Bennies near regular season finish line, head towards MIAC tournament

The Bennies beat St. Olaf on Wednesday in Northfield, Minn. Senior guard Carla Meyer led the team with 15 points in her 68th career double-digit scoring game.

Senior forward Lydia Hay ended the game with 14 points, six rebounds, four blocks and two assists after being named MIAC Offensive Player of the Week.

This is her first time being awarded the honor after averaging 20 points, 6.5 rebounds, two rebounds and two steals during the week.This was their fourth win in their last five games, putting them fourth in the MIAC at 11-6.

According to Hay, the season has gone well so far.

“We have had some tough losses, but despite those, we have come together as a team to come out with some good wins as well,” Hay said. Junior wing/point guard Sophia Jonas agrees.“The season so far has been good but challenging. We have had some tough losses that came down to the last few minutes,” Jonas said.

The Bennies started the year with a win in the Tip-Off Classic on Nov. 10-11 hosted in Claire Lynch Hall. The 2-0 tournament win against Minnesota Morris and Northwestern (St. Paul) was a highlight for the team and created momentum going into the season.

The team’s win on Feb. 3 against St. Scholastica was especially significant as Hay had a careerbest 26 points and head coach Mike Durbin celebrated his 1,000th game as a coach at CSB.

According to junior wing Abigail Kuboushek, one of the highlights of the season was celebrating Meyer’s 1,000th career point. She is the 21st player in CSB history to reach this milestone.

Hay and Morgan also both achieved career-high point scoring games this season.Although the season thus far has contained many individual highlights, the team has found success when they play together.

“We have great team chemistry, and when we all play together, some really great things happen on the court,” Kuboushek said.

Looking forward to the remainder of the season, the Bennies want to keep the season’s momentum going to make a push in the playoffs.

“We want to continue to work together and play our game to keep our winning record,” Jonas said.

Jonas made three three-pointers on Wednesday, tying the CSB career record with 186.

The MIAC Championship tournament begins with Quarterfinals on Feb. 20, and the championship game takes place on Saturday, Feb. 24. The team is pushing to host a home game in the first round of the MIAC tournament to set them up for success.

“To be successful we will need to continue to play together, share the ball and trust each other just as we have all season. Our defense will also need to take a step up and be great every game to beat the top teams in the MIAC that are left on our schedule,” Hay said.

As Hay’s collegiate career is coming to a close, she is looking to enjoy every game with the team. The team has three games left before the MIAC tournament.

The Bennies play Gustavus on Saturday and Bethel next Wednesday.