Box Score Box Score

MANKATO, Minn. – The St. Scholastica men's basketball team was defeated at Bethany Lutheran College this evening 82-67.

The Saints drop to 8-16 overall and 5-8 in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC). The Vikings improve to 8-15 overall and 8-5 in the conference. The Saints sit alone in fifth place and will play Martin Luther College, who sits a game behind the Saints in sixth, tomorrow. CSS can finish no better than fifth.

The teams exchanged baskets early and the Saints took a four-point lead with 11 minutes to go in the first half. Bethany Lutheran then went on a 16-2 run over the span of five minutes to take a 28-18 lead with five minutes before halftime. The Vikings went into the locker room with a 34-20 advantage.

CSS shot 39-percent in the first half, while the Vikings were 48-percent from the field. The Saints committed 13 turnovers, which led to 12 Bethany Lutheran points.

The Vikings kept the lead in double-digits for the better part of the second half. Bethany led by 17 before CSS cut the lead to seven with two minutes to go. The Vikings closed the game out from the free throw line and went on to win 82-67.

The Saints were 50-percent from the field in the second half, but were just 16-for-25 from the free throw line. The Vikings shot 48-percent again in the second half and had a 34-31 edge on the glass.

#Danny Schmitz# (Jr.-Hinckley, Minn./Hinckley-Finlayson) poured in 20 points to pace the Saints. #Brett Tester# (Fr.-Andover, Minn.) and #Logan Schultz# (Jr.-Perham, Minn.) each added 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Tommy Saffert had a game-high 27 points for Bethany Lutheran.

The Saints will close out the regular season tomorrow when it faces Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minn. The action is set to begin at approximately 5 p.m., following the women's game.