ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – With four wins in five games, the College of Saint Benedict basketball team (13-8, 11-6 MIAC), faces a road test against MIAC leader and No. 5 Gustavus Adolphus College (19-2, 15-1 MIAC) on Saturday, Feb. 10, at 1 p.m., at Gus Young Court in St Peter, Minn.
 
CSB, which sits in fourth place in the MIAC with a 11-6 record, has an overall record of 13-8. Gustavus Adolphus, which is 19-2 overall, owns a 15-1 record for first in the MIAC. This week, the Bennies defeated St. Olaf College, 72-58 as senior Guard Carla Meyer scored a team-high of 15 points, senior forward Lydia Hay supplied 14 points and six rebounds and Sophia Jonas had 11 points, including three triples as she tied the CSB school record for career three-pointers at 186 (Ashley Brown, 2000-04). GAC suffered its first loss in the MIAC by falling, 73-65, to Moorhead in Moorhead, Minn., on Feb. 7.
 
After meeting GAC, CSB will travel to meet Bethel on Wednesday, Feb. 14 at the Robertson Center Gym in Arden Hills, Minn., with tipoff at 7 p.m. Then, CSB closes the regular season with a match-up against St. Catherine at 1 p.m., on Saturday, Feb. 17.
 
Inside CSB Basketball
As a team, Saint Benedict is ranked third in scoring in the MIAC with 69.1 points per game. The Bennies, which rank third in the MIAC and 67th in NCAA DIII with a 41.5 field goal percentage, have a 5.2 margin of victory for fourth in the MIAC. The Bennies lead the MIAC and are 18th in NCAA DIII in three-point field goal percentage at 34.4 percent (186-of-541). With an average of 8.9 threes per game, CSB is first in the MIAC and 37th in DIII.  Saint Benedict ranks third in the MIAC in both assists per game at 13.62 and assist-turnover ratio at 0.97.
 
Junior guard Sophia Jonas leads the MIAC and is tied for seventh in NCAA DIII with 3.05 three-pointers per game with her league-best 59 total three-pointers. Jonas, who averages 12.4 points per game for 11th in the MIAC, is tied with Ashley Brown (2000-04) for the top spot in made threes in a career at 186. With 1,145 career points in 81 career games, senior guard Carla Meyer is 12th all-time in points in CSB history and just four points away from 11^th (Kim Krize, 1,149 points, 78 games, 1985-88). She ranks 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 285. (She is sixth in three-pointers all-time at CSB. As a starting guard tandem, Meyer and Jonas have a combined 330 made three-pointers which represents the most by a pair of teammates in school history.
 
About The Gusties
Directed by 12th head coach Laurie Kelly, Gustavus is 15-1 in league play with a 19-2 overall record. The Gusties, which are led by Syd Hauger with 11.7 points with 3.7 rebounds per game, averages a league-best 74.4 points per game and allows a league-low 51.5 points per game. GAC, which also receives 11.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game from Rachel Kawiecki, has a league-best 23.2 points per game margin. They also lead the MIAC with a 48.1 percent shooting average and rank first in assists at 17.62 and rebounding margin at 10.0. 
 
Hay earns MIAC Basketball Offensive Player of Week and St. Cloud Orthopedics Honors
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. In a 62-47 win over St. Scholastica, she had a career-high 26 points with nine rebounds.
 
Series Notes
In the all-time series, CSB has a 50-34 advantage over Gustavus, although the Gusties have won five straight included a 77-62 decision on Jan. 15, 2024, at Claire Lynch Hall in St. Joseph, Minn. In a series breakdown, CSB leads Gustavus, 27-16, at home and is 23-18 on the road while the Bennies have a 47-28 edge in conference play.
 
Player Notes – Next three from Jonas sets CSB career three-point record
Sophia Jonas, who was named the CSB Invite Tournament MVP, is averaging 12.4 points per game for second on CSB and 11th 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 186 career threes in 71 career games and is tied for the all-time lead in made three-pointers at CSB. Jonas broke the MIAC and school record with 84 made threes a year ago. Through 18 games, she has 59 triples and with her 60^th three takes over the career lead in made threes at CSB. She is tied with Ashley Brown who made 186 threes in 107 games from 2000-04. Thirty-five times, including nine of 15 games this year, she has made three or more triples in a game. Jonas now has six 20-point games in her career. Jonas, who has 41 career double-digit scoring games, has 793 career points, 162 rebounds with 112 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 tied for seventh in NCAA DIII with 3.05 three-pointers per game with her league-best 58 total three-pointers (31st in DIII).
 
Senior guard Carla Meyer, who is averaging 13.8 points per game for fifth in the MIAC and 5.3 rebounds per game, has 68 double digit scoring games, including 17 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 ninth career 20-point game in the 84-59 win over St. Mary's on Jan. 17 and has three 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.
 
Kira Young, who is averaging 10.0 points and a team-high 5.6 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. Twelve 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, 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, 4.1 rebounds, while also dishing 40 assists (1.9 avg) on the season. Morgan has 11 career double-digit point games with a high of 20 vs. St. Scholastica on Jan. 6, 2023. Morgan has double-digit points in nine games this year. She has scored eight or more points 17 times. Morgan has 299 career points, 64 assists, 164 rebounds, and 30 made threes in her career.
 
Senior forward, Lydia Hay is averaging 11.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Hay has 22 double-digit career scoring games, including 10 in the past 14 games and 12 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 has totaled 541 points and 295 rebounds in her career at CSB and 556 points and 298 rebounds overall (seven games at MSU-Moorhead, 2020-21). In addition, she has 63 career blocked shots, including 28 this year. Hay has at least one block 12 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. 
 
Megan Driste, a sophomore wing, who is averaging 3.9 points per game, set a career-high with eight points against Northwestern (St. Paul) on 11/11/23 and against Macalester on 12/9/23. Against Northwestern, she established career-bests with six rebounds, three assists and two steals as well as two made three-pointers (tied against Macalester). She has 82 total points, 19 assists and 38 rebounds.
 
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 2.9 points and totaled 12 assists, and 21 rebounds this season.
 
Morgan Chmielewski, a junior forward, is averaging 5.7 points and 3.7 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 the Bennies by hitting 37-of-76 field goals for 48.7 percent while making 42-of-53 free throws for 79.2 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 747-281 (.727) overall coaching record and a 743-259 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 582-187 (.757) 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