Box Score Box Score

DULUTH, Minn. – The St. Scholastica women's basketball team was held to just two field goals in the final 10 minutes as the Martin Luther College Knights won by a score of 68-54 today in the regular season finale at Reif Gym.

With the win, the Knights are the No. 4-seed in next week's Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Postseason Tournament and will play the Saints again, this time in New Ulm, Minn. on Tuesday. CSS now has an overall record of 9-16 and finish conference-play with a 6-8 record. Martin Luther improves to a record of 11-14 overall and finish 7-7 in the UMAC. The Saints also honored their lone senior today on Senior Day in #Chelsea Studier# (Sr.-Two Harbors, Minn.).

The first seven minutes of the game would be tightly contested with the lead changing hands five times. The Knights distanced themselves a little midway through the half, going on a 7-0 run to take a 12-6 lead. The margin was seven with seven minutes to go in the half when the Saints went on a 9-2 run to tie the score at 20-20 with four minutes to go. Martin Luther went back up by six, but CSS came back to tie it again. A three-point-play gave the Knights a 29-26 lead, but #Alexa Leighton# (Jr.-Superior, Wis.) hit a lay-up at the end of the half to make the halftime score 29-28.

The Saints shot 39-percent in the half, while the Knights were just 32-percent from the field. Martin Luther scored 11 points off of 12 CSS turnovers and had a 26-18 edge on the glass, including 12 offensive rebounds.

The Saints regained the lead with a #Laura Amys# (Fr.-South Range, Wis./Superior) steal and lay-up to begin the second half. Martin Luther took the lead right back, but then Saints got hot from beyond the arc with 3-pointers by #Taylor Fellbaum# (Fr.-Minong, Wis./Northwood) and two by #Kirsten Haukom# (Jr.-Marshall, Minn.). However, the Knights still had a four-point lead with 13 minutes to go.

CSS then went on a 9-0 run, with five points from Alexa Leighton (Superior, Wis./Superior HS) during that span, to take a 50-45 lead. After that the Saints got cold from the field and the Knights capitalized. Martin Luther went on a 10-0 run to take a 58-52 lead with three minutes to go. Kirsten Haukom (Marshall, Minn./Marshall HS) then made the Saints' only other field goal in the final 10 minutes to cut the lead to four. The Knights then converted a lay-up and went 8-for-8 from the free throw line in the final 1:10 to win going away 68-54.

The Saints shot 36-percent for the game, while the Knights shot 35-percent. The Knights had a 56-29 rebounding edge for the game and scored 16 second-chance points in the second half alone. The Saints hit seven three-pointers on the day.

Kirsten Haukom (Marshall, Minn./Marshall HS) and Alexa Leighton (Superior, Wis./Superior HS) both had 16 points to pace St. Scholastica. The 16 points by Leighton was a career-high. Haukom also had a team-high nine rebounds. Taylor Fellbaum (Minong, Wis./Northwood HS) added 10 points, who started in place of #Katie Christensen# (Jr.-Elk, River, Minn.), who did not play due to illness. Hannah Bode had 19 points to lead the Knights. Erica Babinec also added a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The Saints will be at Martin Luther on Tuesday night for the first round of the UMAC Postseason Tournament. The tip-off for that game will be either 5:30 or 7:30 p.m.