WINONA, Minn. – With a career-high 17 points from sophomore Kira Young and 17 by senior guard Carla Meyer, the College of Saint Benedict basketball team (3-1, 1-0 MIAC) opened the MIAC schedule by rolling to a 74-55 win over Saint Mary's (2-3, 0-3 MIAC) on Wednesday (Nov. 29).

For Saint Benedict, the win was the third in the past four games as the Bennies opened the MIAC season at 1-0.

CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin was pleased with the road effort from his team, particularly the ability to share the basketball and focus on defense.

"We had 19 assists on 31 made baskets which is impressive. It is great sharing of the basketball," said Durbin, whose team will host Hamline on Saturday at 1 p.m., at Claire Lynch Hall. "Yet, our defense was outstanding and took them out of many of their actions. And, Kira and Carla had great games as we had balance throughout our lineup," added Durbin, who had four players reach double digits for the first time this year.

Young reached double-digits for a third consecutive game but set a career-high with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. Young, who also had a career-high with seven rebounds, also hit 2-of-4 from three-point range and 1-of-2 at the free throw line while adding three assists, a steal and a block.

Meyer, who had her 53^rd career double-digit scoring game, scored 17 points to go with a team-season high eight assists and five rebounds along with three steals. Meyer hit 8-of-13 shots from the floor, and recorded a three-pointer, the 119^th of her career.  She also surpassed 900 points (909) in her career. The eight assists by Meyer were one away from her career-high (9, Augsburg, 3/3/2021) as CSB had 19 as a team, the second highest total of the year for the Bennies.

For the fourth straight game, Sophia Jonas reached double-digits with 11 points while she set a career-high with five assists and had three rebounds. Jonas hit 3-of-5 from three-point range and now has 147 for her career, just four away from tying Amy Stifter, who had 151 from 2007-11, on CSB's all-time three-point list.

Playing in her hometown, sophomore guard Megan Morgan added 10 points, three rebounds, an assist and a blocked shot. Junior forward Morgan Chmielewski tied her career-high with nine points (UW-River Falls, 11/16/23) and set a career-high with five rebounds, including a career-best of three offensive boards as the Bennies  had 10 as a team and 37 total rebounds for the game.

Overall, CSB hit 30-of-61 field goals for 49.2 percent, including 9-of-24 from three-point range for 37.5 percent. On the night, the Bennies outshot SMU which was 23-of-63 from the field for 36.5 percent and made 8-of-17 from three-point range for 47.1 percent.

Game Summary
1^st Quarter – Hay scores five to lead Bennies to 20-12 lead
Led by five points from Lydia Hay and points from six players, the Bennies jumped to a 20-12 lead after the opening period. Saint Benedict was 8-of-18 from the field for 44.4 percent, including 3-of-6 from three-point range. Jonas opened the scoring which helped the Bennies sprint out to a 15-3 lead, which was culminated by Chmielewski's three-point play at 5:28. Grace Schaffer's lay-up for SMU broke a 5:29 scoring drought. SMU closed with a 5-0 run to draw within 20-12 at the break. 
 
Second Quarter – Chmielewski leads CSB to 40-25 halftime advantage
Just like the start of the game, Jonas opened the second quarter with a three-pointer for a 23-12 lead (:35). Jonas's basket spurred a 20-to-13 advantage in the quarter as the Bennies led at the break, 40-35. The Bennies hit 8-of-16 from the field for 50 percent, including 2-of-7 from three-point range. SMU hit just 10-of-30 from the field but made 5-of-10 from three-point range. After a three from Zoe Fink, SMU cut the lead to 31-23 but Chmielewski converted a lay-up for a 33-23 advantage at the 1:45 mark. With a three from sophomore Megan Driste, the Bennies led, 36-23 with 1:07 to play. Then Morgan converted a lay-up (:45) and two free throws with four seconds on the clock for the 15-point lead (40-25). At the break, Meyer led the Bennies with 10 points while Chmielewski had seven points and three rebounds.

Third Quarter – Young scores 12 points to lead Bennies 19-point lead
Young scored 12 points, including eight over the opening 3:21 of the period, to help the Bennies take a 62-40 lead after three quarters. Led by Young's offensive surge, CSB hit 9-of-16 field goals for 56.3 percent. CSB was also 3-of-7 from three-point range while SMU hit just 6-of-18 field goals as they were continued neutralized by the CSB defense. Baskets by Hay, Meyer and Young helped CSB open the second half on a 7-0 run and extend the lead to 47-25 (7:57).  Young's jumper extended the lead to 49-27 (6:39). With her third triple of the game, Jonas helped the Bennies to a 55-32 lead at the 4:55 mark. Young added a lay-up (13 points) as the Bennies led, 57-37. A pair of threes by SMU cut CSB's lead to 57-40 at 2:16. But Young answered inside and a late three from Morgan propelled CSB to the 22-point margin (62-40).

Fourth Quarter – Meyer helps Bennies maintain lead and get win
Despite being outscored 15-12 by SMU, CSB was also to maintain control of a double-digit advantage by hitting 5-of-11 field goals for 45.5 percent with 1-of-4 from three-point range. With a free throw from Morgan and a basket by Jonas, CSB led, 65-44 with 7:13 to play.  SMU cut the lead to 65-48 with 5:15 with two baskets from Autumn Passehi. However, Meyer's triple and a lay-up and from Chmielewski gave the Bennies a 70-48 lead at the 4:45 mark. Young and Meyer both hit baskets as CSB led, 74-52, with 2:56 to play and closed it out. As a result, the Bennies had their seventh straight win over the Cardinals and 59^th in 77 games with SMU.