A game-high 25 points from Andy Schmitz still wasn't enough in the loss to Northwestern.
Box Score
One last rally fell short for St. Scholastica as the visiting Northwestern College Eagles held off a Saints squad in the final seconds to pick up an 84-80 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference victory in the Burns Wellness Commons on Saturday night.
The first half was a battle for both squads as there were nine ties and 13 lead changes. Northwestern (15-7, 10-1 UMAC) shot 61 percent from the field which included an 8-for-11 performance from behind the 3-point line while the Saints (8-14, 6-5 UMAC) hung in with 54 percent shooting and five 3-pointers.
Following the final tie at 41-41 in the opening 20 minutes Northwestern scored six unanswered before a
Jesse Taylor (Superior, Wis./Maranatha Academy) 3-pointer in the closing seconds trimmed the lead to only three, 47-44, at the intermission.
That three point Northwestern lead grew to as many as 12 in the second half but with 1:48 left to play and the Eagles ahead 79-70, the Saints made one last rally.
Though each St. Scholastica thrust seemed to be answered by Northwestern, Andy Schmitz' 3-pointer with 16 seconds remaining cut the lead down to three, now a one possession game for the Saints.
Forced to foul, St. Scholastica put Northwestern's James Lecheler on the line with 10 seconds left. He sank only his second of two attempts, but that pushed the Eagles lead to four making it a two-possession game for the home team, effectively ending the comeback and ensuring Northwestern would keep hold of the top spot in the UMAC standings with the win.
Schmitz led all scorers in the game with 25 points including five 3-pointers.
Brady Zubke (Laporte, Minn./Park Rapids Area HS),
Jesse Taylor (Superior, Wis./Maranatha Academy), and
Troy Miller (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater HS) each added 14 apiece while Zubke, Taylor, and
Eric Langdon (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet Senior HS) pulled down a game-high seven rebounds apiece in the losing effort.
Josh Strelecki had a team-high 23 for Northwestern hitting 9-of-13 shots. Daniel Hanson added 19 in the win including five 3-pointers.
**SAINTS**
