Box Score Box Score
DE PERE, Wis. – The St. Scholastica men's basketball team was out-scored 40-19 in the second half as the St. Norbert College Green Knights defeated the Saints 70-42 in the opening round of the Nicolet National Bank Holiday Tournament at the Schuldes Sports Center.
The loss drops the Saints below .500 on the campaign with a 4-5 record, while the Green Knights improve to 7-1, their best start since the 1983-84 season. St. Norbert moves on to face the No. 1-ranked team in the nation the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in the championship game tomorrow. CSS is now 0-3 all-time versus the Green Knights.
After a little break in the season, both teams came out rusty with the first points being scored 3:27 into the game. #Troy Miller# (Sr.-Stillwater, Minn.) would be fouled on a three-point attempt and hit all three free throws to give the Saints an early 3-2 lead.
The score was 7-7 until St. Norbert went on an 11-0 run to take an 18-7 lead with eight minutes to go in the half. St. Scholastica got back within three after a pair of #Jesse Taylor# (Sr.-Superior, Wis./Maranatha Baptist) free throws, but the Green Knights went into halftime with a 30-23 advantage.
The Saints shot just 28-percent in the first half, while St. Norbert shot 52-percent. The Green Knights scored 10 points in the paint in the first half, while limiting the Saints to zero points inside.
CSS cut the lead down to six early in the second half, but St. Norbert followed with a 7-0 run to go up by 13. The Saints would make just three field goals in the final 13 minutes as the Green Knights out-scored CSS 27-7 during that span to make the final score 70-42.
The Saints shot 29-percent for the game, while the Green Knights finished at 53-percent. The St. Norbert bench was the difference, out-scoring the CSS bench 43-19.
#Danny Schmitz# (So.-Hinckley, Minn./Hinckley-Finlayson) was the only St. Scholastica player to score in double-figures as he had 14 points off the bench. Jesse Taylor (Superior, Wis./Maranatha Academy) and Troy Miller (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater HS) both added seven points, while #Derek Anderson# (So.-Cook, Minn.) had a team-high five rebounds. Dave Wipperfurth had a career-high 23 points to pace the Green Knights.
The Saints will face Carthage College tomorrow in the consolation game at the Schuldes Sports Center. Carthage fell to the No. 1-ranked Pioneers 74-48 in the first game of the tournament. The tip-off for the consolation game is 5 p.m.
