The game winner capped a frantic final seven minutes that witnessed five ties and five lead changes.
Anna Heikenen (Sr./Edina, Minn.) led all players with 24 points and nine rebounds and Darby Noreen (Jr./Avon, Minn./Albany) and Katie Kempe (Jr./St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) added 10 each for the Blazers (3-2, 2-1 MIAC), the MIAC’s preseason favorite.
Hannah Oken-Berg (Fy./Portland, Ore./Lincoln) and Vig paced Carleton with 15 points each and Annie Isler (So./Minneapolis/Hopkins) added 11, including two key free throws with 55 seconds left for Carleton (4-2, 2-1 MIAC), which beat the Blazers for the fourth time in the last five meetings and the sixth time in nine tries.
"I didn't know if we could compete tonight because we're so young," Carleton head coach Tammy Metcalf-Filzen said. "I thought we really did a solid job to hold this team to 57 points. We had some people that didn't play their best game but were able to find a way to get it done."
The Blazers matched their largest lead of the game, 46-42, before the Knights scored seven straight the last five by Lincoln on a baseline jumper and step-back three-pointer. Kempe tied the game with a triple, Isler answered with two free throws but Kempe drilled another three and then scored on a dribble-drive and finish after Oken-Berg split on a pair of free throws.
With 1 minute, 34 seconds left Vig got loose and scored to make it 54-54. After Noreen split on a pair of free throws, Isler converted on two free throws with 55 seconds left. Jen Dalhed scored inside over two Knights, setting up the final play.
With the shot clock running down, Vig had the ball poked away from her at the top of the key. The loose ball drew a second defender to Vig, and Lincoln broke back door. With the shot clock running down, Lincoln caught the pass, flipped the ball high off the glass and into the net.
The Blazers had a final possession with 11 seconds left, but failed to get a clean look at the hoop as Kempe drove too deep, putting herself under the basket.
The first half saw the Knights finish on a 14-7 spurt, taking 26-22 lead at the break thanks in large part to their defense, which limited CSB to 7-of-26 shooting. The Blazers didn’t help their cause by going 6-of-14 from the line in the first half and then were even worse in the second, going 6-of-16.
The Knights extended the margin to as many as seven points at the 14 minute mark of the second half, but the Blazers used a quick 13-2 spurt, with Heikenen scoring six points during the string. The preseason All-American didn't score in the final 11 minutes, though, as she only shot three times in the last 11 minutes and not at all in the final eight minutes.
The Knights shot 44 percent from the floor and held the Blazers to 39 percent. St. Benedict held a 42-36 edge in rebounding, which translated into a 15-12 advantage in second-chance points. Carleton scored 32 points in the paint to 24 for CSB.
Metcalf-Filzen pointed to the contribution of Isler off the bench as a key for the Knights. "She has a fire in her," she said. "She's new, too, so we're still figuring out how to use her the best way and in what situations but she came through in a big moment for us."
Carleton returns to action on Wednesday, Dec. 7, traveling to Augsburg College for a 5:45 p.m. contest. The game can be heard live on Carleton’s website at www.carleton.athletics/broadcasts. The Blazers host Bethel in a 7:30 p.m. contest.
College of St. Benedict vs Carleton College 12/05/05 7:30 pm at Northfield, Minn. (West Gym) At Northfield, Minn. (West Gym) CARLETON COLLEGE 58, COLLEGE OF ST. BENEDICT 57 COLLEGE OF ST. BENEDICT (3-2, 2-1 MIAC) Anna Heikenen 9-17 5-10 24; Darby Noreen 3-11 3-6 10; Katie Kempe 4-7 0-4 10; Jen Dalhed 2-6 2-5 7; Ariel Tauer 1-5 2-5 4; Kari Schroeder 1-3 0-0 2; Jaime Goehner 0-0 0-0 0; Jenna Tody 0-0 0-0 0; Nikki Carter 0-1 0-0 0; Judy Falvey 0-2 0-0 0; Mackenzie O'Neil 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-52 12-30 57. CARLETON COLLEGE (4-2, 2-1 MIAC) Hannah Oken-Berg 7-9 1-7 15; Megan Vig 7-22 1-2 15; Annie Isler 2-3 7-8 11; Sarah Lincoln 3-4 0-0 7; Sarah Kunelius 2-6 0-0 4; Kari Christianson 2-3 0-0 4; Andrea Dahl 1-3 0-0 2; Emily Strandmark 0-0 0-0 0; Anna Biewen 0-3 0-0 0; Andrea Korb 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-54 9-17 58. College of St. Benedict....... 22 35 - 57 Carleton College.............. 26 32 - 58 3-point goals-College of St. Benedict 5-12 (Katie Kempe 2-3; Jen Dalhed 1-2; Anna Heikenen 1-2; Darby Noreen 1-4; Nikki Carter 0-1), Carleton College 1-6 (Sarah Lincoln 1-1; Megan Vig 0-2; Sarah Kunelius 0-2; Kari Christianson 0-1). Fouled out--College of St. Benedict-None, Carleton College-None. Rebounds-College of St. Benedict 42 (Anna Heikenen 9), Carleton College 36 (Hannah Oken-Berg 8). Assists-College of St. Benedict 10 (Darby Noreen 3), Carleton College 12 (Andrea Korb 4). Total fouls-College of St. Benedict 20, Carleton College 23. A-200 St. Benedict ranked 19th in latest D3Hoops.com poll