ST. JOSEPH, Minn. –
Sophia Jonas scored a career-high 25 points and led three players in double digits as the College of Saint Benedict basketball team (1-0) successfully opened the season with a 70-54 win over Minnesota Morris (0-2) in nonconference basketball at Claire Lynch Hall on Friday (Nov. 10).
CSB's 15th straight season-opening win came in the CSB Tip-Off Tourney which also includes teams from St. Olaf, Northwestern-St. Paul.
According to CSB head coach
Mike Durbin, the victory was, in large part, due to an outstanding effort on defense.
"We played exceptionally well at that (defensive) end of the floor," said Durbin, who earned his 731
st win in his career. "I was really pleased with the focus and the effort to limit Minnesota-Morris. The proof is in that we only gave up 15 second half points. It was a good effort on both sides," he said.
The Bennies opened up a 23-16 lead and extended the margin to nine points at halftime at 43-34. With a 12-to-9 edge in the third quarter, CSB led, 55-43, and then outscored the Cougars, 10-to-6, in the fourth quarter to grab the 70-54 decision.
Jonas, who set three-point shooting records (84 on the season) for both the CSB program and the MIAC a year ago, continued her work from long distance by tying a career-high with six triples in 15 attempts as she totaled 25 points while supplying a pair of assists and recording a steal. She was 9-of-18 from the field overall. The junior standout now has 33 career-double-digit scoring games and 134 career three pointers for seventh all-time at CSB. In addition, she now has made three or more threes in a game 25 times.
Senior
Carla Meyer scored in double-digits for the 51
st time in her career. With 14 points, she now has 869 in her career. Meyer also registered a team-high five rebounds with an assist in 33 minutes. She hit 6-of-13 shots and was 2-of-7 from three-point range.
Sophomore
Megan Morgan added 11 points with four rebounds, and four assists in a solid all-around game. She was 3-of-6 from the field, including 3-of-4 from three-point range.
Lydia Hay contributed seven points and three boards while sophomore
Kira Young had six points and four rebounds and sophomore
Megan Driste knocked in seven points.
As a team, CSB hit 24-of-56 from the field for 44.6 percent and made 11-of-32 from three-point range for 34.4 percent. The Bennies were 9-of-14 from the free throw line.
Crucial to the team's success was its work on the offensive glass with seven boards of the 24 it collected as a team. As a result, CSB converted 20 second chance points. The Bennies also dished 10 assists and recorded eight steals.
1st quarter- CSB Starts Fast
CSB started out fast as they shot an even 50 percent from the field and 62.50 percent from the line in the opening stanza. The Bennies jumped out to a seven-point lead after a three from junior forward
Morgan Chmielewski and a two-pointer from Jonas to gain a 17-10 advantage, the biggest margin of the opening quarter. Then, Young finished the scoring for the home team, putting two points on the board as CSB led, 23-16 at the break.
2nd quarter- Morgan and Meyer Lead the Way
Morgan and Meyer came out firing as the two combined for 12 total points. With their contributions, plus a two-pointer from Jonas, the Bennies built a 48-36 lead with 1:12 to play in the half. At the break, CSB, which hit 50 percent from the field (9-of-18) in the quarter and 53.85 (7-of-13) from three point range, took a 48-39 lead.
3rd quarter- Bennies defense steps up
CSB would continue its first half momentum in the third quarter, and with strong defense, kept the pressure on Minnesota-Morris. CSB led by as many as 14 points and helped the visitors to just nine points in the quarter. CSB was led by Hay, who had five points, including a trio of free throws.
4th quarter - CSB holds UMM to six points
In the fourth quarter, CSB had a 10-to-6 scoring edge as the defense kept the Cougars at bay and helped the Bennies extend their lead. The Bennies hit a pair of triples and knocked dpown both of its free throws to push the margin to 16 points.
