In the end, visiting UW-Eau Claire was just too strong down in the paint, outscoring the host Saints 40 to 12 from in close on their way to a 73-57 win on Wednesday night at the Burns Wellness Commons.

 

St. Scholastica (1-2) fell behind 33-21 at the half but played a much more up-tempo second half. Senior Andrew Schmitz (Hinckley, Minn./Hinckley-Finlayson HS) had 11 of his 15 points in the second 20 minutes, while his freshman brother, Danny, scored 11 of his 14 in the second stanza.

 

As hot as the Saints have been from the field early this season—shooting 54 percent in their first two games—they were held to a season-low 33 percent in the loss to the Blugolds. Eau Claire maintained their halftime lead over the Saints with a 54 percent second half, shooting 47 percent for the game.

 

Brady Zubke (Laporte, Minn./Park Rapids Area HS) led the Saints offense with 19 points while he and Danny Schmitz (Hinckley, Minn./Hinckley-Finlayson HS) each had four rebounds, tops for the team.

 

Eau Claire also had three scorers in double-figures, led by Dan Beyer's 20 and Ryan Shea's 19.

 

St. Scholastica has to regroup quickly after their second loss in a row following a season-opening victory, as they travel five minutes down College Avenue on Saturday afternoon to take on the Division II Bulldogs from Minnesota-Duluth. Game time for the Dec. 1 match-up is at 3 p.m.