ST. PETER, Minn. – Sophia Jonas set a pair of three-point conference shooting records, but the No. 4 seeded College of Saint Benedict Basketball Team (18-9) dropped a 97-62 decision to top-seeded Gustavus (24-2) in the MIAC Tournament Semifinals on Friday (Feb. 24).

Gustavus, which won the regular season title, improved to 24-2 on the season and advanced to the MIAC Championship on Sunday. For the Bennies, the 2022-23 season ended after an 18-9 campaign. CSB, which had its most wins since the 2017-18 season, played in its 10^th MIAC Tourney Semifinals.

Jonas, a sophomore from Hudson, Wisc., set MIAC records for total threes in a season with 84 (83, Katie Stone, St. Thomas, 2015-16) and three-pointers in MIAC games only with 66 (Brooklyn Paulson, Saint Mary's, 63, 2021-22. Jonas's 84 threes rank fifth in DIII, and she is 20th in DIII in percentage at 84-of-210 for 40 percent. In league play, she finished 66-of-173 for 38.2 percent in 22 league games.

Against Gustavus, she led CSB in scoring with 11 points as she hit 3-of-6 from three-point range. Jonas recorded her 29^th double-digit scoring game, which was her 15^th straight.

Also reaching double digits for CSB was Lydia Hay with 10 points for her 11^th career double-digit scoring game.

Game Summary -
 Gustavus, which had a 52-to-30 edge in points in the paint, jumped to a 22-17 lead after the first quarter and, with a 26-14 run in the second stanza, led 48-31 at the halftime break. The Gusties also had a 24-12 margin in the third quarter and 25-19 in the fourth quarter as hit 70 percent (19-of-27 field goals) in the second half as they won a third game this season against CSB.
 
As noted, the key to the win for the Gusties was its outstanding shooting from the field as they made 61.1 percent on 41-of-66 shooting. Gustavus, which was led by 22 points from Anna Sanders and 17 by Emma Kneifel, made 9-of-14 from three-point range. In addition, they had a 39-to-17 margin in rebounds and had a 13-to-2 edge in fast break points.

As for the Bennies, they struggled from the field, hitting 23-of-56 from the floor for 41.1 percent. CSB was just 5-of-19 from three-point range and hit 11-of-17 from the free throw line. Also, for CSB, sophomore Olivia Boily added eight points with three rebounds while Gabby Martin and Carla Meyer each had seven points with Morgan Chmielewski contributing six points on 3-of-3 shooting.

First Quarter – Gustavus shoots 55.6 percent to open lead
In the opening quarter, Gustavus outshot CSB, 55.6 percent (10-of-18) to 40 percent (6-of-15). Early in the first quarter, Gustavus took a 9-7 lead with a basket by Kylie Baranick gave Gustavus a 15-11 lead at the 4:25 mark of the quarter. Boily's second basket kept CSB within 16-13. The Gusties scored on a 6-4 run to lead 22-17 at the break.

Second Quarter – GAC outshot CSB, 57.1-to-42.9% to take double-digit lead
In the second quarter, the Gusties hit 12-of-21 field goals for 57.1 percent as they found the home floor to their liking. At halftime, the Bennies trailed, 48-31, after being outscored, 26-14 in the quarter. GAC opened on an 8-3 run to extend their lead to 33-20 at the 6:15 mark. At 4:51, Jonas hit her MIAC-record-setting third three of the game off a Gabby Martin assist to draw within 37-25. However, the Bennies were outscored 11-6 for the rest of the quarter. In the opening half, CSB was 12-of-29 for 41.4 percent and 3-of-9 from three-point range. With a 22-to-11 advantage on the boards, including 8-of-3 on the offensive glass, Gustavus had a 10-to-8 margin in second chance points. Sanders led the way with 12 points (5-of-10 from the field) while Jonas had nine points to pace the Bennies.

Third Quarter – CSB's Hay has six points but GAC extends lead by hitting 75% on FG
In the third quarter, the Gusties continued to apply the pressure and jumped to a 54-31 lead after a 6-0 run. With a pair of free throws from Hay and another by Tori Szathmary, the Bennies closed to 54-34 at the 7:40 mark. However, the momentum was with the home-standing Gusties, which closed on an 18-to-9 run for a 72-to-48 advantage at the break. In the quarter, the Gusties had its best offensive effort by making 75 percent from the floor on 9-of-12 shooting. In that crisp-shooting effort, they hit all five of its three-pointers. CSB was just 4-of-10 from the field and missed all three of its threes in scoring only 12 points.

Fourth Quarter – Chmielewski has six to lead Bennies
The Bennies were unable to cut into the margin in the fourth quarter as the Gusties hit 10-of-15 field goals for 66.7 percent. In the second half, GAC was a combined 19-of-27 for 70.3 percent. CSB, which was 7-of-17 for 41.2 percent and 2-of-7 from three-point range, had six points from Morgan Chmielewski on 3-of-3 shooting.