ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict basketball team (9-6, 4-4 MIAC) face a road test against Augsburg (3-12, 1-7 MIAC) in MIAC play at 7:30 p.m., on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis.
St. Benedict stands 9-6 overall with a 4-4 mark in the MIAC which places them seventh in the MIAC. In its most recently game, the Bennies lost to St. Scholastica, 74-51, despite 14 points from first-year guard
Tatum Findley. Since the holiday break, CSB is 1-4 which includes a home 47-44 win over Hamline on Jan. 4.
This season in the MIAC, 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 Augsburg
Directed by head coach Mallie Doucette, who is in her first season, the Auggies have opened with a 3-12 record, including 1-7 in MIAC play. Most recently Augsburg has lost 5-of-6 games but record a 59-56 win over St. Olaf on Jan. 18. Augsburg is averaging 52.6 points while allowing 66.4 per game. The Saints hit 34.7 percent from the field while making 25.5 percent from three-point range. Amira LaDuke leads the Auggies with 11.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Wakinyela Bear is providing 9.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Series Notes – CSB leads Augsburg, 65-15
In the all-time series between Augsburg and Saint Benedict, the Bennies holds a 65-15 series edge. St. Ben's, which has won four straight games in the series, have a 29-10 home record, 35-5 road mark and 62-13 in league play. In the most recent matchup on Jan. 31, 2024, CSB record a 74-68 win at Claire Lynch Hall. In the first match-up between the schools, CSB lost, 59-50, on Dec. 8, 1981.
St. Benedict – By the Numbers
St. Benedict has a 63.1-to-60.3 points per game advantage over their opponents. The Bennies are hitting 39.5 percent from the field and 30.5 percent from three-point range as well as 65.6 percent at the foul line.
On the glass, opponents have a 33.4-to-37.5 rebound edge. CSB has forced 15.3 turnovers which has resulted in an 11.5 points per game in points off turnovers. St. Benedict averages 7.0 steals per game and dish 10.5 assists.
Player Notes
St. Ben's is led individually by
Megan Morgan, a junior guard, who is averaging 12.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists. Morgan has scored in double-digits nine times this season and 22 times in her career. This year Morgan has made 61-of-139 field goals for 43.9 percent, which included 23-of-71 from three-point range for 32.4 percent. A junior guard from Winona, Minn., she has made 37-of-46 free throws for 80.4 percent. In her career, Morgan, who has started 44 and played in 65 games, has hit 183-of-417 field goals for 43.9 percent, which includes 62-of-182 for 34.1 percent from three-point range. She is 114-of-140 for 81.4 percent at the foul line. She has career marks of 542 points, 258 career rebounds, 116 assists, 18 blocks and 40 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, Morgan had her career best.
Senior
Sophia Jonas is averaging 11.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game this year. Jonas, who has 56 double-digit scoring games and 996 career points, has 232 career made three-pointers, which includes 39 this year. In the loss to St. Catherine on Jan. 11, Jonas had her career-first double double with 16 points and a career-best 11 rebounds. 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 13 straight games this year and has three or more triples eight times this year and 47 times in her career. Ten times, the Hudson, Wis., standout has made five or more threes in a game during her standout career. In five of the last eight games, she has at least three triples in each game.
MIAC 3-point leaders all-time
255 - Brooklyn Paulson Saint Mary's, 2018-23
232 –
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 80 games (91 played) and has made 342-of-953 field goals for 35.9 percent, including the 232 threes on 660 attempts for 35.2 percent. She is 80-of-105 from the foul line for 76.2 percent with 996 points, 240 rebounds, 158 assists and 87 steals.
Senior
Olivia Boily is averaging 7.5 points and 4.2 rebounds this season and has four double-digit games this year and 10 in her career She is shooting 51-of-112 from the field for 45.5 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 419 points, 446 steals, 284 rebounds, 54 assists and 24 blocks.
First-year guard
Tatum Findley is averaging 9.8 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 44.1 percent from the floor by hitting 39-of-81. She is 6-of-19 from three-point range and 34-of-46 for 73.9 percent at the foul line. Findley, who has six double digit 29scoring games 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 set her career-high in points with 15 against St. Catherine on Jan. 11. Arnold, who has five games of double digit points this year, is averaging 7.3 points and 2.6 rebounds while making 47.5 percent from the field on 38-of-80 shooting. Additionally, Arnold has hit 10-of-23 three-pointers for 43.5 percent and 24-of-29 foul shots for 82.5 percent while dishing 26 assists with 16 steals. She had a career high six rebounds against John Carroll on Dec. 17 and a career-best six assists against Concordia-Moorhead.
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 4.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. Young has 314 career points and 191 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 4.1 points and 2.5 rebounds. She had a career-high of 12 points against Concordia on Wednesday, Jan. 15. She had a career-best three triples against St. Olaf on Dec. 4 and matched the three triples against Concordia
CSB led by Head Coach Mike Durbin
In his 39
th season, Durbin has coached 74 All-MIAC First Team selections, 55 honorable mention athletes, 15 players named to the All-MIAC Defensive Team and 15 all-first year team picks. Durbin has a 758-290 (.729) overall coaching record and a 754-268 mark with Saint Benedict. He ranks 15th among all active coaches regardless of NCAA division and has the most wins by an active DIII coach. He 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 587-193 mark in conference play. The 587 wins is the most by an active coach in the MIAC. Durbin became the 17
th active coach at all levels of the NCAA to reach the 700-win milestone on Feb. 24, 2021, when he earned his 700
th win at the College of Saint Benedict with an 88-83 decision over St. Thomas at home at Claire Lynch Hall.