Duluth, Minn. – Tonight, February 5, the Saint Scholastica Women's basketball team hosted the Bennies of the College of Saint Benedict, playing the first game of tonight's doubleheader. Tonight's women's match up ended with the Bennies taking the victory over the Saints with a final score of 53-84.
How it Happened
First Quarter
The Saints started off strong, winning the tip-off, coming down the court, and finding Jackie Johnson (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji HS) who gave the Saints an early 3-0 lead to begin tonight's game. Not long after, Ava Riegel (Rogers, MN/Totino Grace High School) found the basket on a clean drive, giving the Saitns a layup, and a 5-0 early run.
The Bennies quickly answered back with a layup of their own, but Gabby Voigt (St. Michael. Minn./St. Michael- Albertville HS) was quick to replay to the Bennies layup, securing a layup of her own, maintaining the Saint's five-point lead.
Attempting to close the early gap, the Bennies went for a layup, but Kloey Lind (Pine City, Minn./Pine City HS) was quick to shut that down recording a powerful block. Coming back down the other way, Ava Haus (St. Michael/St. Michael-Albertville High School) found an open zone of the court and drilled a jump shot, giving the Saints a nine-point lead.
The Bennies answered right back, sinking a three-pointer, bringing the score to 5-11. Following a Saints foul, Saint Ben's managed to find a good shot and hit another three-point shot, closing the gap to just three points.
Haus demonstrated excellent defense against the Bennies, while they attempted a layup, Haus was in the paint and prevented any scoring opportunity for the Bennies.
As time began to wind down with only three minutes left in the quarter, the Bennies found an open lane for a layup, cutting the Saints lead to just one, with the score at 11-10 following the Bennies layup.
The Bennies once again managed to find a good lane in the Saints end, and sank a layup, momentarily taking the lead. That was all before Kloey Lind (Pine City, Minn./Pine City HS) was able to score a layup of her own, giving the lead back to the Saints.
With under a minute remaining in the quarter, the Bennies scored another layup, hoping to go into the first break with the lead.
The first quarter came to an end with the Bennies narrowly ahead with a score of 13-14.
Second Quarter
The Bennies opened the scoring up in the second quarter, scoring a layup just 18 seconds into the quarter. The Saints' Daysia Simmons (Albertville, MN/St. Michael HS) was quick to respond, banking in a layup of her own bringing the Saints to within one.
Following a foul on the Bennies, Hope Carlson (Proctor, Minn./Proctor HS) drove in and found a good spot to shoot from, and she did just that, giving the Saints the lead once more, with a score of 17-17.
The Bennies had the ball in the Saints zone and tried to get three-point shots off in order to give them the lead and the edge in the game. On their second shot, the Bennies were able to sink a three, giving them a two-point lead.
Coming back down, the Saints were unable to answer the Bennies three, and on the other side of the court, the Bennies found a way through the defense scoring a layup, extending the Bennies' lead to four.
The Bennies then found themselves on the free throw line and skillfully sank both free throws. Extending the Bennies' lead once again to six points, with a score of 17-13.
The Bennies began to pull away, finding another good spot on the three-point line, and sank another three.
Lind found herself open inside the three-point line and took the shot but was fouled on the shot. On the line, Lind managed to sink one of two shots, cutting the Bennies' lead to eight points.
The Saints' defense was very efficient, able to shut the Bennies' offense down to the point of forcing a shot clock violation.
Madison Kenyon (Woodstock, IL/Marian Central Catholic HS) got the ball for the Saints following the Saints forced a turnover and secured a layup for the Saints. Saint Bens came back for three, extending the lead back to nine points. Kenyon had the ball once more and secured yet another layup for the Saints. Not able to catch a break, the Bennies came back with a two-point jump shot of their own.
Kenyon went up for another layup but was fouled on the shot, and was therefore awarded two free throws. She managed to hit one of two free throws, bringing the score to 23-31.
The first half came to an end with a score of 23-31, with neither team able to get another shot up.
Third Quarter
The Saints opened the third quarter with possession, but they were unable to produce on offense. The Bennies took the ball back down, and on a layup attempt, the Saints fouled the shooter, and the Bennies managed to sink both free throws.
Coming back down, the Saints' Haus got the ball open from three-point range and sank a three-point shot. The Bennies answered trying to maintain their lead with a layup.
Haus once again had the ball and scored a layup this time, cutting into the bennies lead, only up seven points.
Lind went up for a layup but was fouled on her attempt, and was rewarded with two free throws. Lind sank both free throws. But during those free throws, the Saints suffered a technical foul, fortunately for the Saints, the Bennies were able to sink only one of two free throws.
After some back-and-forth action, the Bennies sank a layup, once again extending their lead, this time to eight points. Following their layup, the Saints suffered a turnover and gave up another two points which brought the deficit up to 10.
Jada Bierschbach (Richmond, Minn./Rocori HS) found herself on the free throw line an opportunity to close the gap a little bit, but both free throws fell off the mark.
Going down the other way the Bennies failed on offense, giving the Saints possession, and on the Bennies' side Carlson succeeded in making a layup.
The Bennies were not going to let the Saints get away with anything in this game, answering Carlson's layup with a two-point jump shot of her own, but Ava Riegel (Rogers, MN/Totino Grace High School) was determined to stay in it sinking a two-pointer of her own. Both teams at this point in the game were trading points, both teams scored three-pointers, and the Bennies scored a layup, giving them the edge in that offensive stalemate.
The Bennies scored another three-point shot, and the Saints followed the three-pointer up with a timeout with the score at 37-50.
Only two and a half minutes remained in the quarter coming out of the time out, but both teams came out slow, going an entire minute before the first points were scored, that was a layup from the Bennies. The Saints fouled on this shot giving the Bennies an opportunity to make this a three point play, and the Bennies succeed, sinking the free throw.
Wanting to end the quarter strong, the Bennies sink another layup, bringing the lead to 18.
The Saints found themselves on the free throw line, Voigt only sank one of two shots awarded to her. Going down the floor the Bennies scored a three-pointer. The Saints tried too hard to prevent a large deficit in the fourth but they turned it over and gave up a buzzer beater midrange shot. The score going into the fourth quarter was 38-60, a deficit of 22.
Fourth Quarter
The Saints started with possession in the fourth, but as they went up for a jump shot, their shot was blocked, shutting down thier offense. Just under two minutes into the quarter, the Saints were the first on the board, coming from a jump shot from Haus. The Bennies were quick to anser with a two-point jump shot of their own negating the Saints shot.
Both teams went back and forth scoring, the Bennies with a two-pointer and the Saints getting the edge with a three-pointer courtesy of Haus.
The Saints suffered a foul nearing the halfway mark of the quarter, and the Bennies skillfully sink both free throws awarded to them. Those free throws brought he score to 43-66. The Bennies followed the free throws up with a timeout.
Coming out of the timeout the Bennies were the first to score, recording a three-three point shot. The Saints were quick to come back with a layup, but that was quickly nullified by another three-pointer from the Bennies.
The Saints were brought to the free throw line, and Kenyon was given two shots, she managed to successfully sink both, however, the Saints were still down 25.
The Bennies were still cooking on all cylinders and they drilled another layup, keeping their lead at 27.
Carlson had the ball in the Bennies end and recorded a layup, that was again silenced by a three-pointer from the Bennies, whos offense was relentless in tonights game.
The Saints brought the ball down and drilled a layup, coming from Kenyon. But tonights game is a tale of mimikry as the Bennie salso hit a layup immidiatly after the Saints.
Getting frustrated with the deficit the Saints committed a foul giving the Bennies one free throw as they were then put in bonus, the Bennies sank their free throw.
Bierschbach was fouled on a two-point attempt, and sank both of her two free throws.
As time wound down in the game, the Bennies only continued to score, recording another layup that brought the score to 53-82. The Bennies only continued to produce on offense, scoring another two-point jump shot.
Tonight's game ended with the Bennies taking a dominant 31-point lead over the Saints, the final score of tonights game was 53-84.
What's Next
The Saints (11-9, 8-5 MIAC) will take to the road, headed to Winona, Minn. in order to play the Cardinals (8-10, 6-6 MIAC) of Saint Mary's University, on Saturday, February 8. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.
