ST. PETER, Minn. – The fifth-seeded College of Saint Benedict basketball team (15-10), will face a road test against No. 1 seeded Gustavus Adolphus College (23-2) in the MIAC playoffs semifinals on Thursday, Feb. 22 in St. Peter, Minn., with tip-off set for 7 p.m.
MIAC Playoff Picture
No. 1 Gustavus (23-2) and No. 2 Concordia (19-4) earned the top two seeds in the tournament by finishing in the top two spots, respectively, in the MIAC standings. On Thursday, Feb. 22, the top seed Gustavus faces Saint Benedict (15-10) which has advanced to face the Gusties in the semifinals for a second straight year. The other semifinal matches up second-seeded Concordia against third-seeded St. Catherine (19-7), which had a 70-65 double overtime win over Hamline in the quarterfinals. The winners of the two games meet in the MIAC Championship at the home facility of the highest remaining seed at 3 p.m., on Saturday, Feb. 24.
Saint Benedict in MIAC Tournament
CSB is 17-15 all-time in MIAC Tournament play with three titles - 2008-9 (57-48 over Concordia), 2006-07 (56-54 over Gustavus), 2004-05 (77-74 over Carleton) and a runner up finish in 2001-02 (Carleton 79-63). A year ago, fourth-seeded Saint Benedict recorded a 73-55 win over fifth-seeded Bethel in the opening round at St. Joseph, Minn., before falling to top seed Gustavus, 97-62. On Tuesday, Feb. 20, CSB defeated Bethel, 72-69, in Arden Hills as Carla Meyer had 22 points for her 11th career 20-point game and Megan Morgan had 18 points, including a pair of free throws in the closing seconds. Click here for MIAC playoff history.
Inside CSB Basketball
As a team, Saint Benedict is ranked third in scoring in the MIAC with 69.3 points per game. The Bennies, which sit fourth in the MIAC and 66th in NCAA DIII with a 41.7 field goal percentage, have a 4.0 margin of victory for fourth in the MIAC. The Bennies lead the MIAC and are 13th in NCAA DIII in three-point field goal percentage at 34.8 percent (219-of-630). With an average of 8.8 threes per game, CSB is first in the MIAC and tenth in DIII. Saint Benedict ranks third in the MIAC in both assists per game at 13.3 and assist-turnover ratio at 0.96. It is a team with remarkable balance as all five starters average between 9.8 points and 14.0 points per game.
CSB has had five MIAC Athlete of the Week honorees in 2023-24
Megan Morgan was named the MIAC Offensive Player of the Week on Feb. 19, becoming a program-best fifth CSB player honored in 2023-25. The other honorees include Lydia Hay, Feb. 5; Carla Meyer, Dec. 4, 2023, and Sophia Jonas on Nov. 13 and Nov. 20, 2023. In program history, CSB has had 36 MIAC Athletes of the Week. Morgan averaged 18.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 blocks while shooting 61.1 percent from the field as the Bennies had a 1-1 week in earning the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Basketball Offensive Player of the Week. She had a career-first double-double with 26 points (career-high) and 10 rebounds while dishing five assists in a 76-50 home win on Senior Day over St. Catherine. She hit 6-of-6 from three-point range.
Series Notes
In the all-time series, CSB has a 50-35 advantage over Gustavus Adolphus. The Bennies have dropped the last five meetings with CSB falling to Bethel by a 96-66 decision on Feb. 10, 2024, St. Peter, Minn. CSB also dropped a road 77-62 decision to the Gusties at home on Jan. 15. In a series breakdown, CSB leads Gustavus, 27-16, at home and is 23-19 on the road while the Bennies have a 47-29 edge in conference play. In the first matchup on Dec. 14, 1981, CSB defeated GAC 87-69. CSB and Gustavus met in the conference playoffs a year ago with Gustavus winning, 97-62, at the Gus Young Court in St Peter, Minn.on Feb. 24, 2023.
About The Gusties
Gustavus is directed by head coach Laurie Kelly, who is in her 12th season. GAC, which is led by Syd Hauger with 11.8 points with 3.9 rebounds per game, averages 75.5 points per game and allows 51.0 points per game. GAC, which also receives 11.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game from Emma Kniefel, has a 24.5 points per game margin of victory. In 2023-24, Gustavus is hitting on 48.6 percent of its field goals and 33.0 percent from three-point range. The Gusties finished in first place with a 19-1 league record.
Player Notes
Sophia Jonas, who was named the CSB Invite Tournament MVP, is averaging 11.3 points per game. 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 192 career threes in 75 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 23 games, she has 64 triples. Thirty-five times, including 10-of-22 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 818 career points, 172 rebounds with 120 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 17th in NCAA DIII with 2.80 three-pointers per game with her league-best 64 total three-pointers (35th 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.
Senior guard Carla Meyer, who is averaging 14.3 points per game for fourth in the MIAC and has 5.2 rebounds per game, 72 double digit scoring games, including 20 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 11th 20-point game in a 72-69 loss on Feb. 14 and has five games of 20 points or more this season. Meyer ranks second all-time in program history in career assists per game at 3.7, sitting just behind Patty Meyer, 4.7, 1985-89.
With 1,213 career points in 85 career games, senior guard Carla Meyer is ninth all-time in points in CSB history. 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 fourth all-time in assists at CSB with 301. She is fifth in three-pointers all-time at CSB with 157. As a starting guard tandem, Meyer and Jonas have a combined 347 made three-pointers which represents the most by a pair of teammates in school history.
Kira Young, who is averaging 9.8 points and a team-high 5.2 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 9.8 points per game, 4.2 rebounds, while also dishing 48 assists (1.9 avg) on the season. Morgan has 14 career double-digit point games with a high of 26 (6-of-6 from three-point range) vs. St. Catherine on Feb. 17 when she also had 10 rebounds for her first career double-double. The reigning MIAC Offensive Basketball Player of the Week, Morgan also had 20 points vs. St. Scholastica on Jan. 6, 2023 and Bethel on Feb. 20, 2024. Morgan has double-digit points in 12 games this year. She has scored eight or more points 20 times. Morgan has 360 career points, 72 assists, 181 rebounds, and 39 made threes in her career.
Senior forward, Lydia Hay is averaging 11.3 points (15th in the MIAC) and 4.9 rebounds per game. Hay has 23 double-digit career scoring games, including 11 in the past 16 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 590 points and 316 rebounds in her career at CSB and 604 points and 318 rebounds overall (seven games at MSU-Moorhead, 2020-21). In addition, she has 68 career blocked shots, including 33 this year. Hay has at least one block 16 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 14 games.
Morgan Ebel, a senior wing, has three double-digit scoring games with all of them 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, and 11 points vs St. Catherine. She is averaging 3.1 points and totaled 12 assists, and 23 rebounds this season.
Morgan Chmielewski, a junior forward, is averaging 5.4 points and 3.6 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.
CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin has 748 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 749-283 (.726) overall coaching record and a 745-261 mark (.741) 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 584-189 (.755) 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
Game 24: Saint Benedict 76 St. Catherine 50
MIAC Quarterfinal: Saint Benedict 72 Bethel 69
