Mackenzie O'Neill netted 6-of-7 from three-point range in scoring a game-high 20 points and Ellie Boone added 14 points and six rebounds for the Blazers (14-3, 13-1 MIAC), who won for the fifth straight game and for the 14th time in their last 15 games.
The Knights (13-4, 10-4 MIAC) shot 48 percent from the field and out-rebounded the Blazers, 33-22, but St. Benedict canned 54 percent of its shots in winning for only the third time in its last nine trips to West Gym. Megan Mileusnic matched her career high with nine points and Sarah Kunelius made all three of her three-point attempts en route to nine points for the Knights. Amber Connor added eight points as the Knights suffered their first home loss of the season and only their seventh to a conference foe in the last six seasons.
Trailing by four at the break and by as many as nine points early in the second half, the Knights used an Isler triple, Oken-Berg lay-up and two Sarah Lincoln (So./Rockford, Minn.) free throws to get within two. A Mileusnic lay-up tied the game, but the Blazers scored 10 unanswered points to pull away during 3-minute, 44-second stretch, as O'Neill and Schmidt nailed three-pointers during the run that was capped by Boone's inside basket. The Blazers held the Knights without a field goal for more than five minutes in completing the season sweep of the Knights.
Both teams came out on fire, as each made nine of their first 13 shots and combined for 45 points less than 10 minutes into the game. The Knights used a 10-0 run, highlighted by triples from Isler and Kunelius, to take their largest lead at 28-23 with nine minutes left in the first half. The Blazers, though, closed the half on a 14-5 string, ended by O'Neill's fourth long-range bomb of the half and a Jaime Goehner lay-up.
Carleton is back in action on Saturday, Jan. 27, hosting Bethel University as part of a men's/women's doubleheader at 3 p.m. The game can be heard worldwide on Knights Online.
Saint Benedict vs Carleton College 01/24/07 7:30 p.m. at Northfield, Minn. (West Gym) At Northfield, Minn. (West Gym) SAINT BENEDICT 77, CARLETON COLLEGE 67 SAINT BENEDICT (14-3, 13-1 MIAC) Mackenzie O'Neil 6-7 2-4 20; Ellie Boone 7-9 0-1 14; Mindy Schmidt 3-5 4-4 12; Jaime Goehner 5-6 2-3 12; Ariel Tauer 4-8 1-2 9; Darby Noreen 2-6 1-2 7; Nikki Carter 1-4 0-0 3; Anna Schumacher 0-0 0-0 0; Alyssa Mohr 0-1 0-0 0; Brittany Buysse 0-1 0-0 0; Caitlin Ries 0-0 0-0 0; Judy Falvey 0-5 0-0 0. Totals 28-52 10-16 77. CARLETON COLLEGE (13-4, 10-4 MIAC) Hannah Oken-Berg 7-13 0-1 14; Annie Isler 3-6 4-4 12; Megan Mileusnic 3-6 3-4 9; Sarah Kunelius 3-5 0-0 9; Amber Connor 4-8 0-0 8; Sarah Lincoln 1-5 5-6 7; Anna Biewen 2-5 2-3 6; Annie Eckhoff 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 24-50 14-18 67. Saint Benedict................ 37 40 - 77 Carleton College.............. 33 34 - 67 3-point goals-Saint Benedict 11-21 (Mackenzie O'Neil 6-7; Darby Noreen 2-4; Mindy Schmidt 2-3; Nikki Carter 1-3; Judy Falvey 0-3; Ariel Tauer 0-1), Carleton College 5-9 (Sarah Kunelius 3-3; Annie Isler 2-2; Amber Connor 0-1; Sarah Lincoln 0-2; Hannah Oken-Berg 0-1). Fouled out--Saint Benedict-None, Carleton College-None. Rebounds-Saint Benedict 22 (Ellie Boone 6), Carleton College 33 (Hannah Oken-Berg 7). Assists-Saint Benedict 15 (Ariel Tauer 5), Carleton College 12 (Annie Isler 4). Total fouls-Saint Benedict 16, Carleton College 14. A-400