ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — Riding a two-game winning streak, the College of Saint Benedict basketball team (8-3, 3-1 MIAC) returns to MIAC action Wednesday, Jan. 7, when it travels to face Macalester (1-9, 0-4 MIAC) at 7 p.m. in the Leonard Center in St. Paul, Minn.

The Bennies enter the matchup with an 8–3 overall record and a 3–1 mark in conference play, having built momentum with consecutive victories over Gustavus Adolphus and Augsburg. After Wednesday's contest, Saint Benedict will return home again to host Hamline on Jan. 10 with tip off at 1 p.m., in Claire Lynch Hall.

Season Review

Saint Benedict's season began with a statement, as the Bennies opened with a 91–57 win 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, 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 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. 20. 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, 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 and Whitman, Saint Benedict rebounded in emphatic fashion by snapping a long drought against Gustavus Adolphus with a 67–45 victory. 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 then continued its success against Augsburg with a 78–70 win, 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.

By the Numbers - CSB

Turnovers have become a signature advantage for the Bennies, which leads the MIAC in turnover margin at +8.00 (18^th in DIII) and its 21.7 forced turnovers per game is the best in the MIAC. With 13.7 turnovers per game, CSB ranks 24^th in DIII and first in the MIAC. With 11.5 steals per game (126 overall, 2^nd MIAC), CSB is second in the MIAC. The Bennies'  0.87 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks second in the conference. With 17.09 free throws per game, CSB is fifth in DIII and second in the MIAC.  At 76.4 percent per game (188-of-246), CSB is 12^th in DIII and third in the league.

In the MIAC, Buslee sits seventh in scoring (14.9 ppg), and sixth in made threes per game (1.9). Buslee's 38 steals is 30^th in DIII and her 3.5 steals per game ranks 25th as she leads the MIAC in both categories.  The junior, who has three 20-point games and eight double digit scoring games this year,  also ranks 39th in free throws with 51 (3^rd, MIAC) nationally. Morgan adds 13.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, and has 56 double-digit scoring games in her career, including 10 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 823 in her career. Arnold, who is averaging 11.1 points and 1.9 steals per game, leads the MIAC and ranks sixth in DIII at 93.9 percent (24-of-26) in free throw shooting.  Young is adding 9.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game

Scouting Macalester
Macalester enters the contest under first-year head coach AD Donovan with a 1–9 overall record and a 0–4 mark in MIAC play. Sydnee Smith leads the Scots with 9.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, while Mary Daley adds 9.0 points and 5.7 rebounds. As a team, Macalester averages 51.6 points per game and allows 65.2.

Series Snapshot
Saint Benedict has dominated the all-time series, holding a 66–8 advantage. The Bennies are 36–1 all-time at home against Macalester and have won three straight meetings, including a 69–58 victory last season. The first game in the series dates back to Jan. 7, 1982, when CSB earned a 77–46 win.

Durbin has 774 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 770 wins at CSB and 774 overall, ranking third all-time in Division III history and standing as the MIAC's active leader in conference victories.