NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Sophomore guard Sophia Jonas, who had 20 points and a career-high six three-pointers, led three-players in double digits as the College of Saint Benedict Basketball Team (10-4, 7-4 MIAC) rallied for a come-from-behind 64-61 MIAC road victory over Carleton (4-10, 3-8 MIAC) on Monday (Jan. 16).

With the win, CSB pulled into a fourth-place tie in the MIAC with Hamline and St. Catherine at 7-4. The Bennies, which will host St. Catherine at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night, improved to 10-4 overall.
 

After trailing 17-11 after the first quarter, CSB had a 19-11 second quarter edge to lead 30-28 at the break. The game was tied at 49 after three-quarters before senior Tori Szathmary had two clutch baskets and first-year guard Megan Morgan's made a pair of clutch free throws in the final seconds as CSB held on for a 64-61 win.

"This was an important road win for the team," said CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin, who earned his 726th-career win. "We had contributions across the board, including from Tori, who played without any practice and a little jet lag," noted Durbin of his senior center, who had been studying in Vietnam. She finished with six points and six rebounds.

"Sophia had a big game and made some crucial shots which played a big role and Megan (Morgan) hit those two clutch free throws," he said.

By the Numbers –
Jonas had a special night for the Bennies with a career-best six three-pointers on just nine attempts. It was the sixth time she had made five or more threes in a game at CSB. In her third 20-point game of her career, Jonas, who ranks fourth in DIII with 3.4 threes per game and tied for fourth nationally with 48 made triples, was 7-of-10 from the floor. The sophomore , who surpassed 400 career points (406), now has 21 double-digit scoring games in her career with 12 coming this season.  

Junior guard Carla Meyer had her 12^th double-digit game this season and the 40^th of her career by scoring 14 points. In addition, Meyer, the MIAC's assist leader, had six dimes with two rebounds and two steals. She was 6-of-11 from the floor, including 2-of-5 from three-point range.

Sophomore forward Olivia Boily had her fifth career double-digit game and just missed her first double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. She also had two assists and two steals in one of her best games of the season. Sophomore Abigail Kuboushek totaled four points and eight rebounds, including a career-best and season team-high seven offensive boards.

After shooting just 28.6 percent in the opening quarter, CSB rebounded and finished at 44.1 percent on 26-of-59 shooting, a mark that is the third-best total this season. With 8-of-20 from three-point range for 40 percent, CSB had its most makes in seven games.  

Key to the comeback for CSP was its rebounding dominance and ability to share the basketball. CSB outrebounded the Knights, 42-20, with 16 offensive boards. Led by Meyer, the Bennies had 18 assists off 26 made baskets. As a result, CSB, which also had a 24-to-8 bench points margin, had a 32-to-26 advantage of points in the paint and a 13-to-2 margin in second chance points.

Carleton, which was led by 22 points from Amelia Solt and 13 points and six rebounds from Emma Henry, hit 20-of-43 field goals for 46.5 percent but made just 5-of-16 threes. The Knights built a lead and stayed close throughout with a 16-to-4 advantage in made free throws and a 16-to-11 margin in points off turnovers.

First Quarter – Carleton takes a 17-11 advantage
CSB started out slow as the Knights built a 17-11 margin in the first quarter. The Bennies hit just 28.6 percent from the floor on 4-of-14 field goals. A jumper by Jonas gave CSB a 6-5 lead in a game with 14 lead changes. Carleton responded with a 6-0 run on baskets by Aiana Whitfield (10 points), Solt and Henry for an 11-6 advantage with 3:03 to play.   CSB first-year Megan Driste ended the run by converting two foul shots, but Henry hit another three for an 14-8 lead. Carleton, which was 6-of-10 for 60 percent (2-of-4 from three-point range) in the quarter, scored the final four points to take the six-point lead at the break.

Second Quarter –Jonas and Meyer help CSB turn game around in 19-11 run
After falling behind 18-11, the Bennies put together a 19-10 run to close the quarter and take a 30-28 halftime lead. The run was spurred by Jonas and Meyer, who both knocked down three-pointers to close the gap to 20-17 at the 8:38 mark. Then, Meyer converted a lay-up off an assist by Hannah Johnson for a 21-20 lead as the Bennies had a 10-2 run. Carleton answered with a 4-0 run for a 24-21 advantage at the 6:32 mark. Buti Szathmary's basket gave CSB a 25-24 lead with 4:38 to play. Down one late, Jonas knocked in her third three of the half as CSB took a 30-28 lead with 44 seconds to play. At the break, CSB, which hit 8-of-17 for 47.1 percent in the quarter, was 12-of-31 for 38.7 percent, including 4-of-12 from three-point range. Jonas was 3-of-6 on three-pointers in the opening half. Both Jonas and Meyer had 11 points each to lead CSB. Carleton, which spent a good share of the half shooting over 50 percent from the field, finished at 10-of-21 for 47.6 percent although just 2-of-9 from three-point range.

3^rd Quarter – CSB rallies late to tie game at 49 at break
The Knights opened the second half on a 7-0 run for a 35-30 advantage with 7:09 to play. Then CSB, which was 8-of-12 shooting for 66.7 percent (3-of-5 from three-point range) in the quarter, rallied as Boily's baskets with 6:47 to play cut the deficit to 35-32.  Solt and Jonas each had threes as Carleton led, 38-35, with six minutes to play.  After Kuboushek's basket cut the lead to two, Jonas hit her fifth three of the game to tie the game at 40 with 4:35 to play. A few minutes later, Jonas set her career-high with her sixth three-pointer to give CSB a 43-41 lead. Down, 47-42, the Knights rallied for a 49-47 lead with a 7-0 run, but the Bennies scored late to keep game tied.

Fourth Quarter – Boily, Szathmary and Morgan hit big shots down stretch for CSB
In the fourth quarter, CSB was just 6-of-16 for 37.5 percent from the floor but had a 15-12 advantage due to clutch play by Szathmary, Boily, and Morgan. Boily's basket early in the quarter gave CSB a 51-49 lead.  With the game tied at 56, Boily scored inside off an assist from Meyer to give CSB a 58-56 lead at the two-minute mark. After Carleton scored, Szathmary scored with 1:19 to play for a 60-58 lead and after a Carleton free throw, converted inside for a 62-59 lead. Still, Carleton hung tough at home with another basket from Solt, and fouled Morgan, whose two foul shots with nine seconds left gave the Bennies a 64-61 lead. Then, CSB clamped down on defense and earned its 63^rd win in the 80^th match up of the series between the two schools.