ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – In the regular season finale, the College of Saint Benedict basketball team (13-10, 11-8 MIAC), will face St. Catherine University (18-6, 14-5 MIAC) in MIAC play on Senior Day on Saturday, Feb. 17, at 1 p.m., at Claire Lynch Hall in St. Joseph, Minn.

Following the game, CSB basketball will recognize seniors Carla Meyer, Lydia Hay and Morgan Ebel for their dedication, hard work, commitment and achievement during their time at the College of Saint Benedict.
 
MIAC Playoff Picture
With the MIAC playoffs set to open Tuesday, Feb. 20, the Bennies, which is 13-10 overall, own an 11-8 MIAC record and sit in fifth place. In third place is St. Catherine at 13-5 (17-6 overall) with Hamline in sixth at 9-9 (11-11 overall). At the end of the regular season, the top six teams earn MIAC tournament playoff berths.
 
The top two seeds in the MIAC standings earn first-round byes with the No. 3 seed hosting No. 6 and No. 4 seed hosting No. 5 in that opening round at 7 p.m., on Tuesday, Feb. 20. The winners advance to the semifinals at 7 p.m., on Thursday, Feb. 22 with the championship set on Saturday at 3 p.m., at the home of the highest remaining seed.
 
On Wednesday, Feb. 14, the Bennies fell to Bethel, 76-68 , as senior guard Carla Meyer led the Bennies in scoring with 22 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore forward Kira Young added 14 points, four rebounds. On Feb. 7, CSB recorded a 72-58 win at St. Olaf as Meyer had 15 points and senior forward Lydia Hay added 14. 
 
Inside CSB Basketball
As a team, Saint Benedict is ranked third in scoring in the MIAC with 68.9 points per game. The Bennies, which sit fourth in the MIAC and 78th in NCAA DIII with a 41.3 field goal percentage, have a 3.1 margin of victory for fifth in the MIAC. The Bennies lead the MIAC and are 20th in NCAA DIII in three-point field goal percentage at 34.0 percent (199-of-586). With an average of 8.7 threes per game, CSB is first in the MIAC and 11th in DIII.  Saint Benedict ranks third in the MIAC in both assists per game at 13.10 and assist-turnover ratio at 0.94.
 
About The Wildcats
St. Catherine is directed by head coach Don Mulhern, who is in his fourth season. The Wildcats are third at 14-5 in league play with a 18-6 overall record. SCU, which is led by Hattie Fox with 13.8 points with 5.0 rebounds per game, averages 65.5 points per game and allows 60.9 points per game. SCU, which also receives 10.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game from Greta Schimnowski, has a 4.6 points per game margin of victory. In 2023-24, St Catherine's is hitting on 36.4 percent of its field goals and 33.7 percent from three-point range.
 
CSB has had four MIAC Athlete of the Week honorees in 2023-24
Senior forward Lydia Hay, who averaged 20 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and 2.0 steals to lead the Bennies to a pair of home MIAC wins on Jan. 31 and Feb. 3, earned the MIAC Offensive Player of the Week honor on Feb. 5. A global business leadership major, she earned her first-ever MIAC Basketball Player of the Week honor. In 2023-24, CSB has had four MIAC honorees with Carla Meyer honored on Dec. 4, 2023, and Sophia Jonas named twice on Nov. 13 and Nov. 20, 2023. In program history, CSB has had 35 MIAC Athletes of the Week.  
 
Series Notes
In the all-time series, CSB has a 52-8 advantage over St Catherine. The Bennies have won two of the last five meetings with CSB falling to St. Catherine in overtime by an 86-75 decision on Jan. 13, 2024, in St Paul, Minn.  In a series breakdown, CSB leads the Wildcats, 31-2, at home and is 21-6 on the road while the Bennies have a 47-8 edge in conference play. In the first matchup on Dec. 3, 1982, CSB defeated SCU 73-33 in St. Joseph, Minn.
 
Player Notes
Sophia Jonas, who was named the CSB Invite Tournament MVP, is averaging 12.0 points per game for second on CSB and 13th in the MIAC. She has earned MIAC Offensive Basketball Player of the Week twice Nov. 13, and Nov. 20. Jonas is one of two players in CSB history (Laura Wendorff) to earn the MIAC weekly honor four times. Jonas has 190 career threes in 73 career games and is the all-time leader in made three-pointers at CSB. Jonas broke the MIAC and school record with 84 made threes a year ago. Through 21 games, she has 61 triples. Thirty-five times, including 10-of-21 games this year, she has made three or more triples in a game. Jonas has six 20-point games in her career. Jonas, who has 42 career double-digit scoring games, has 810 career points, 171 rebounds with 114 assists in her career. She has made six triples in a game three times in her career, including twice in 2023-24 (UW-River Falls, Minnesota Morris). Jonas leads the MIAC and is 12th in NCAA DIII with 2.95 three-pointers per game with her league-best 62 total three-pointers (30th in DIII).
 
Jonas set the school record for made three-pointers in a career in a loss at No. 5 Gustavus as she surpassed the former record holder Ashley Brown (186, 2000-04). She hit the record-setting three-pointer (187) at 5:59 of the fourth quarter in the game with league leader Gustavus in Saint Peter, Minn., on Saturday, Feb. 10, and later added another triple to finish the night with 188. She added a pair of threes against Bethel on Feb. 14 and now has 190 triples in 73 career games. She also owns the single-season CSB and MIAC record of 84 threes a year ago.  Jonas leads the MIAC and is 12th in NCAA DIII with 2.95 three-pointers per game with her league-best 62 total three-pointers. Jonas averages 12.0 points per game for 13th in the MIAC.
 
Senior guard Carla Meyer, who is averaging 13.9 points per game for fourth in the MIAC and has 5.3 rebounds per game, 70 double digit scoring games, including 18 in 2023-24. In her career Meyer has three career double-doubles. She earned her first-ever MIAC Offensive Player of the Week honor on Dec. 4 after averaging 14.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists in wins over Saint Mary's on Nov. 29 and Hamline on Dec. 2. Meyer recorded her tenth career 76-68 loss on Feb. 14 and has four games of 20 points or more this season. Meyer ranks second all-time in program history in career assists per game at 3.5, sitting just behind Patty Meyer, 4.7, 1985-89.
 
 With 1,177 career points in 83 career games, senior guard Carla Meyer is 11th all-time in points in CSB history (one point from 10th all-time held by Kim Johnson 2001-2005) . In an 87-63 win over St. Olaf on Jan. 3, 2024, at Claire Lynch Hall, Meyer became the 21st player to join CSB's 1,000-point club. Meyer, Kim Krize (1985-88) Jennifer Nash (1982-85) are the only players in school history to reach 1,000 points in 73 or fewer games as Nash accomplished the feat with 1,071 in 73 games and Meyer reached 1K in her 70th game. Krize recorded 1,149 points in 78 games and ranks fifth all-time with 14.7 points per game. Meyer also is sixth in assists at CSB with 294. She is fifth in three-pointers all-time at CSB with 153. As a starting guard tandem, Meyer and Jonas have a combined 336 made three-pointers which represents the most by a pair of teammates in school history.
 
Kira Young, who is averaging 10.0 points and a team-high 5.3 rebounds per game, set a career-high in points with 20 and rebounds with eight in an 86-75 double-overtime loss to St. Catherine on Jan. 13. Thirteen times this season and in her career, Young has recorded double-digit points. She has double-digit scoring games of 13 vs Northwestern, 10 against UW-River Falls, St. Olaf, and Bethel 17, against St. Mary's, 12 against Hamline; career-high 19 against Augsburg (12-4-23); and 11 against Macalester St. Scholastica, Hamline and Gustavus-Adolphus, 14 against Macalester with her first 20-point game against St. Catherine. Eleven times she has six or more rebounds. She has a career-high four assists against Northwestern (11/11/23) and St. Olaf (1/3/23). 
 
Sophomore guard Megan Morgan is averaging 8.8 points per game, 4.0 rebounds, while also dishing 42 assists (1.8 avg) on the season. Morgan has 12 career double-digit point games with a high of 20 vs. St. Scholastica on Jan. 6, 2023. Morgan has double-digit points in ten games this year. She has scored eight or more points 18 times. Morgan has 316 career points, 66 assists, 169 rebounds, and 32 made threes in her career.
 
Senior forward, Lydia Hay is averaging 11.6 points (14th in the MIAC) and 4.8 rebounds per game. Hay has 23 double-digit career scoring games, including 11 in the past 15 games and 13 total this year, with a career-high of 26 points against St. Scholastica on Feb. 3, 2023. She has one double-digit rebound game of 11 against UW-Superior on Nov. 23, 2021. Hay, who was named MIAC Offensive Player of the Week on Feb. 3, has totaled 570 points and 305 rebounds in her career at CSB and 584 points and 308 rebounds overall (seven games at MSU-Moorhead, 2020-21). In addition, she has 65 career blocked shots, including 31 this year. Hay has at least one block 14 times and a career-high four vs Grinnell on Dec. 10 and St. Olaf on Feb. 7, 2023. She has two or more blocks in eight of the past 13 games.
 
Morgan Ebel, a senior wing, has two double-digit scoring games with both this season. She had her career-high of 15 points against St. Olaf on Jan. 3 at Claire Lynch Hall. Ebel, who recorded 11 points in a win over Saint Mary's on Jan. 17, is averaging 2.7 points and totaled 12 assists, and 21 rebounds this season.
 
Morgan Chmielewski, a junior forward, is averaging 5.5 points and 3.5 rebounds a game and has recorded a career-high nine points five times this year against UW-River Falls on 11/16/23, Saint Mary's on 11/23/23, St. Olaf 1/3/24 and Macalester on 12/9/23. Chmielewski also grabbed a career-high in rebounds with seven against Grinnell on Dec. 10, 2023. She leads CSB in shooting by hitting 38-of-80 field goals for 47.5 percent while making 47-of-59 free throws for 79.7 percent.

CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin has 746 career wins
Veteran head coach Mike Durbin is in his 38th season with the CSB program in 2023-24. Durbin became the 17th active coach at all levels of the NCAA to reach the 700-win milestone on Feb. 24, 2021. In 37 seasons, Durbin, who will coach his 1,000th career game against St. Scholastica on Saturday, Feb. 3, has coached 72 All-MIAC first team selections, 54 honorable mention athletes, 15 players named to the All-MIAC Defensive Team and 15 all-first year team picks. Durbin has a 747-283 (.725) overall coaching record and a 743-261 mark (.740) with Saint Benedict. He ranks 15th among all active coaches regardless of NCAA division and has the most wins by any active DIII coach. Durbin ranks 36th all-time for most wins in a career, regardless of division. He is third all-time in wins in NCAA DIII. In addition to his outstanding overall coaching record at CSB, Durbin holds a 582-189 (.756) mark in conference play.
 
2023-24- Game Results (for game recap, click on link below)
Game 1: Saint Benedict 70 Minnesota Morris 54
Game 2: Saint Benedict 79 Northwestern 70
Game 3: UW-River Falls 82 Saint Benedict 75
Game 4: Saint Benedict 74 Saint Mary's 55
Game 5: Saint Benedict 77 Hamline 64
Game 6: Saint Benedict 67 Augsburg 38
Game 7: Concordia 77 Saint Benedict 61
Game 8: Saint Benedict 66 Macalester 58
Game 10: Grinnell 70 Saint Benedict 63 OT
Game 11: Saint Benedict 87 St. Olaf 63
Game 12: Saint Benedict 66 St. Scholastica 61
Game 13: Bethel 73 Saint Benedict 56
Game 14: No. 6 Gustavus 77 Saint Benedict 62
Game 15: Saint Benedict 84 Saint Mary's 59
Game 16: Hamline 54 Saint Benedict 51 OT
Game 17: Saint Benedict 64 Macalester 49
Game 18: Saint Benedict 74 Augsburg 68
Game 19: Saint Benedict 62 St. Scholastica 45
Game 20: Concordia-Moorhead 81, Saint Benedict 66
Game 21: Saint Benedict 72, St. Olaf 58
Game 22: No. 5 Gustavus 96, Saint Benedict 66
Game 23: Bethel 76, Saint Benedict 68