ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict basketball team (9-3, 4-1 MIAC), which has won eight of the past 10 games, will travel to face St. Catherine (6-6, 1-4 MIAC) in MIAC play at 3 p.m., on Saturday, Jan. 11 at the Butler Center in St. Paul, Minn.

St. Benedict, which dropped a 78-69 decision to Bethel (9-3, 5-0 MIAC) at home on Jan. 8, is 4-1 in the MIAC and sits in third place in the league standings. The Bennies, which sit 9-3 overall, is 1-1 since the holiday break after a 47-44 win on Hamline on Jan. 4. CSB is one game behind Bethel and No. 6 ranked Gustavus Adolphus (11-0, 5-0 MIAC) in the MIAC standings.

After facing the Wildcats, St. Ben's will travel to face Concordia-Moorhead at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 15 before returning home on Jan. 18 for a 1 p.m., game against St. Scholastica on Youth Day at Claire Lynch Hall.

This season, CSB also has home MIAC wins over St. Olaf, 60-42, on Dec. 4; and Carleton College, 72-52, on Dec. 7 and a road win at Saint Mary's, 68-62, on Dec. 10. At the Puerto Rico Clasico on Dec. 16-17, CSB recorded a 54-41 win over Caltech and took a 63-59 overtime defeat to John Carroll. 

Notes on St. Catherine
Directed by eighth-year head coach Don Mulhern, St. Catherine has opened with a 6-6 overall record and 1-4 in MIAC play. Most recently, the Wildcats dropped a 77-46 road decision at Concordia-Moorhead and had a 52-41 loss to No. 6 ranked Gustavus Adolphus at home. St. Catherine is averaging 62.2 points while allowing 61.9 points per game. The Wildcats hit 37.1 percent from the field while making 24.8 percent from three-point range and 65.9 percent at the foul line. In rebounding, opponents hold a 36.9-to-34.5 rebound margin over SCU. Hattie Fox leads the team with 14.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Jordyn Peed adds 9.9 points per game while Maddie Young is providing 7.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest.

Series Notes - CSB leads, 53-8
In the all-time series between St. Catherine and Saint Benedict, the Bennies own a 53-8 series edge. St. Ben's, which defeated the Wildcats, 76-50, on Feb. 17, 2024, have a 32-2 home record, 21-6 mark road mark and a 48-8 mark in MIAC play against St. Catherine.  In the first match-up between the schools, CSB recorded a 73-33 decision over the Wildcats on Dec. 3, 1982. CSB is 5-5 in the last 10 games against St. Catherine and had a 28-game winning streak from Dec. 3, 1982, to Feb. 1, 2006.   

St. Benedict - By the numbers
Through 12 games, St. Benedict has a 63.5-to-56.8 points per game advantage over its opponents. The Bennies are hitting 39.5 percent from the field, 30.9 percent from three-point range and 66.0 percent at the foul line. 

On the glass, opponents hold a 36.6-to-34.6 rebound advantage while CSB has forced 15.9 turnovers while committing 14.7 as CSB has produced 11.3 points per game from turnovers. The Bennies also averages 10.9 assists and 7.3 steals per game.

Player Notes 

St. Ben's is led by junior guard Megan Morgan, who is averaging 13.3, 5.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Morgan has scored in double-digits nine times this season and 22 times in her career. This year Morgan is shooting 53-of-112 from the field for 47.3 percent, including 21-of-59 from three-point range for 35.6 percent. She has hit 32-of-38 free throws for 84.2 percent. In her career, she is 175-of-390 for 44.9 percent from the field and has 60 three-point field goals in 170 attempts for 35.3 percent.  Morgan, who is hitting 82.6 percent on 109-of-132 shooting at the foul line, has career marks of 519 points, 245 career rebounds, 109 assists, 16 blocks and 39 steals. Morgan, who has three career 20-point games, recorded a season-high 22 points against Bethel on Jan. 8 at home. She also has career-high 26 points against St. Catherine on Feb. 17, 2024. Her career high in rebounds is 10 twice, including against Hamline on Dec. 10, 2022, and on Feb. 17, 2024, against St. Catherine when she had her only double double of her career. With seven assists against Carleton on Dec. 7, 2024, the Winona, Minn., native had her career best.

Senior Sophia Jonas is averaging 10.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game this year. Jonas, who has 52 double-digit scoring games (six 20-point games) and 954 career points, had four triples in the win over Hamline and is first all-time at CSB and sits second all-time in MIAC history for made three-pointers with 223.  She has a career-high 26 points vs UW-River Falls on Nov. 16, 2023. Against Saint Mary's on Dec. 10, 2024, she had a career-best five steals. She has made six triples in a game three times in her career, including twice in 2023-24 (UW-River Falls, Minnesota Morris). Six times, she has had five assists in a game, including three times in the 2024-25 season. Jonas has made at least one three in 10 straight games this year and has three or more triples six times this year and 45 times in her career. Ten times, the Hudson, Wis., standout has made five or more threes in a game during her standout career.

MIAC 3-point leaders all-time
255 - Brooklyn Paulson Saint Mary's, 2018-23
223 – Sophia Jonas, CSB, 2021 -

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 77 games (88 played) and has made 327-of-910 field goals for 35.9 percent, including the 223 threes on 631 attempts for 35.3 percent. She is 77-of-100 from the foul line for 77 percent with 225 rebounds, 153 assists and 84 steals. 

Senior Olivia Boily is averaging 7.8 points and 4.6 rebounds this season and has a trio of double-digit games this year. She is shooting 42-of-92 from the field for 45.7 percent. Her career-best in points is 13 vs Augsburg on Dec. 3, 2022, with her career-best in rebounds being 11 against Carleton on Jan. 26, 2023. Boily has 399 points, 41 steals, 276 rebounds, 52 assists and 24 blocks. 

First-year guard Tatum Findley is averaging 8.1 points and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 49.1 percent from the floor. She has a career-high of 15 points against UW-River Falls and Saint Mary's this year. 

First-year guard Lauren Arnold was named St. Cloud Orthopedics/CSB Athlete of the Week after hitting the game-winning shot with 2:30 left in the game in a 47-44 win over Hamline on Jan. 4. Arnold had her fourth double digit scoring game with 10 points. She is averaging 6.6 points and 2.3 rebounds while making 47.3 percent from the field on 26-of-55 shooting. Additionally, Arnold has hit 8-of-17 three-points and 19-of-23 foul shots while dishing 18 assists with 13 steals.  

First year forward Sofia Baldessari is averaging 8.5 points and 6.4 rebounds. She has seven made triples and is 17-of-29 for 58.6 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. Baldessari has four games of double-digit points, which have occurred over the past six games. 

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 4.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Young has 310 career points and 176 rebounds. She has a career-best single game 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 3.3 points and 2.4 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. She ranks third on CSB with 12 threes in 37 attempts for 32.4 percent.