ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Lydia Hay had 12 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots but the College of Saint Benedict basketball team (8-4, 6-2 MIAC) drops a 73-56 decision to Bethel (7-7, 5-4 MIAC) in MIAC play on Wednesday (Jan. 10) at Claire Lynch Hall.

Saint Benedict, which will travel to face St. Catherine on Saturday, Jan. 13, drops to 8-4 overall and 6-2 in the MIAC. With the setback, the Bennies fall into third place in the conference. Bethel improved to 7-7 overall and 5-4 in league play for fifth place.

The Bennies were hurt by a season-high 25 turnovers, which led to a 21-to-15 points off turnover edge for Bethel. The Royals also had a substantial advantage in the paint with a 44-to-30 points margin, and with its 34-to-25 rebound edge, had a 15-to-6 margin in second chance points. CSB hit 22-of-47 field goals for 46.8 percent but made just 5-of-17 shots from three-point range, which was down from the league-best 8.9 three-pointers they average on the season.

Hay, a senior forward from Maple Grove, Minn., reached double digits for the eighth time in her career at CSB. She was 4-of-9 from the floor, including 1-of-2 from three-point range. Also, for CSB, senior guard Carla Meyer had nine points and three assists while junior forward Morgan Chmielewski tied her career-high in points for the fifth time this year with nine points while grabbing three rebounds and dishing four assists. Meyer now has 1,018 career points in 72 games and is  tied her for 19^th on CSB's all-time career points chart with Niki Fokken (99 games, 2-14-18).

Bethel, which was led by 20 points from Emily Erickson and 14 by Anna Garfield, raced to a 20-7 lead after a quarter and never trailed the rest of the way. The Royals, which led for 36:44 of the game, had a 12-0 scoring run in the first quarter to build the lead. CSB responded with a 15-to-14 edge in the second quarter but could cut just one point off the margin and trailed, 34-22 at the halftime break. Bethel had another 20-point performance in the third quarter as they pushed the lead to 54-38. In the fourth quarter, the Royals extended their lead to 23 at the 5:19 mark before closing with a 73-56 decision.

First Quarter Summary – Royals open up 20-7 lead
Hay opened the scoring with a three from the right corner as CSB led, 3-0. Then, CSB had issues with turnovers as Bethel scored 12 straight to take a 12-3 lead, including a three-point play by Garfield, who had five points in run. CSB broke a 6:15 scoring drought on a lay-up from Meyer. But Bethel, which hit 9-of-19 field goals for 47.1 percent, answered with two more baskets for a 16-5 lead at the 1:07 mark. Hay's basket at :48 cut the lead to 16-7. But the Royals added two more baskets and held a 20-7 lead after a quarter. In the opening quarter, CSB hit just 3-of-9 field goals for 33.3 percent and made just one triple.

2^nd Quarter Summary – Chmielewski and Ebel help CSB close to 34-22
In the second quarter, the Bennies outscored Bethel, 15-14, and hit 6-of-12 field goals for 50 percent with a triple but trailed, 34-22. After trailing, 26-9, the Bennies closed the half on a 13-8 run to close the game to 34-22. With a three-point play Hay (3:59), Morgan Ebel's three (2:30) and Chmielewski''s three-point play (1:30), the Bennies closed the gap to 29-20. However, the Royals responded with a closing 5-2 run to lead 34-22 at the break.

3^rd Quarter Summary – Bennies outscored, 20-16
CSB, which made 5-of-14 shots for 35.3 percent in the third quarter, opened on a 7-2 run to cut Bethel's lead to 36-29 at the 7:20 mark. First, Jonas knocked in a three (8:59) and then Meyer and Kira Young (six points, four rebounds) had baskets to draw CSB within seven points. It was as close as Saint Benedict would get for the remainder of the game. Bethel, which hit 6-of-17 shots for 35.3 percent, finished on an 18-to-9 run to lead 54-38 at the break. 

4^th Quarter Summary – St. Ben's shoots 66.7 percent but Bethel responds with 63.6 percent
In the fourth quarter, CSB hit 8-of-12 field goals for 66.7 percent, including a pair of triples, but still was outscored, 19-18. Bethel responded by making 7-of-11 field goals and was 2-of-3 from three-point range, to keep CSB at bay. Megan Morgan and Meyer both had five points to lead CSB in the fourth quarter.