ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Junior guard Carla Meyer had a career-high 27 points with seven assists and four rebounds to lead the College of Saint Benedict Basketball Team (18-8) to a 73-55 win over Bethel (12-14) in the quarterfinal round of the MIAC Postseason Tourney on Tuesday night.

With the snow falling and wind churning outside, the Bennies provided warmth in Claire Lynch Hall by hitting 52.8 percent from the field on 28-of-53 shooting, including 8-of-14 from three-point range (57.1 percent). It was the second-best field goal shooting performance of the season for the Bennies. And CSB made eight or more triples for the seventh time this year with a season-best three-point percentage shooting effort.

By winning and advancing, the No. 4 seeded Bennies will face top seed and regular season champion Gustavus Adolphus (23-2) on Friday at 7 p.m., in St. Peter, Minn. In the other semifinal, Hamline (18-8) will play No. 2 seeded Concordia (21-4). The winners of the semifinal matchups advance to the championship on Sunday.

"Carla Meyer was special tonight. She took over the game early and continued all night long," said CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin, who has 733 wins in his career. His team advances to CSB's first semifinal in the MIAC Tourney since 2017-18. "We had so many contributions all night. It was great to see the energy and focus. They played another solid defensive game and really played at the top of their game," said Durbin.

Led by Meyer's seven points, the Bennies jumped out to a 17-13 lead after a quarter, and with an 18-12 advantage in the second quarter, led by 10 at halftime at 35-25. CSB also had a 19-16 margin in the third quarter for a 54-41 lead after three quarters of play. In the fourth quarter, the Bennies outscored the Royals, 19-14 for a 73-55 win. It was CSB's second straight win over Bethel, which defeated CSB, 68-64, on Jan. 14.

CSB is now 16-14 all-time in MIAC Tournament play with two titles - 2008-9 (57-48 over Concordia), 2006-07 (56-54 over Gustavus) and a runner up finish in 2001-02 (Carleton 79-63). CSB also will make its 10th semifinal appearance. This was the first win at home in the MIAC Tourney play since 2016-17.

In her 50^th career double-digit scoring game, Meyer, who was All-MIAC a year ago, hit 11-of-15 field goals, including all three of her three-pointers for 27 points.  She surpassed her career best of 26 against Bethel on Feb. 22, 2022. It was her sixth 20-point scoring game of 2022-23. Meyer, who now has seven 20-point games in her career, had a game high seven assists and had three steals to go with four rebounds.

Sophomore guard Sophia Jonas also had a big game for CSB with 18 points, two rebounds, four steals and two assists. Jonas made 7-of-11 from the field, including 4-of-6 from three-point range. She now has a school record 81 three-pointers this season, a total that ranks sixth in DIII. In her 28^th double-digit scoring game, Jonas made at least three pointers or more for the 24^th time in her career.

In her second career start, first-year guard Megan Morgan had eight points and seven rebounds while senior post Tori Szathmary added six points, three blocked shots and a game-high nine rebounds. With Morgan and Szathmary controlling the boards, CSB had a 32-to-22 edge. The Bennies also shared the ball effectively with 16 assists on 28 made baskets.

While the offensive was operating at a high level, CSB's defense was solid. They had a season-high 12 steals for the third straight game. CSB also had three blocks' shots while limiting Bethel to just 5-of-18 shooting on 27.8 percent.

The Bennies' rebound edge led to an 18-to-3 edge in second chance points. CSB also had a 34-to-20 margin on points in the paint and a 24-to-14 margin points off turnovers. Bethel, which was led by Courtney Nest with 13 points and Anna Garfield with 12, made 20-of-44 from the field for 45.5 percent.

1^st Quarter – Meyer scores seven points to lead Bennies
In the opening quarter, the Bennies jump to a 17-13 lead as Meyer scored seven points. CSB was a sizzling 7-of-12 for 58.33 percent. However, Bethel led 5-0 before CSB started a comeback, going on a 7-2 run for a tie at 4:38 after Jonas made a lay-up on the break. At 1:48, Meyer hit her first three points and then 28 seconds later, Meyer converted a lay-up for the four-point lead.

Second Quarter – CSB hits four triples to take 10-point lead
In the second quarter, CSB hit 4-of-4 from three-point range – two each by Meyer and Jonas – to take a 35-25 halftime lead. Overall, CSB was 7-of-15 from the field for 46.67 percent while Bethel hit 4-of-11 for 36.36 percent. Back-to-back threes from Meyer at 7:57 and 6:43 gave CSB a 26-17 lead. The Bennies followed  with a 7-2 run, including lay-ups from Meyer and Martin to lead, 33-19 at the 3:05 mark. Bethel had a 6-2 run to cut the lead to just 10 at the break.

Third Quarter – Bennies hit 56.25 percent from field to extend margin to 13
By shooting 35.25 percent from the field on 9-of-16 shooting, CSB extended their advantage over the Royals to 54-41. Bethel hit 6-of-12 field goals but couldn't make up any ground. At the 8:02 mark, CSB took a 42-25 lead on a triple from Jonas. Bethel cut the lead to 44-34 before Szathmary, Meyer and Jonas had baskets for a 50-37 advantage at the 2:01 mark.

Fourth Quarter – CSB knocks down 5-of-10 in fourth quarter to bring 53rd win in series
CSB made 5-of-10 field goals for 50 percent, including 2-of-5 from three-point range as the Bennies continued to control action. With the game at 57-47, CSB had a 9-to-0 run with five points from Jonas, to take a 66-47 lead with 2:14 left to play. Then, Gabby Martin, who had five points, two assists and a rebound, hit a three-pointers followed by a three-point play by Abigail Kuboushek as the Bennies earned its 53^rd win in 81 games against Bethel.