ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — With the momentum of four wins in its last five games, the College of Saint Benedict basketball team (10-4, 5-2 MIAC) heads back into MIAC action Saturday, Jan. 17, with a road test at Carleton (5-9, 2-5 MIAC) in Northfield, Minn. Tip-off between the Bennies and the Knights is set for 1 p.m. at the West Gym.

Saint Benedict enters the weekend 10-4 overall and 5-2 in conference play, tied for fourth place in the MIAC and sitting just one game out of first. Following the matchup with Carleton, St. Ben's will return home to host No. 21 Bethel at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 24, at Claire Lynch Hall.

Season Review
The 2024–25 season began with an emphatic statement for the Bennies, who opened play with a 91–57 victory over Minnesota Morris on Nov. 7. The performance marked the program's first 90-point outing since 2019 and set the tone for a strong opening stretch. One night later, CSB claimed the CSB Tipoff Tournament championship with a dramatic 51–50 win over Bethany Lutheran.

Sophomore guard Drew Buslee (Eagan, Minn.) quickly emerged as a catalyst for Saint Benedict. She scored 22 points in the season opener and followed it up by earning tournament MVP honors thanks to clutch late-game play. Even in a narrow 61–60 loss to UW–Eau Claire on Nov. 12, Buslee delivered one of the most complete performances in recent program history, totaling 25 points, seven rebounds, eight steals, and three assists. Her eight steals were the most by a Bennie since 2007, a mark she later matched in a win over Colorado College.

After the UW-Eau Claire setback, Saint Benedict regrouped and won four of its next five games, beginning with a dominant 75–42 victory over Dubuque on Nov. 15. Defensive pressure fueled the win, as the Bennies forced 32 turnovers and turned them into a 37–7 advantage in points off turnovers. Fourteen different players scored, with Buslee posting 16 points and five steals and Morgan contributing 11 points.

The Bennies' defensive identity carried into an 86–57 win over Nebraska Wesleyan on Nov. 16. Morgan recorded a season-high 18 points, while senior guard Megan Driste (Sartell, Minn.) turned in the strongest performance of her career, finishing with 17 points, five assists, four three-pointers, and three steals.

Conference play opened with a gritty 59–53 road win at St. Olaf on Nov. 19. Morgan led the way with 18 points and eight rebounds, and Lauren Arnold (Chanhassen, Minn.) sealed the victory at the free-throw line, scoring 15 points and converting six free throws in the final moments.

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

Following losses to Concordia on Dec. 6 and Whitman on Nov. 29, CSB responded with one of its most significant wins of the season — a 67–45 victory over Gustavus Adolphus on Dec. 10 at Claire Lynch Hall. Morgan powered the win with 21 points, four three-pointers, nine rebounds, and three steals, as St. Ben's snapped a long drought against the Gusties, earning their first win in the series since Jan. 29, 2020, and their first home win since 2018.

Saint Benedict carried that momentum into January with a 78–70 win over Augsburg on Jan. 3, its seventh straight victory in the series. Morgan narrowly missed a triple-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and a career-high eight assists, while Arnold posted a career-best 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting. CSB followed with a 72–57 road win at Macalester on Jan. 7, as Morgan scored 19 points to lead five players in double figures. First-year Emma Theisen added a career-high 13 points and eight rebounds.

In a 65–60 loss to Hamline on Jan. 10, Buslee and Morgan each scored 13 points, before Saint Benedict bounced back in its most recent outing with a 60–50 home win over St. Catherine. Young led the way with 19 points, while Buslee added 10 points and four assists.

By the numbers - St. Ben's defense key to success

Defensively, turnovers have become a defining strength for the Bennies. CSB leads the MIAC in turnover margin at +8.64 and ranks among the top teams nationally in Division III. The Bennies force 22.08 turnovers per game, best in the MIAC, while committing just 13.4 per contest. CSB averages 11.7 steals per game and scores 66.5 points per outing, ranking fourth in the conference. Balanced scoring has also been a hallmark, with four players averaging double figures.

Individually, Buslee ranks eighth in the MIAC in scoring at 14.1 points per game and fourth in made three-pointers per game (1.9). She has totaled 46 steals this season and has recorded five games with four or more steals. Morgan averages 13.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game and has scored in double figures 12 times this season. She recently surpassed 800 career points and now sits at 868. Arnold averages 10.5 points and 2.2 steals per game and leads the MIAC — and ranks third nationally — in free-throw shooting at 93.8 percent. Young is adding 10.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

Carleton enters Saturday's match-up 5-9 overall and 2-5 in the MIAC under the direction of longtime head coach Tammy Metcalf-Filzen, now in her 18th season at the helm and 20th overall. The Knights are led by MIAC scoring leader Addy Huss, who averages 19.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Liesl McCallum adds 13.6 points and 7.6 rebounds, while Audrey Whitney contributes 11.8 points and 4.7 rebounds. As a team, Carleton averages 57.3 points per game and allows 66.1.

Series notes
Saint Benedict holds a 66–17 advantage in the all-time series, including a 29–10 edge in road games. The Bennies claimed a 65–60 win in the most recent meeting on Feb. 1, 2025. The series dates back to Feb. 24, 1982, when CSB fell, 64–58, in the first match-up.

Coach Durbin has 776 wins
On the sideline, head coach Mike Durbin continues to build one of the most distinguished résumés in Division III history. Now in his 41st collegiate season and 40th at Saint Benedict, Durbin owns 772 wins at CSB and 776 overall, ranking third all-time in Division III and standing as the MIAC's active leader in conference victories.