quarter, the Bennies opened up a game-high 26-point lead and cruised to the nonconference win.

CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin noted the quick start of the Bennies as key to the win.

"I thought the first quarter was the key to the win because we didn't know how we would react to a long travel day and little sleep," said Durbin, who now has 723 career wins at CSB. "But, we shot it extremely well and couple that by defending incredibly, it was a really nice performance across the roster," said Durbin of his team which has won five straight for the first time since opening the 2021-22 season with six straight wins.

By the Numbers
In the opening game of CSB's participation at the Big Island Classic, Jonas tied her career-high in made three-pointers with five and had 15 points along with three rebounds and one assist in 23 minutes. It is the fourth time that Jonas has hit five triples in a game this year and the fifth time in her career. Jonas, who has won back-to-back MIAC Player of the Week honors, now has seven double-digit scoring games this season and 16 in her career.

Junior point guard Carla Meyer also had a standout game for the Bennies with 14 points, three rebounds and six assists. Meyer has recorded double-digit points in 27 of the past 31 games and 34 in her career. She hit 6-of-10 from the field and was 2-of-5 from three-point range. In addition, junior forward Lydia Hay added eight points on 4-of-8 shooting while grabbing five rebounds and three assists. Senior guard Gabby Martin had five points, two rebounds and four assists. With her point total, Martin surpassed 300 points in her career (304).

Freshman Megan Driste and sophomore Morgan Chmielewski scored their first career baskets while senior Maria Klein recorded her first three-pointer this year in the fourth quarter.

Overall, CSB finished 24-of-53 from the field for 45.3 percent while making 9-of-28 from the three-point line for 32.1 percent. On defense, they held Worcester State to 29.1 percent from the field on 16-of-55 shooting and just 3-of-16 from three-point range. While both teams had 36 rebounds, the Bennies forced 22 turnovers which resulted in a 24-to-14 edge in points off turnovers. CSB also had a 6-to-0 margin in fast-break points and a 22-to-20 margin of points in the paint.

Game Breakdown
1st Quarter – CSB hits 53.8% from field to race to 19-9 lead
With Jonas knocking down a pair of three-pointers and CSB hitting 4-of-6 overall (66.7 percent), the Bennies opened a 19-9 lead at the break and never trailed. After Worcester State's Sarah Blomgren opened the game with a three, Jonas answered with a three of her own at 9:15 to start an 8-3 run which resulted in an 8-5 lead at the 7:18 mark after Hay converted a lay-up. Then, CSB had an 11-4 run to close the quarter as Jonas (6:43) and Martin (1:19) knocked in triples for a 19-7 advantage. In the quarter, CSB was 7-of-13 from the field for 53.8 percent while holding Worcester State to just 23.1 percent on 3-of-13 shooting, including 1-of-4 from three-point range.

2nd Quarter – Bennies open quarter on 11-0 run to take control
CSB continued its fast start by opening on an 11-0 run and cruising to a 30-9 lead at the 6:36 mark of the second quarter. Meyer scored four points while Jonas knocked in another three as part of the run. The Lancers answered with a 5-0 run to cut the 21-point lead back to 16 at the 2:46 mark. However, Meyer found the range from three-point distance with 19 seconds left as CSB took a 35-16 to the halftime break. In the quarter, CSB was 7-of-16 from the floor for 43.8 percent and finished 14-of-30 from the field while hitting 6-of-16 on three pointers.

3rd Quarter – Jonas hits pair of 3s to help CSB to 48-22 lead
Both teams struggled out of the gate to open the third quarter but eventually, CSB was able to grab control by benefit of Jonas's long-range artistry and tough defense. While the Bennies hit just 5-of-15 from the field, CSB had two triples from Jonas to build its largest lead. When freshman guard Megan Morgan (four points, four rebounds) hit a basket for a 48-22 lead with 43 seconds to play, CSB led by 26 and took a 48-22 lead to the fourth quarter.

4th Quarter – Worcester State outscores CSB, 22-16
In the fourth quarter, Worcester State, which made 8-of-14 field goals (57.1 percent), opened on a 15-5 run to cut the lead to 53-37 with 3:35 left on a basket by Siarra Francis. While the Lancers had a 22-16 edge in the fourth quarter, CSB had control. When Driste made her first career basket on a lay-up with 2:52 to play and Klein hit her three-pointer with 1:40 left, the Bennies had a 58-37 lead, and the issue was decided.