ST. JOSEPH, Minn. -- The College of Saint Benedict basketball team (9-4, 4-2 MIAC), which has nine wins in 13 games, faces St. Catherine (6-7, 1-5 MIAC) in MIAC play on Wednesday, Jan. 14. Tip-off for the Bennies and Wildcats is set for 7 p.m., at Claire Lynch Hall.

St. Ben's enter the game at 4-2 and tied for fourth in the MIAC with a 9-4 overall record. CSB is just one game out of first place. After the matchup with the Wildcats, the Bennies will travel to play Carleton at 1 p.m., on Saturday, Jan. 17, in Northfield, Minn.

Season Review
Saint Benedict's season began with a statement, as the Bennies opened with a 91–57 win (Nov. 7) over Minnesota Morris — their first 90-point performance since 2019. They followed that effort by claiming the CSB Tipoff Tournament title with a narrow 51–50 win over Bethany Lutheran on Nov. 8, closing a strong opening weekend.

Sophomore guard Drew Buslee (Eagan, Minn.) quickly established herself as one of the team's driving forces. She poured in 22 points in the season opener and earned tournament MVP honors with clutch late-game play. Even in a 61–60 setback against UW–Eau Claire (Nov. 12), Buslee delivered one of the most complete performances in recent program history, finishing with 25 points, seven rebounds, eight steals, and three assists. Her eight steals marked the most by a Bennie since 2007 — a total she later matched in a win over Colorado College.

Following the Eau Claire loss, Saint Benedict steadied itself with four wins in five games. That stretch opened with a dominant 75–42 victory (Nov. 150 over Dubuque, where defensive pressure defined the night. The Bennies forced 32 turnovers, turned them into a 37–7 advantage in points off turnovers, and saw 14 different players score. Buslee finished with 16 points and five steals, while Morgan added 11 points.

CSB's defensive identity carried over in an 86–57 win against Nebraska Wesleyan on Nov. 16. Morgan recorded a season-high 18 points, while senior guard Megan Driste (Sartell, Minn.) delivered 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 victory at St. Olaf on Nov. 19. Morgan again led the Bennies with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Lauren Arnold (Chanhassen, Minn.) sealed the win at the free-throw line, scoring 15 points and converting six free throws in the closing moments.

At the Colorado College Fall Classic, Saint Benedict edged the host Tigers, 51–48 (Nov. 28) behind another assertive performance from Buslee, who scored 22 points and added eight steals for her third 20-point game of the season. St. Ben's closed the tourney with a 66–57 loss to Whitman College despite 15 points and six steals from Buslee and 11 points from Morgan.

After losses to Concordia (Dec. 6) and Whitman (Nov. 29), Saint Benedict rebounded in emphatic fashion by snapping a long drought against Gustavus Adolphus with a 67–45 victory (Dec. 10) at Claire Lynch Hall. Morgan scored 21 points, knocked down four three-pointers, and added nine rebounds and three steals, as the Bennies earned their first win over Gustavus since Jan. 29, 2020, and their first home win in the series since 2018.

Saint Benedict continued its success against Augsburg with a 78–70 win (Jan. 3), its seventh straight in the series. Morgan narrowly missed a triple-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and a career-high eight assists, while Arnold recorded a career-best 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. St. Ben's recorded a third straight win with a 72-57 road win at Macalester (Jan. 7) as Morgan scored 19 points to lead five players in double digits. First-year Emma Theisen had a career-best 13 points along with eight rebounds. In a 65-60 setback to Hamline (Jan. 10), Buslee and Morgan both scored 13 points to lead St. Ben's.

CSB By the Numbers
Turnovers have become a signature advantage for the Bennies, which leads the MIAC in turnover margin at +8.31 (14th in DIII) and its 22.08 forced turnovers per game is the best in the MIAC. With 13.8 turnovers per game, CSB ranks 22nd in DIII and first in the MIAC. With 12.0 steals per game (68^th in DIII), CSB is first in the MIAC. The Bennies are averaging 67.0 points per game (4^th, MIAC) and shooting 35.4 percent. They have 86 made three-pointers on the season averaging 6.6 made threes per game (3^rd, MIAC). In the MIAC, Buslee sits eighth in scoring (14.5 ppg), and fourth in made threes per game (2.0). Buslee, who has hit 26-of-80 threes for 32.5 percent (4^th) has 45 steals (3.45/game) is 30th in DIII. She has five games with four or more steals this year.

Morgan, who is averaging 13.5 points (11^th, MIAC) and 5.7 rebounds per game, has 58 double-digit scoring games in her career, including 12 this year. With her 21 points in the win over Gustavus, Morgan has six 20-point games and three double doubles in her career. She recently surpassed 800 career points and has 849 in her career. Arnold, who is averaging 10.6 points and 2.2 steals per game, leads the MIAC and ranks third in DIII at 93.8 percent (30-of-32) in free throw shooting. Young is adding 9.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game
 
SCOUTING ST. CATHERINE
 Directed by ninth year head coach Dr. Don Mulhern, the Wildcats have opened the season at 6-7 overall and 1-5 in the MIAC. St. Catherine is averaging 57.3 points per game for 10^th in the league while allowing 60.2 for seventh in the league. Hattie Fox leads the Wildcats with 16.4 points per game for fifth in the MIAC.

Series Snapshot
CSB leads the all-time series, 53–9, including a 32-2 advantage in home games. In the last matchup on Jan. 11, 2025, the Bennies lost a 70-65 decision. In the first matchup on Dec. 3, 1982, the Bennies recorded a 73-33 victory.

Durbin has 775 career wins
On the sideline, longtime head coach Mike Durbin continues to build a historic résumé. Now in his 41st collegiate season and 40th at Saint Benedict, Durbin enters the week with 771 wins at CSB and 775 overall, ranking third all-time in Division III history and standing as the MIAC's active leader in conference victories.