ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Katie Chavez (Sr./Westminster, Colo./Holy Family) scored 12 of her game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter as the Carleton College women's basketball team edged host College of Saint Benedict, 64-63.
 
"This was a great team win," said Carleton head coach Tammy Metcalf-Filzen. "I'm very proud of the players. We've had some incredibly tough competition to start the MIAC season and had to work hard to overcome injuries over the past several weeks. We needed this win!"
 
Carleton (3-5, 1-3 MIAC) and not only notched its first conference triumph of the season, but also handed the Bennies (6-1, 2-1 MIAC) their first setback of the year.
 
In addition to this being Chavez's eight career game with 20-plus points, she tallied game-highs of seven rebounds and five steals. Jill Yanai (So./Glendale, Calif./Glendale) contributed 14 points, while Anna Hughes (Jr./Glenview, Ill./New Trier) hit 4-of-5 shots from beyond the arc to account for her 12 points. Samantha Cooke (Sr./St. Louis, Mo./Incarnate Word Academy) chipped in with eight points, six boards, three blocks, three assists, and two steals.
 
The Knights raced out to a 9-3 lead, the largest advantage for either team over the first three quarters. Saint Benedict answered with a 9-0 spurt of its own, but Chavez hit two free throws before Aiana Whitfield (Fy./Richfield, Minn./Benilde St.-Margaret's) and Yanai followed with layups to give the visitors a 15-12 lead after the first period.
 
The lead exchanged hands four times during the second quarter, with a pair of Yanai free throws providing the Knights with a 28-26 edge heading into intermission.
 
Saint Benedict's Paris Rasheed-Moore converted a layup with 3:47 remaining in the third quarter that gave the hosts a 38-35 lead and matched their largest advantage of the evening. The Carleton defense held the Bennies scoreless over the remainder of the period, and Hughes drained a pair of triples—the second one as the quarter expired—to lift the Knights to a 41-38 lead heading into the final stanza.
 
Yanai, Margie Clauss (Fy./Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn), and Cooke scored quickly as Carleton completed its 12-0 run and opened up a 47-38 margin, the biggest of the contest for either team, with 8:30 still to play. The Bennies took a timeout and answered with a 9-1 spurt that made it a 48-47 contest as the clock ticked under six minutes to go.
 
Saint Benedict senior Sidney Schiffler tied the game at 57-57 with a stepback 3-pointer with 1:26 remaining, but Chavez scored the game's next five points to give Carleton a 62-57 cushion with 20.5 seconds still on the clock.
 
Schiffler pulled up for another triple that brought the hosts within 62-60. Chavez was fouled and cashed in two more free throws, but Shae Olsen drained another Bennies' 3-pointer to close the gap to 64-63 with 4.3 seconds to go.
 
Chavez was fouled yet again but surprisingly missed both free throws. Fortunately for the Knights, a desperation heave by Schiffler was off the mark and Carleton secured its first MIAC triumph of the campaign.
 
The Knights shot 70 percent (7-of-10) in the fourth quarter and finished at 50 percent for the game with a 46-percent performance (6-of-14) from long range. Saint Benedict made 39 percent of its shots in the contest, with Schiffler and Megan Thompson leading the way with 12 points apiece.
 
"We know we have lots more work to do," Metcalf-Filzen said, "and we're excited to get back on the court on Wednesday."
 
UP NEXT FOR THE KNIGHTS: Carleton goes right back on the road for a men's-women's doubleheader at Concordia College-Moorhead on Wednesday, Dec. 11. The men's game tips at 5:00 p.m. with the women slotted for a 7:00 p.m. start.