ST. JOSEPH, Minn. -- After a holiday break, the College of Saint Benedict women's basketball team returns to MIAC play Saturday afternoon (Jan. 3) on the road at Augsburg.

The Bennies enter the weekend with a 7–3 overall record and a 2-1 mark in conference play, carrying momentum built over the season's first two months. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis, the first stop in a stretch that also includes road games at Macalester on Jan. 7 before Saint Benedict returns home to host Hamline on Jan. 10.

CSB opens season at 7-3, 2-1 in MIAC

Saint Benedict's season opened with an emphatic statement. A 91–57 win over Minnesota Morris marked the program's first 90-point performance since 2019 and set the tone for an early surge. The Bennies followed that effort by edging Bethany Lutheran, 51–50, to capture the CSB Tipoff Tournament title on Nov. 7–8.

Sophomore guard Drew Buslee (Eagan, Minn.) emerged immediately as a two-way catalyst. Her 22-point season opener and late-game performances earned tournament MVP honors, and even in a narrow 61–60 loss to UW–Eau Claire, Buslee delivered one of the most complete outings in recent program history with 25 points, seven rebounds, eight steals, and three assists. Her eight steals were the most by a Bennie since 2007, a total she later matched in a win over Colorado College.

After the setback against Eau Claire, Saint Benedict steadied itself with four wins in five games. The stretch began with a commanding 75–42 victory over Dubuque, a game defined by defensive pressure. The Bennies forced 32 turnovers, converted them into a 37–7 advantage in points off giveaways, and saw 14 players score. Buslee finished with 16 points and five steals, while Morgan added 11 points.

That defensive identity continued in an 86–57 win over Nebraska Wesleyan on Nov. 16. Morgan posted a season-best 18 points, and senior guard Megan Driste (Sartell, Minn.) produced the strongest performance of her career with 17 points, five assists, four three-pointers, and three steals.

Conference play opened with a 59–53 road win at St. Olaf on Nov. 20, where Morgan again led the way with 18 points and eight rebounds. Lauren Arnold (Chanhassen, Minn.) sealed the victory at the free-throw line, scoring 15 points and knocking down six in the closing moments.

At the Colorado College Fall Classic, the Bennies edged the host Tigers, 51–48, behind another assertive showing from Buslee, who scored 22 points and recorded eight steals for her third 20-point game of the season. Saint Benedict closed the event with a 66–57 loss to Whitman College despite 15 points and six steals from Buslee and 11 points from Morgan. Losses to Concordia and Whitman followed, but the Bennies responded by snapping a long drought against Gustavus Adolphus with a 67–45 win. Morgan scored 21 points, connected on four three-pointers, and added nine rebounds and three steals as Saint Benedict earned its first win over Gustavus since Jan. 29, 2020, and its first home win in the series since 2018.

Inside CSB - By the Numbers
CSB enters the game with Augsburg as among the MIAC's most balanced teams, fifth in scoring offense (66.1 ppg) and second in scoring defense (55.6 ppg). The Bennies hold opponents to just 25.0 percent from beyond the arc, the top mark in the conference.

Turnovers have become a signature advantage for the Bennies, which leads the MIAC in turnover margin at +9.00 (11^th in DIII) and its 22.5 forced turnovers per game is the best in the MIAC. With 11.90 steals per game (league-best 119 overall), CSB is first in the MIAC. The Bennies'  0.84 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks fourth in the conference and its 16.90 free throws per game is second in the MIAC and sixth in DIII. At 76.1 percent per game (169-of-222), CSB is 18^th in DIII and third in the league.

In the MIAC, Buslee sits seventh in scoring (15.2 ppg), and fifth in made threes per game (1.9). Buslee's 34 steals is 40^th in DIII and her 3.4 steals per game ranks 31^st as she leads the MIAC in both categories.  The junior, who has three 20-point games and seven double digit scoring games,  also ranks 34th in free throws with 49 (3^rd, MIAC) nationally. Morgan adds 12.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, and has 55 double-digit scoring games in her career, including eight this year. With her 21 points in the win over Gustavus, Morgan has six 20-point games in her career. She recently surpassed 800 career points and has 807 in her career. Arnold, who is averaging 10.1 points and 1.9 steals per game, leads the MIAC and ranks ninth in DIII at 90.9 percent (20-of-22) in free throw shooting.  Young is adding 8.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game

Scouting Augsburg
Saturday's opponent, Augsburg, enters the matchup at 4–6 overall and 1–2 in MIAC play under second-year head coach Mallie Doucette. The Auggies are coming off a stretch that included losses to nationally ranked opponents but have a 52–46 conference win over St. Olaf. Augsburg is averaging 56.4 points for 10^th in the MIAC while holding teams to 66.6 per game.  Saylor Gallagher leads the team with 10.0 points and adds 4.3 rebounds per game. In addition, Wakinyela Bear adds 8.1 points and Lani Fonoti, 7.8 points as the Auggies have had extraordinary balance with six players averaging six points or more.   

Series Notes
Saint Benedict holds a 68–20 advantage in the all-time series, including a 75-58 win on Feb. 19, 2025. All-time, CSB has a 32-11 mark at home and sit 34-9 in games at Augsburg. The Bennies have won six straight games in the series and recorded a 40-37 win in the first-ever game in the series on Jan. 16, 1974.

Durbin leads CSB - has 773 career wins
On the sideline, longtime head coach Mike Durbin continues to add to a historic résumé. In his 41st collegiate season and 40th at Saint Benedict, Durbin enters the weekend with 769 wins at CSB and 773 overall, ranking third all-time in Division III victories and standing as the MIAC's active leader in conference wins.