GRINNELL, IOWA –
Carla Meyer (18 points) and
Sophia Jonas (15 points) sparked a late rally which fell just short as the College of Saint Benedict basketball team (6-3) dropped a 70-63 overtime decision to Grinnell (7-3) on Sunday (Dec. 10) in road non-conference play at Darby Gymnasium.
Down eight points late in the fourth quarter, the Bennies closed on a 9-3 run to take a 56-54 lead before Grinnell's Sarah Booher had the game-tying basket. In overtime, Grinnell used a 14-7 scoring edge to earn the victory. CSB trailed 11-10 after the first quarter and 25-18 at halftime. The Pioneers, which once led 25-11, held a 39-33 edge through three quarters. CSB outscored Grinnell, 23-to-17 in the fourth quarter to draw even at 56 and force overtime.
With the setback, the Bennies dropped to 6-3 on the season as the holiday break begins. Saint Benedict will be back on the floor when they host St. Olaf at 7 p.m., on Jan. 3.
Meyer scored all 18 of her points in the second half as she now has 58 career double-digit scoring games. The senior standout moved to 981 career points (21
st all-time at CSB) after hitting 7-of-17 field goals, including 4-of-10 from three-point range. Meyer, who now has 132 career three-pointers for eighth all-time at CSB, added a team-high nine rebounds while dishing two assists.
Jonas had her 39th double-digit scoring game of her career as she had 15 points, including 5-of-11 from three-point range. A junior standout, Jonas, who now has 160 career three-pointers (4
th all-time, seven behind Darby Noreen, 167, 2003-07) and 699 career points, has had five or more three-pointers three times this season and 10 times in her career.
Junior forward
Morgan Chmielewski added eight points with a career-high seven rebounds while sophomore guard
Megan Morgan had seven points and seven rebounds.
Lydia Hay added seven points, seven rebounds, a career-high four blocks and two assists and two steals. Sophomore guard
Megan Driste supplied seven points, four rebounds, and two assists. Four players, Morgan,
Lydia Hay, Chmielewski and Meyer also totaled seven rebounds or more as the Bennies had a season-high 47 rebounds.
After a slow start shooting, CSB hit 22-of-73 field goals to finish at 30.1 percent and connected on 12-of-39 from three-point range for 30.8 percent. CSB hit double-digits in three-pointers for the fifth time this year. CSB also had 13 assists on 22 made baskets while recording seven steals and four blocks.
Grinnell, which was led by 19 points from Erin Lillis and 16 from Nikki Ware, had a slight shooting edge with 26-of-66 field goals conversions for 39.4 percent. The Pioneers were 9-of-19 from three-point range and made nine free throws. While CSB had a 16-to-14 edge in points off turnovers, Grinnell held a 24-to-10 margin of points in the paint and 9-to-3 advantage in fast-break points. CSB was outrebounded, 50-to-47, but the Bennies had an 11-to-3 margin in second chance points, which helped CSB rally from a 14-point deficit in the second quarter.
First Quarter Summary – Jonas hits two threes
While both teams struggled in the opening quarter, Grinnell held a slight edge on shooting 33.3 percent (5-of-15) to just 20 percent (3-of-15) for CSB. After Grinnell opened with a pair of baskets, Jonas hit a three and Hay connected on two free throws for a 5-4 lead at the 6:35 mark. Jonas hit another three but a lay-up by Ware gave Grinnell an 11-8 lead at the 3:11 mark. Later a basket by Chmielewski cut Grinnell's lead to 11-10.
Second Quarter Summary – Driste scores seven to keep Bennies within 7
Grinnell opened the quarter on a 14-1 run and grabbed a 25-11 lead before CSB rallied behind the play of Driste. First, she hit a three-pointer and then scored a pair of jumpers to help the Bennies rally to within 25-18 at the break. In the quarter, CSB was 3-of-12 for 25 percent, including 1-of-6 from three-point range. Overall CSB, which was hurt by 10 turnovers, was 6-of-27 from the field for 22.2 percent in the half. They made 3-of-14 from three-point range for 21.4 percent while making 3-of-4 free throws. Driste had seven points and Jonas added six while Morgan and Meyer both grabbed four rebounds. As for the Pioneers, they were 10-of-32 from the field for 31.3 percent with 3-of-8 from three-point range but held a 23-to-21 rebound edge.
3rd Quarter Summary – Meyer's seven points helps CSB cut lead
Led by seven points from Meyer and another three from Jonas, the Bennies opened the third quarter on a 10-7 run to cut the Grinnell advantage to 32-28. Then, Morgan's triple drew CSB within, 32-31, at the 3:08 mark. Chmielewski hit a jumper with 49 seconds left to cut lead to 37-33. But the Pioneers had the answer for a 39-33 advantage. CSB, which had a 15-to-14 quarter edge, was 6-of-17 in the quarter for 35.3 percent but hit 3-of-9 triples.
4th Quarter – CSB rallies from eight down late to force OT
CSB was able to rally against the Pioneers and force overtime by hitting 8-of-20 field goals for 40 percent, including 5-of-9 from three-point range. Grinnell was 6-of-13 for 46.2 percent but hit just 2-of-4 from three-point range. Meyer's second three of the game helped CSB pull within 44-40 at the 7:23 mark. After a free throw by Hay,
Kira Young's jumper helped the Bennies draw within 43-33 after a 6-0 run. Grinnell answered with seven straight points for a 51-43 lead before Jonas hit a three to cut the lead to five at 51-46 with 4:26 to play. With 1:31 to play Jonas hit her fifth triple of the game to cut the lead to 54-53. Then, Meyer's fourth three of the game with 11 seconds to play gave the Bennies a 56-54 lead as part of a 9-1 run. Sarah Booher's jumper inside tied the game in the closing seconds and forced overtime.
Overtime Summary – Grinnell outscores CSB, 14-7, to get win
Grinnell had a 14-7 advantage in overtime as they made 4-of-5 from the field, including 2-of-2 on threes. CSB was just 2-of-9 for 22.2 percent and made just 1-of-7 from three in the extra session. The Pioneers opened overtime on a 5-0 run and never trailed. Morgan's three cut the lead to 61-59 with 3:01 to play. The teams traded baskets with Chmielewski's basket cut the deficit to 63-61. Then Eva Carchidi hit a three with 1:20 left to give Grinnell a 66-61 lead as they held on for the home victory in the first meeting between the schools.
