NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Senior guard
Sophia Jonas, who had 20 points, including a career-high six three-pointers, led the College of Saint Benedict basketball team to its fourth consecutive win in a 63-58 victory over Carleton College at the West Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
The Bennies improved to 13-6 overall and 8-4 in the MIAC, tying for third place in the conference with Hamline (13-6, 8-4) and St. Scholastica (11-8, 8-4).
Jonas, who recorded her seventh career 20-point game and her 59th career double-digit scoring effort, made a crucial three-pointer in the final minute to help secure the win. With the Knights closing the gap to 58-56 with 52 seconds remaining, Jonas drilled her sixth three-pointer of the game with 25 seconds left. Junior guard
Megan Morgan and first-year guard
Lauren Arnold then iced the game by hitting a pair of free throws each in the closing seconds.
The game started with CSB holding a 17-9 lead after the first quarter, but Carleton rallied to take a 31-28 advantage at halftime. In the second half, the Bennies outscored the Knights 37-29, aided by a strong shooting performance from beyond the arc, where they hit 7-of-17 three-pointers.
"We made adjustments to our offense in the second half, and I was really impressed with how well the players adapted," said CSB head coach
Mike Durbin, who now has 591 career MIAC wins and 762 total wins (758 at CSB).
Jonas now has 246 career three-pointers, the most in CSB history, and is just 10 away from breaking the all-time MIAC record of 255 held by Brooklyn Paulson of Saint Mary's (2018-23). With her 1,058 career points, Jonas moved into 16th place on CSB's all-time scoring list, surpassing Ashley Brown (1,056 points, 2000-04). She also set a career-high with six three-pointers for the fourth time and has now hit five or more three-pointers in a game 12 times.
The Bennies also received strong bench contributions, with junior guard
Megan Driste scoring nine points, including three three-pointers, as CSB outscored Carleton 14-3 in bench points. On the defensive end, CSB forced 15 turnovers, turning them into an 18-6 advantage in points off turnovers. Although Carleton had a 36-18 edge in points in the paint, the Bennies made the most of second-chance opportunities, outscoring the Knights 17-13 in that category.
CSB shot 39.0 percent (23-of-59) from the field, slightly below their season average of 40 percent, but made 11-of-34 (32.4 percent) from three-point range and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line. The 11 three-pointers marked the second-highest total for St. Ben's this season.
Carleton, which was led by 20 points from Audrey Whitney, shot 42.9 percent (24-of-56) from the field and 30.8 percent (4-of-13) from three-point range. The Knights held a 38-31 rebound advantage.
In addition to Jonas' standout performance, Arnold reached double digits for the sixth time in her career, finishing with 10 points, two assists, and one steal. Morgan contributed nine points, eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals while junior forward
Kira Young added 10 rebounds, her second consecutive game with double-digit boards, while adding eight points and three assists.
The game began with CSB jumping out to a 17-9 lead in the first quarter, with balanced scoring that included three-pointers from Morgan, Driste, and
Ella Beeler. However, Carleton rallied in the second quarter with a 18-4 run, taking a three-point lead into halftime.
CSB came out strong in the third quarter, starting with an 11-0 run to retake the lead. Jonas hit three triples in the quarter, while Driste connected on two, helping the Bennies build a 47-39 advantage heading into the final period.
The fourth quarter saw both teams struggle offensively, with CSB shooting just 33.3 percent (4-of-12) in the quarter. Carleton closed the gap to 58-56 with 52 seconds remaining, but Jonas' clutch three-pointer and key free throws from Arnold and Morgan sealed the win for the Bennies, maintaining a five-point lead until the final buzzer.
