ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Tournament MVP
Sophia Jonas scored 22 points to lead a 79-70 come-from-behind win by the College of Saint Benedict basketball team (2-0) over Northwestern (1-1) in the final game of the CSB Tip-off Tournament, which concluded Saturday at Claire Lynch Hall.
With the victory, the Bennies moved to 2-0 on the season as Jonas led three players in double digits. CSB, which will travel to UW-River Falls on Thursday, Nov. 16 (7 p.m.), also had 17 points, and five rebounds from senior
Carla Meyer and a career-best 13 points and six rebounds from sophomore
Kira Young.
All-Tourney Team - Jonas and Meyer were selected to the CSB Tip-Off All Tournament Team which included Maddy Grove of Minnesota-Morris, Lexi Hagen of Northwestern and Ziling Zhen of St. Olaf.
According to CSB head coach
Mike Durbin, the Bennies showcased a special resiliency in overcoming an early double-digit deficit in posting their second straight win to open the season.
"We stayed focused on what we needed to accomplish after Northwestern jumped out to that quick start (10-point lead)," said Durbin, who earned his 732nd win in his career. "We had a number of players that stepped up tonight. It was truly a group effort and great to see. It was a solid effort on offense, and in the second half, our defense shined," said Durbin.
In the opening quarter, Northwestern opened a 24-16 advantage and extended the margin to 26-16 in the second stanza before the Bennies began a comeback. With a 23-15 margin in the second quarter, CSB drew even at halftime at 39-39. Then, Saint Benedict had a 25-16 advantage in the third quarter and never trailed again. Both teams scored 15 fourth-quarter points, but the Bennies had its second straight nonconference victory.
Jonas hit 9-of-16 shots from the field, including 4-of-11 from three-point range for her 22 points. She also had two rebounds, three steals and an assist. For the weekend, Jonas, a sophomore from Hudson, Wis., had 46 points, and made nine three pointers as she now has 137 in her career, which leaves her just three away from tying Sidney Schiffler (2016-20) for sixth on CSB" s all-time list at 140 career triples. Overall, she was 18-of-34 shooting this weekend. With a second straight 20-point game, Jonas now has five 20-point games in her career. She also recorded her 34
th double-digit scoring game and has made three-or more triples in a game 26 times, including both games this year.
Meyer scored in double-digits for the 52
nd time in her career. In scoring 17 points, Meyer hit 8-of-18 shots from the field, including knocking in her 118
th career three-pointer which moves her ninth all-time at CSB. In addition, she drew closer to 900 career points (886). This weekend, she totaled 33 points or 15.5 per game.
Young had a career-best in points (13) and rebounds (6) while supplying an assist, block and steal against Northwestern. She was 6-of-15 from the floor and also hit a triple while grabbing two offensive boards. The Bennies also had nine points from sophomore guard
Megan Morgan on 4-of-7 shooting from the field. Morgan added three assists and three rebounds while registering a block. Also reaching a career-high was sophomore
Megan Driste who was 3-of-5 from the field for eight points, while tying for a team-high with a career-bex six rebounds. Driste hit both of her three-point field goals and also had two steals.
As a team, CSB ,converted 33-of-69 field goals for a season-best 47.8 percent. From three-point range, the Bennies made 8-of-24 for 33.3 percent while also making 5-of-7 free throws.
While CSB was outrebounded, 39-to-33, the Bennies had a 32-to-28 advantage of points in the paint and recorded eight second chance points along with nine points off turnovers. Of the 33 boards, the Bennies had nine offensive rebounds.
First Quarter Summary: Northwestern jumps to early lead
By hitting 6-of-10 triples in the opening quarter, the Eagles took a 24-16 lead. Overall, Northwestern was 8-of-16 from the field which was matched by CSB, who failed on its three, three-point attempts. The Eagles led, 9-4, after a jumper by Grace Landvik, who had a team-high 16 points. However, CSB battled back to within 12-10 after Meyer's lay-up. A trio of three-pointers late in the quarter helped the Eagles built the eight-point lead at the break.
Second Quarter Summary: With a trio of threes, Bennies draw even
Northwestern's three-point shooting tapered off in the second quarter as they were just 1-of-4 from the field and hit just 7-of-17 from the field as the Bennies defense tightened. In rallying to tie, CSB made 9-of-19 shots for 47.4 percent and was 3-of-6 from three-point land as they battled back from a 33-23 deficit at the 6:09 mark to draw even by the end of the quarter. During a span of 5:30, the Bennies outscored the Eagles, 16-to-6, to knot the score at the break. Morgan's jumper with 32 seconds left in the half tied the game.
Third Quarter Summary – Jones, Driste and Young key decisive 12-0 run for lead
Just like the second quarter, the Bennies used strong defense and its perimeter game to take control of the game. CSB hit 9-of-19 field goals for 47.37 percent and that shooting included 5-of-11 conversions from three-point range. Young's three-pointer was part of a 12-to-0 run across 3:33 of the clock to take a commanding 54-43 advantage. Jonas and Driste also had triples during the decisive run. CSB led by 12 points (60-48) after a Jonas three at the 1:37 mark and carried a nine-point lead of 64-55 to the break.
Fourth Quarter Summary – Solid shooting helps Bennies maintain advantage
In the fourth quarter, CSB built the lead to as many as 14 points (76-62) after a Jonas jumper in the paint at the 4:46 mark. The Bennies made 7-of-15 field goals for 46.7 percent to hold off the Eagles which hit on 6-of15 shots. The Bennies led, 78-64, with 3:28 to play and Northwestern drew only as close as nine points (29 seconds left in the game).
