Outstanding defense led the College of Saint Benedict basketball team to its first win of the season as the team defeated Crown College 82-33 in Claire Lynch Hall on Sat., Nov. 15.
To start the game, the Storm took a 15-10 lead over the Blazers. However, CSB battled back, forcing eight Crown turnovers in the next six minutes. The Blazers took control of the rest of the half, taking a 31-4 run on the Storm. With a 41-19 lead, CSB headed to the locker room with Crown on its heels.
The second half was started with a quick basket by senior
Nikki Carter (Edina, MN, Edina) as the Blazers went on a 19-2 run in the first five minutes. With a score of 60-21, CSB dominated the rest of the game. Twelve Blazers scored throughout the second half as CSB finished the game with a score of 82-33. Defensively, the Blazers were in control, forcing a total of 38 turnovers and preventing offensive opportunites for the Storm.
Junior
Mindy Schmidt (Brooklyn Park, MN, Champlin Park) and sophomore
Joelle Waytashek (Lino Lakes, MN, Centennial) led the Blazers, scoring 11 points each, as sophomore
Amy Stifter (Watertown, MN, Watertown-Mayer) contributed ten points. Senior
Ariel Tauer (Edina, MN, Edina) and junior
Ashley Schleper (Zimmerman, MN, Zimmerman) dominated the boards, each coming down with five and six rebounds respectively. Schleper was also a perfect 4-4 from the field, adding eight points to the Blazers score.
This marks head coach Mike Durbin's 495th win of his career, bringing him one more closer to the 500-win milestone.
Up next for the Blazers is a road trip to Texas, where they face the University of Texas at Tyler on Fri., Nov. 21 at 5:30 p.m. and the University of Texas at Dallas on Sat., Nov. 22 at 3 p.m.
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