ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Senior guard Carla Meyer scored 22 points while dishing five assists as the College of Saint Benedict basketball team (9-6, 7-4 MIAC) rolled to an 84-59 MIAC win over Saint Mary's (2-14, 0-11 MIAC) on Wednesday (Jan. 17) at Claire Lynch Hall.

Before an "Employee Night" crowd, the Bennies outscored the Cardinals 66-to-39 over the final three quarters to pick up its seventh win in 11 MIAC games. Overall, Saint Benedict improved to 9-6 and extended its series edge to 60-18 over Saint Mary's. With the victory, CSB sits tied with St. Catherine for third in the MIAC.

"We battled all night on the glass and in the lane," said CSB head coach Mike Durbin, who earned his 743^rd career win, including 739 at St. Ben's. "Carla (Meyer) led the way and put together an outstanding game. Lydia (Hay) had another solid outing as did Megan (Morgan). Morgan (Ebel) had a big game off the bench. It was a solid effort and a good bounce back win," added Durbin, whose team ended a three-game MIAC slide.

 

After trailing early, 11-4, the Saint Benedict took control and pulled within, 20-18, at the first quarter break when Meyer knocked in a three from half-court as the buzzer sounded. CSB had an 18-14 margin in the second quarter for a 36-34 lead at the break. In the third quarter, CSB broke the game open with a 25-12 run for the 61-46 advantage. Then, CSB closed with a 23-13 fourth quarter margin for the win. In the decisive second half, CSB was 16-of-34 (47.06 percent) from the field, including 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) from three-point range.

With her 62^nd double-digit scoring game, Meyer cracked 20 points for the ninth time in her career. She increased her career total to 1,064 points, which ranks 15^th all-time at CSB. In tonight's game, she passed Lynn Nielsen, 1,052 points, 1989-93; Danni Hannon, 1054, 1999-03; and Ashley Brown, 1,056 points, 2000-04. With four three-point field goals, Meyer is tied with Sidney Schiffler (2016-20) for seventh all-time at CSB with 140. Meyer made 9-of-16 field goals with 4-of-8 from distance. With five assists, she now has 259 career assists for ninth all-time at CSB.

For the 18^th time in her career, senior forward Lydia Hay reached double digits with 13 points, while adding nine rebounds and two blocks. Hay, who has scored double-digits in five of the past six games, hit 5-of-7 field goals, including 2-of-3 from three-point range.

In total CSB had four players in double digits, including senior guard Morgan Ebel with 11 points, two rebounds and an assist. Sophomore guard Megan Morgan added 10 points, two assists and two rebounds.

Junior guard Sophia Jonas supplied nine points, four assists and a rebound. With a trio of triples, she has moved past Darby Noreen (2003-07, 102 games) for third all-time at CSB in made three-pointers with 169 triples in just her 65^th game.

Overall, the Bennies forced Saint Mary's into 17 turnovers, recording 10 steals which led to a 20-to-7 point differential. While Saint Mary's had a 36-to-20 margin of points in the paint, CSB had a 17-to-15 margin in offensive rebounds and a 20-to-17 advantage in second chance points. In addition, the Bennies had an 11-to-2 margin in fast break points and a 25-to-15 advantage in points off the bench.

CSB and Saint Mary's each had 39 rebounds, but CSB had an overall shooting edge, making 41.2 percent on 28-of-68 shooting. Key for CSB was a season-high 13 three-pointers on 33 attempts for 39.4 percent. The Bennies, which had 17 assists on 28 made field goals, also made 15-of-20 foul shots. The Cardinals, led by 20 points from Kali Olson, hit 22-of-55 shots for 40 percent with just 2-of-12 made three-pointers.

1^st Quarter – Meyer hits half-court shot at buzzer
By hitting 9-of-14 shots for 64.3 percent, the Cardinals took a 20-18 lead. CSB which was 7-of-19 from the floor, received a three-point shot from Meyer at half-court as the quarter buzzer sounded. Early on, the Bennies trailed, 11-4, but bounced back with a 14-9 closing run. CSB hit 7-of-19 field goals for 36.8 percent, including just 3-of-12 for 25 percent from three-point range.

2^nd Quarter – Ebel leads CSB into 36-34 advantage
With an 18-14 advantage in the second quarter, CSB took a 36-34 lead into the halftime break. CSB was 5-of-15 for 33.3 percent in the quarter and made a trio of threes to reclaim the lead. Ebel led CSB with six points and Meyer had five as the Bennies rallied for the lead. In the quarter, the teams traded the leads seven times.

3^rd Quarter – Meyer scored nine points to lead CSB to double-digit lead
With a decisive 25-12 run in the third quarter, CSB took control of the game. Saint Benedict opened on a 14-4 run to lead 50-38 after a three-pointer from Jonas. Chmielewski hit a pair of free throws for a 60-46 lead with :51 seconds to play. The Bennies, led by Meyer's nine points, made 8-of-20 field goals for 40 percent and knocked in 3-of-6 from three-point range.  

4^th Quarter – eight players score as CSB had 23-13 edge
Early in the fourth quarter, a three by Jonas, her third of the game, helped CSB to a 64-46 advantage. Hay's three from the right side gave CSB a 69-50 lead at the 7:33 mark, and when Young had a steal and a lay-up, the Bennies led, 71-50. CSB, which was 8-of-14 from the field for 57.1 percent, including 4-of-6 from three-point range, had a game-high 26-point lead (82-56) after a three-point play from Chmielewski at the 3:35 mark.