DULUTH, Minn. – Sophomore guard Megan Morgan recorded a career-high 20 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals to lead the College of Saint Benedict basketball team (8-3, 6-1 MIAC) to a come-from-behind 66-61 win over College of St. Scholastica (5-6, 2-5 MIAC) in MIAC play on the road on Saturday afternoon.

Saint Benedict improved to 8-3 on the season and 6-1 in the MIAC to tie Concordia-Moorhead for third place in the conference. The victory for the Bennies was its fifth in seven games, including the third in the row in MIAC play.

Morgan scored eight points in both the third and fourth quarter as she not only had a career-high in points but had her first-career 20-point game. Morgan made 5-of-13 field goals, including 2-of-6 from three-point range while knocking down 8-of-10 foul shots. The four steals by the sophomore from Winona, Minn., was also a career-high.

Sophomore Kira Young reached double-digits for the seventh time this year with 12 points, and six rebounds. First-year forward Cora Beeler also made a significant contribution with career-highs in points with nine and rebounds with six while also recording a steal. She was 4-of-9 from the field. Senior forward Lydia Hay had nine points and four rebounds while senior guard Carla Meyer added five points, eight rebounds and six assists. Meyer, who joined the 1,000-point club with 23 points in a home win over St. Olaf on Jan. 3, moved into a tie for 11^th in program history in assists with Jennifer Nash (1982-85) at 249. She is just three assists from moving into the top-10 at CSB (Sue Yorkovich, 251, 1989-92). She now has 1,009 career points for 20^th all-time at CSB.

"I was very pleased with the performances of both Megan Morgan and Cora Beeler, who came up big for us. We won this game at the free throw (22-of-25)  line," said CSB head coach Mike Durbin, who now has 742 career wins.

Saint Benedict hit just two field goals in the opening quarter and trailed 13-8 and despite a 15-to-9 run late in the second quarter trailed, 31-25, at halftime. Then, CSB had a 24-to-8 run in the third quarter to take a 49-39 lead heading into the fourth quarter. After CSS closed within two points (61-59, 21 seconds left), junior forward Morgan Chmielewski's three-point play and two free throws by Morgan iced CSB's win, the 21^st in 23 games in the all-time series.

After shooting a season-best 54.2 percent in the 87-63 home win over St. Olaf, the Bennies hit just 31.3 percent from the field on 20-of-64 shooting. That total included making just 4-of-20 from three-point range. However, CSB converted a season-best 22 free throws in 25 attempts for a season-best 88 percent. While losing the rebound battle, 46-to-44, Saint Benedict had a 13-to-11 advantage in points from turnovers after forcing 17 and committing just 12. The Bennies also had a 30-to-28 edge in points in the paint, and 8-to-2 margin in fast-break points.

Game Summary
1^st Quarter – CSB hit just two field goals and trailed by five points
In the first quarter, the Saint had a 13-8 advantage as CSB was just 2-of-16 from the field and failed to convert on any of its seven three-point shots.

2^nd Quarter – Led by seven points by Cora Beeler, CSB closed to 31-25 at half
Although outscored 18-17, CSB closed the half on a 15-9 run to cut a 22-10 deficit to just 31-25 at the break. CSB was able to improve on its shooting in the second quarter by hitting 6-of-15 for 40 percent and knocking in a three-pointer.  At half, CSB had seven points from Beeler and Young.

Third Quarter – Morgan's eight points leads CSB to 24-8 quarter edge
In the third quarter, CSB used a 24-to-8 scoring advantage to overcome a five-point half-time deficit and take a 49-39 advantage. Led by eight points from Morgan, the Bennies hit 7-of-17 from the field for 41.2 percent, including 3-of-7 from three-point range. Morgan opened the half with by eight points in an 11-0 run as the Bennies took a 36-31 lead over St. Scholastica. Young converted a lay-up at the 3:32 mark for a 38-33 lead. In the final 1:32 of the quarter, Hay had a three-point play and Meyer closed the quarter with a trio of free throws for a 49-39 lead.

Fourth Quarter – Morgan's eight points helps CSB hold off CSS
After the Saints opened the quarter with five straight points, Beeler converted inside for a 51-44 lead at the 8:17 mark. CSS knocked in a triple to draw within, 53-47. CSS's Hannah Compton, who had 14 points, hit a  free throw to cut CSB's lead to 54-52 at the 2:45 mark. With a lay-up from Hope Carlson, who had a career-high 28 points, CSS trailed just 57-56. Morgan answered with a lay-up (:40) and two foul shots (:29) for a 61-56 lead. Then, junior forward Morgan Chmielewski's three-point play with 16 seconds to play and a pair of free throws by Morgan helped CSB to their sixth league win and improve to 3-3 in road games.