ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – With a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds) from Carla Meyer and double-digit scoring from Lydia Hay, Tori Szathmary and Sophia Jonas, the College of Saint Benedict (14-4, 11-4 MIAC) rolled to a fifth straight victory in a 79-50 MIAC decision over St. Olaf (8-10, 5-10 MIAC) on Saturday at Claire Lynch Hall.

CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin was clearly impressed with his squad after earning the 729^th win of his career as the Bennies drew even with Bethel for third place in the MIAC at 11-4. CSB, which is 14-4 overall, sits just a game out of second place Concordia at 12-3.

"I have to tell you that is one of the best performances of the season," said Durbin, whose team will play at second-place Concordia (Minn.) on Monday at 7:15 p.m., in Moorhead, Minn. "We had a tremendous effort across the board. Carla certainly shined in all phases, but we had big time efforts from Tori and Lydia, who controlled the paint for us. They really played well as did Olivia Boily, Sophia Jonas, and as did everyone who played," he said.

After taking a 21-18 lead through the first quarter, CSB took control. They outscored the Oles, 17-8, in the second quarter, 23-14, in the third period and 18-10 in the fourth quarter to win for the second straight game by at least 23 points. It was CSB's seventh win by double-digit margin and it was the team's biggest overall margin this season.

As has been the case all season, the element of defense helped Durbin's team continue to build momentum. For the ninth time this season, the Bennies, which ranks third in the MIAC in defense scoring at 55.9 points per game, held an opponent to 52 points or fewer. Plus, CSB held St. Olaf's to 33.8 percent from the floor (22-of-65) and just 3-of-20 for 15 percent from three-point range.

By the Numbers
For the second time in three games (and her career), Meyer had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds while dishing three assists in 26:37 on the floor. For Meyer, she now has 43 career double-digit scoring games and 722 career points as she continues to move up the scoring charts.

Junior forward Lydia Hay also stepped up with 12 points and four rebounds as she made 5-of-9 field goals, including two three-pointers in three attempts. Hay now has eight double-digit scoring games and was just two points from her career-high of 14 against Macalester on Dec. 11, 2021.

Senior forward Tori Szathmary continued to shine for the Bennies as she had 12 points and seven rebounds, including a team-best five offensive boards. Szathmary hit 5-of-8 from the field and had three assists in 20:37 on the floor. She had her 10th double-digit scoring game.

Jonas continued to build on her career double-digit scoring outputs with her 16^th in 19 games and 24^th overall as she had 10 points, four assists and three rebounds. With two more three-pointers, the sophomore guard has 60 in her career.

Two others also stood out for the Bennies as Megan Morgan tied her career-high with nine points while adding two rebounds and an assist. Morgan, a first-year guard, hit 3-of-4 field goals including her only three-point attempt. Sophomore forward Olivia Boily added seven points and eight rebounds. Boily, who hit 3-of-4 field goals, had four offensive rebounds in play just under 21 minutes. Also of note, first-year forward Kira Young had her first career three-pointer while setting a career-best with four points and adding two rebounds as she helped the Bennies to a 27-to-11 margin in bench points.

Inside the numbers shows that CSB controlled every significant category. They outrebounded St. Olaf, 51-to-36, including 17-to-13 on the offensive board. The Bennies had a 10-to-3 margin in points off turnovers; a 38-to-30 margin in points in the paint along with a 22-to-12 edge in second chance points.

Saint Ben's finished 30-of-70 from the field, including 7-of-26 from three-point range for 26.9 percent. The Bennies had a 12-to-3 edge in foul shots.

1^st Quarter – Szathmary's four points and three boards help CSB take lead
The Bennies opened a 21-to-18 lead in the opening quarter, despite the Oles shooting 53.3 percent on 8-of-15 shooting. However, the Bennies had a 12-to-6 margin in rebounds and hit 47.4 percent on 9-of-19 shooting. Key for CSB was three-pointers from Jonas, Boily, and Morgan. St. Olaf opened a 16-10 lead at 4:09 of the first quarter on Rachel Kelly's jumper. Kelly led the Oles with 18 points on the night. However, Jonas hit a three (3:46) which was followed by another by Boily (2:05) to tie the game and lead to a run of 11-2 for a 21-18 lead at the break.

2^nd Quarter – CSB limits St. Olaf to 22.2 percent shooting to extend lead
In the second quarter, the Bennies opened on a 13-to-6 run to take a 34-24 lead on a jumper by Meyer at the 5:01 mark. A jumper off a turnover from Hay (1:56) and a Szathmary basket in the paint (1:12) help propel CSB to a 38-26 lead at halftime. In the quarter, CSB was 6-of-16 from the field for 37.5 percent and made all four of its foul shots. The key was the defense by Saint Ben's which held the Oles to 22.2 percent on 4-of-18 shooting.

3^rd Quarter – Meyer scores eight to lead CSB in decisive run
Led by Meyer's eight points along with five from Hay, the Bennies built as much as a 21-point lead and outscored St. Olaf, 23-14 in the period to push the margin to 61-to-40 at the break. CSB hit 9-of 21 shots from the field for 42.9 percent and had an 18-to-9 rebound edge. The Oles made just 6-of-20 for 30 percent and missed all four of its three-pointers. CSB opened on an 8-4 run as Meyer's jumper gave the Bennies a 46-30 advantage at 6:39 of the period. Hay scored five points late in the period with a three and a jumper on a fast-break to push the lead to 57-40. Then, senior guard Gabby Martin scored on another break, tallying a basket with under five seconds to play to give CSB a 21-point lead.

4^th Quarter – CSB gets 13 points from the bench as they build a 32-point lead
With the bench providing 13 points and CSB hitting 42.9 percent on 6-of-14 shooting, the Oles could not cut into the deficit. The Bennies built as much as a 32-point lead as Young had her first-career three-pointer with 2:12 to play and her foul shot at 1:46 provided a 79-47 advantage – its biggest margin of the game.