ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict basketball team (6-1, 2-0 MIAC), which has won five straight games, is set for a road test at Saint Mary's (3-3, 1-1 MIAC) in MIAC play on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 5:30 p.m.
 
St. Benedict, directed by 39^th year head coach Mike Durbin (755-286 overall - 751-263 at CSB) has won five straight games, including an 60-42 win over St. Olaf on Dec. 4 and a 72-52 decision over Carleton College on Dec. 7. Prior to that, CSB defeated Simpson, 76-69, and UW-La Crosse, 57-54, to win the Gunderson Hotel & Suites Thanksgiving Classic. With the five consecutive wins, the Bennies improved to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in the MIAC for a tie for second place. After the game on Tuesday, CSB will travel to Puerto Rico to face Caltech and John Carroll in the Puerto Rico Clasico on Dec. 16 and 17.

Saint Mary Notes
Directed by first-year head coach Courtney Shelton, the Cardinals have opened 3-3 with a 1-1 mark in conference play. Shelton joined SMU from DI UW-Milwaukee where she was an basketball assistant and recruiting coordinator. In MIAC play, the Cardinals defeated St. Catherine, 73-63, at home and took a 64-52 loss to St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minn.  Saint Mary's has been outscored 65.5-to-64.8 this season. The Cardinals have hit 42.8 percent from the field while making 28.9 percent from three-point range. Brianna Nusbaum leads the team in scoring at 12.5 points per game while grabbing 3.3 rebounds. Rylie Sternquist is supplying 11.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

Series Notes
In the all-time series between Saint Mary's and Saint Benedict, the Bennies have a 60-18 series edge. The Bennies, which has won eight straight in the series, have a 30-8 home record and sit 59-15 in MIAC play against the Cardinals. In the first match-up between the schools, CSB dropped a 66-49 decision on Feb. 5, 1982. In the most recent match up on Jan. 17, 2024, CSB took an 84-59 win at Claire Lynch Hall.

CSB – By the Numbers
Through six games, St. Benedict has a 66.4-to-56.1 points per game advantage over its opponents. The Bennies are hitting 41.3 percent from the field and 33.5 percent from three-point range. On the glass, opponents have a 37.6-to-34.3 rebound edge.

St. Ben's is led by Megan Morgan, a junior guard who is averaging 13.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists. Morgan has scored in double-digits six games this season and 19 times in her career. This year she is 33-of-62 from the field for 53.2 percent, including 13-of-32 from three-point range for 40.6 percent. She has hit 155-of-340 field goals for 45.6 percent while connecting on 52-of-143 three-pointers for 36.4 percent in her career. Morgan, who is hitting 82.7 percent on 91-of-110 shooting at the foul line, has 453 points, 215 career rebounds, 96 assists, 16 blocks and 35 steals. Morgan, who has two career 20 point games, recorded a career-high 26 points against St. Catherine on Feb. 17, 2024.

Senior Sophia Jonas is averaging 10.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game this year. Jonas, who has 48 double-digit scoring games (six 20 point games) and 902 career points, hit four threes in the win over St. Olaf and four more in the win over Carleton to move into a tie for third place all-time in the MIAC history annals with 210 made threes. She is tied with Jess Vandais of Gustavus, 2004-08.  Her career high is 26 at UW-River Falls on Nov. 16, 2023.  She is the career leader at CSB with 206 triples on 585 attempts for a 35.2 percent mark. In MIAC play, she is sixth with 205 three points. She is two from taking over second place on the MIAC career chart, currently held by Missy Pederson of St. Thomas from 1998-02.

MIAC 3-point leaders all-time
255 - Brooklyn Paulson Saint Mary's, 2018-23
211 - Missy Pederson, St. Thomas 1998-02
210 – Sophia Jonas, CSB, 2021 -
210 - Jess Vadnais, Gustavus, 2004-08

Jonas is also the CSB's and the MIAC's all-time leader for threes in a season with 84 in 2022-23.  Jonas, who also set a MIAC record with 66 made threes in league play in 2022-23, has started 72 games (83 played) and has made 309-of-861 field goals for 35.7 percent, including the 210 threes. She is 74-of-96 from the foul line for 77.1 percent with 207 rebounds, 145 assists and 69 steals.

Senior Olivia Boily is averaging 7.6points and 4.9 rebounds this season and has a pair of double-digit games this year. Her career-best in points is 13 vs Augsburg on Dec. 3, 2022, with her 11 rebounds at Carleton on Jan. 26, 2023.

First-year guard Tatum Findley is averaging 7.7 points and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 46.3 percent from the floor. She has a career-high of 15 points against UW-River Falls.

First-year guard Lauren Arnold scored a career-best 13 points on back-to-back games (both wins) against Simpson and UW-La Crosse at the Gunderson Hotel and Suites Thanksgiving Classic in La Crosse, Wis. In fact, she had a run of eight straight made field goals over the two games and finished 8-of-10 from the floor and 2-of-2 from three-point range during the tournament. She is averaging 5.7 points and 1.4 rebounds while making 50.0 percent from the field on 14-of-28 shooting. Additionally, Arnold has hit 3-of-7 three-points and 9-of-12 foul shots while dishing 10 assists with six steals.

First year forward Sofia Baldessari is averaging 8.3 points and 5.6 rebounds. She has six made triples and is 10-of-16 for 62.5 percent from the foul line. Baldessari scored a career-high 14 points in the win over Carleton when she was 7-of-9 from the field, also a career-best. She also has a high of nine rebounds against Simpson on Nov. 30.

In her first game this season, Kira Young scored 10 points and hit 3 of-5 field goals, including 2-of-3 from three-point range in a road win over UW-Eau Claire. For the season Young is averaging 6.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. Young has 295 career points and 156 rebounds. She has a career-best point total of 20 points against St. Catherine on Jan. 13, 2024, and eight rebounds twice against St. Olaf on Feb. 7, 2024, and St. Catherine on Jan. 13, 2024. Young has 14 career double-digit scoring games.
Megan Driste, a junior guard, is averaging 4.0 points and 2.9 rebounds. She had a career high of nine points when she hit 3-of-3 from three-point range (career-best) in the win over St. Olaf on Dec. 4.