ST. PAUL, MINN. – The College of Saint Benedict (8-2, 5-2 MIAC), which had 13 points from Sophia Jonas and 12 by Carla Meyer, had a six-game winning streak end in a 52-50 MIAC road loss to St. Catherine (5-2, 5-2 MIAC) at the Butler Center on Thursday night (Jan. 5).

With the loss, the Bennies and Wildcats are tied at 5-2 in the MIAC for third place. CSB, which led by as many as 13 points, struggled in the fourth quarter as they were outscored, 23-to-10 by the Wildcats.

CSB, which travels to face Saint Mary's on Saturday (Jan. 7) at 3 p.m., in Winona, Minn., trailed 9-8 after one quarter before taking a 24-20 lead to halftime after a three-point play from sophomore Olivia Boily. Led by Meyer and Jonas with six points each, the Bennies took a 40-29 lead after the third quarter. However, the Wildcats responded with a big fourth quarter, which included a 23-10 run, for a 52-50 win. CSB had a couple of opportunities to tie in the final seconds, but the ball did not drop.

By the Numbers
Jonas, who hit three three-pointers for the 17^th time in her career, had her 17^th double-digit scoring game with 13 points. With 12 points, Meyer had her 36^th double-digit scoring game. In her eighth double-digit points game in the past 10, Meyer made six field goals and dished three assists. Boily had a solid game with nine points and seven rebounds.

In the game, CSB hit 20-of-66 field goals for 30.3 percent, which was tied for a season-low. The Bennies hit just 4-of-23 from three-point range but made 6-of-8 free throws. The Bennies, which were outrebounded by the Wildcats, 38-33, had a 16-to-2 edge in points off turnovers but were outscored in the paint, 30-to-28, and on second chance points, 12-to-11.  

St. Catherine, which had 13 points and six rebounds from Bree Glynn, used a 45 percent shooting mark in the fourth quarter to rally. In the comeback, the Wildcats hit 4-of-7 three-points which help energize their run and home win. The Wildcats made 21-of-60 field goals for 35 percent but were just 5-of-17 from three-point range for 29.4 percent. They were 5-of-11 from the foul line.

First Quarter – CSB had baskets from four players to stay close
In the opening quarter, CSB and St. Kate's struggled offensively as the defenses-controlled action. The Bennies, which hit 4-of-16 shots for 25 percent, had baskets from four different players to stay close and trail just, 9-8. St. Kate's opened the scoring on a basket from Karis Zezza (7:35) and Sam Orth for a 4-0 lead at the 6:20 mark. CSB ended a 4:05 scoring drought when senior guard Gabby Martin, who finished with nine points, made a lay-up at 5:55. Jonas, Meyer and Boily also had baskets in the quarter.

Second Quarter – Boily's late three-pointer gave CSB a 24-20 lead
 In the final seconds of the quarter, Boily's three-point play gave CSB a 24-20 halftime lead. In a first half dominated by defense, the Bennies had seven points from Martin and Boily as CSB took the lead. At 9:40, the Bennies took their first lead of the game at 10-9 on a basket from Jonas. CSB extended their lead to 12-9 on a basket from Meyer. St. Kate's rallied with five straight points including a three Rachel Randleman for a 14-12 lead. With a pair of foul shots and a three-point play by Boily, CSB took the halftime lead. In the opening half, CSB was just 10-of-31 for 32.3 percent and just 1-of-10 on three-point shots. The Bennies were outrebounded, 18-12, but forced 10 turnovers and had a 12-0 margin in points off turnovers to take the four-point lead.  

3^rd quarter – Meyer and Jonas lead Bennies to 40-29 lead
The Bennies opened the third quarter on an 8-0 run and used that momentum to take a 40-29 lead at the third quarter break. CSB was 6-of-18 from the field for 33.3 percent and had a pair of three-pointers from Jonas. Keyed by a trio of baskets from Meyer, CSB held a 32-20 lead with 7:09 to play. St. Kate's responded with a 7-0 run to cut CSB's lead to 32-27 with 2:28 to play. Then, Jonas hit back-to-back triples for a 38-27 lead with 1:25 to play in the quarter. Two foul shots from Martin pushed the lead to 40-27 with :30 to play.

Fourth Quarter – St. Kate's rallies for win with a 23-10 run
In the fourth quarter, the Wildcats had a game-high shooting mark of 45 percent on 9-of-20 field goals. St. Kate's hit 4-of-7 three-pointers as they overcame a double-digit deficit to earn the win. St. Kate's opened the fourth quarter on a 11-4 run to cut CSB's lead to 44-40 with 6:30 to play. Then, Karis Zezza had a basket to cut the lead to 44-42 with 5:36 to play. Then, the Wildcats, keyed by three-pointer from Greta Schimnowski, had a 7-2 run for a 49-46 lead.  CSB's Lydia Hay hit a free throw to cut the deficit to 49-47. Then, Jonas knocked down a three with 1:09 to play to give the Bennies a 50-49 lead. SCU answered with a lay-up from Sam Orth for a 51-50 lead (:50) and added a foul shot as they held off CSB.