DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica men's basketball team looks to continue its strong play in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) this weekend when it travels to take on Martin Luther College on Friday night and face Bethany Lutheran College Saturday evening.
Game Schedule: (Game Day Media)
Friday at Martin Luther – 7:30 p.m.
(Live Video | Live Stats)
Saturday at Bethany Lutheran – 5 p.m.
(Live Video & Stats)
About the Saints
Record: 5-9, 3-0 UMAC
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The Saints are currently riding a three-game winning streak after a 75-63 victory at home over Crown College on Saturday night.
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The Saints are the lone unbeaten team in the league after three games.
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Brett Tester (Andover, Minn./Andover HS) paces the Saints with 12.9 points per game to go along with 5.9 rebounds per game.
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Jonah Dahlman (Braham, Minn./Braham HS) is right behind Tester, averaging 12.1 points per game and has a team high 49 assists, good for fourth in the UMAC.
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Freshman guard Trevor Morlock (Rogers, Minn./Rogers HS (Minn., Crookston)) has made an impact for the Saints, averaging 14 points and 7.3 rebounds in four games since coming in at the semester.
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The Saints average 14 made free throws per game, while opponents average 12.3 per contest.
About the Knights
Record: 1-13, 0-3 UMAC
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The Knights have lost their past seven contests, most recently a tough 74-73 loss at North Central.
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The lone win of the year came at home against Saint John's on December 10th.
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Martin Luther begins a five-game home stand this weekend.
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The Knights have been anchored by the second leading scorer and fourth leading rebounder in the UMAC, Galen Holzhueter (17.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg).
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Luke Roth averages nearly 13 points a game, and Kaleb Busch averages nearly ten points per game after being injured last season.
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Martin Luther has allowed opponents over 80 points per game on average, while scoring just 67 points per game.
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The Knights were projected to finish eighth in the preseason poll.
Series History: (CSS is 32-17 all-time vs. Martin Luther)
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The Saints have won six of the past seven contests, most recently a 77-55 rout at home in last February.
About the Vikings
Record: 4-9, 2-1 UMAC
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Bethany Lutheran is the defending UMAC regular season champion and was picked to finish first in the UMAC Preseason Coaches' poll.
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The Vikings are led by a trio of scorers. Derek Peterson averages 11.7 points per game, Alex Weldon is just behind with 11.5, and Gavin Kroehler averages 11.2. Peterson also leads the Vikings with 6.2 rebounds per game and a 75.6% from the free throw line.
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Garrett Benson leads the Vikings shooting 51.2 percent from three, while Peterson shoots 40 percent. Jeremiah Fogarty averages 3.2 assists per game as well.
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The Vikings rebounded from a loss at North Central to defeat Northwestern on the road 67-64 last Saturday night.
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With the exception of Saturday, the Vikings have struggled to win close games this season, falling to Wisconsin Lutheran, Central (Iowa), Saint Mary's and #5 St. Thomas in overtime all by five points or less.
Series History: (CSS is 8-11 all-time vs. Bethany Lutheran)
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The Saints have fallen to the Vikings in the past six contests, most recently a 62-49 loss at home.
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The last time the Saints defeated the Vikings was the classic Chris Hamers (Onamia, Minn./Onamia HS) performance in the 2009 UMAC Tournament championship.
