ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Carla Meyer had 20 points while Sophia Jonas added 15 and Megan Morgan had a career-high nine points to lead the College of Saint Benedict (13-4, 10-4 MIAC) to a fourth consecutive win in a 69-46 victory over St. Scholastica (0-16, 0-14 MIAC) on Wednesday night (Jan. 25).

CSB put together a well-rounded game to earn its 10^th conference win in 14 games and stand fourth in the MIAC, just one game out of second place (Concordia, 11-3; Bethel, 11-3).  In moving to an overall 13-4 record, the Bennies improved to 20-2 all-time vs St. Scholastica.

According to Head Coach Mike Durbin, who now has 728 career wins, the key was a stellar defense, strong contributions off the bench and work in the paint.

"Carla Meyer continues to shine for us as does Sophia Jonas, but we had a lot of big contributions, including Megan Morgan and Morgan Chmielewski. We continue to focus on playing within ourselves and fighting for the ball. We show great chemistry, work really hard on rebounding and play solid defense. It is a resilient and respondent team that just keeps coming at you," added Durbin, whose team hosts St. Olaf College at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28 at Claire Lynch Hall.

By the Numbers
A key attribute to the fourth straight win and 11^th straight verdict over the Saints was the work of CSB's defense both in the paint and on the perimeter. They held St. Scholastica to 29.2 percent shooting and just 46 points. It is the eighth time this year that an opponent has been limited to 52 points or fewer.

Looking inside the numbers, the Bennies controlled the paint to a tune of 29-to-10, second chance points, 12-to-4 and in rebounds, 43-to-29.

CSB opened a 13-6 lead after one quarter but was outscored, 18-17, as the margin was cut to 30-24 at halftime. In the third quarter, CSB shot 45 percent and knocked in 3-of-5 triples for a 21-10 run to lead 51-34 at the break. The Bennies also had an 18-12 fourth quarter as they outscored the visitors 39-22 in the second half.

Meyer surpassed 700 career points (706) with her 20 points and with three triples in seven attempts now has 99 in her career. She was 8-of-16 from the floor while adding four rebounds and two steals. The junior 2021-22 All-MIAC guard now has 14 double-digit games in 17 played this year with 42 in her career. In addition, she had her second straight game of 20 points or more and her fifth of her career.

Jonas scored 15 points and now has 23 career double-digit scoring games. The standout sophomore had two more three-pointers and has 58 this season, ranking in the top five nationally with that total. Jonas, who had two assists and three rebounds, was 4-of-12 from the floor and 2-of-7 from three-point range.

Morgan added her career high of nine points while adding three rebounds. The first-year guard hit 3-of-4 field goals and knocked down her second career three-pointer. Also, for CSB, sophomore forward Olivia Boily had eight points and eight rebounds as she was 4-of-8 from the field.

In total, Durbin played 15 players including sophomore Abigail Kuboushek who had three points and five rebounds. Sophomore forward Morgan Chmielewski had two points and a career-high five rebounds.

Overall, Saint Ben's controlled action as they led for 34 minutes. In controlling action, CSB hit 24-of-65 field goals for 36.9percent, including 5-of-22 from three-point range for 22.7 percent. In addition, the Bennies made 80 percent from the foul line on 16-of-20 shooting.

St. Scholastica was led by Lexi Imdieke with 18 points and four rebounds while Miranda Broberg had 12 points and Jackie Johnson, 10.

Game Breakdown
1^st Quarter – CSB shoots 45.5 percent to take 13-6 lead
In the opening quarter, the Bennies hit 31.3  percent on 5-of-16 shooting, including a pair of triples. Meyer had five points and Boily, four, to lead the way. However, it was the Saints, which hit 2-of-13 field goal for 15.4percent, which came out quickly as Imdieke hit a three to help build a 6-2 lead at the 6:26 mark. Then the Bennies defense stepped up and held St. Scholastica without a point for the remainder of the period and with an 11-0 run took a 13-6 lead.

2^nd Quarter – Jonas tallies seven points as CSB takes 30-24 lead
In the second quarter, the shooting fortunes of the Saints improved as they outscored the Bennies, 18-17, to cut the deficit to six points (30-24). CSB made just 28.6 percent on 4-of-14 shooting and was 0-5 from three-point range. The Saints knocked down 7-of-13 shots, including 3-of-5 from three-point range as Imdieke had nine points. However, the Bennies, which had seven points from Jonas, maintained the lead by outscoring St. Scholastica, 9-1, at the foul line. After Meyer hit a jumper in the paint at the 6:50 mark, CSB led, 20-14. The team traded baskets for a bit as Morgan's second chance basket in the paint gave CSB a 26-21 lead with 2:50 to play. The Saints cut the lead to four points three occasions in the quarter. But when Jonas converted a pair of foul shots with 13 seconds left, CSB took the six-point lead (30-24) to the break.

3^rd Quarter – Meyer scores 10 as CSB jumps to 51-34 lead
In the decisive third quarter, the Bennies, led by 10 points from Meyer, who was 4-of-5 from the floor and 2-of-3 from three-point range, outscored the Saints, 21-10 for a 17-point advantage. Led by Meyer, CSB hit 45 percent from the floor on 9-of-20 shooting and made 3-of-5 from distance. Meanwhile, the CSB defense created havoc for St. Scholastica, which hit just 3-of-16 field goals for 18.8 percent. Key for the Saints was all three field goals were from three-point range, including two by Broberg. Early in the quarter, Meyer had five points as the Bennies took a 37-24 advantage with 7:16 to play. The Saints closed the lead to 39-30 (6:08) but CSB had control and moved in front 49-31 on another basket by Meyer with 36 seconds to play.

4^th Quarter – Eight players tally points for CSB
In the final quarter, CSB pushed the lead to as many as 26 with 5:53 to play. The Bennies had points from eight different players as they hit 6-of-15 from the floor for 40 percent and made 5-of-7 free throws. In addition, the Bennies controlled the boards to a 15-to-4 edge while limiting St. Scholastica to 18.2 percent shooting on 2-of-11 from the field. In the final two quarters, the Bennie defense was on point as they held the Saints to just five field goals in 27 attempts for 18.5 percent.