Box Score MINNEAPOLIS (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica men's basketball team went cold at the end of the first half and North Central University shot over 52 percent for the game as the Rams defeated the Saints 77-61 Saturday.

The Saints fell behind 6-0 early before going on an 8-2 run to tie it after a Brett Tester (Andover, Minn./Andover HS) layup. The half remained close and a Derek Steve (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Apollo HS) 3-pointer made it 29-28 with four minutes to go. Unfortunately for the Saints, that would be their last made field goal of the half as the Rams outscored CSS 10-0 in the final four minutes to lead 39-28 at halftime.

The Rams (11-6, 6-1 UMAC) shot 50 percent from the field in the first half, while the Saints were at 35 percent. North Central had a 20-12 scoring edge in the paint.

Early in the second half, the Rams went on an 8-0 run to go up 47-33. The score hovered around the margin the rest of the half as North Central went on to win 77-61.

The Rams finished shooting 53 percent from the field, including 56 percent in the second half. The Saints were 36 percent for the game. CSS had nine more offensive rebounds than North Central, but were outscored 16-5 in points off turnovers.

MarShaan Johnson (Minneapolis, Minn./Minneapolis North HS (Minneapolis Comm. & Tech. College)) and Scottie Rucks (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Cathedral HS) led the Saints with nine points each. Johnson and Tester each had a team-high six rebounds. Nathan Roeder led the Rams with 21 points.

The Saints (5-13, 3-4 UMAC) return home next week for three games beginning with Northland College on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. All of the action can be seen live on Saints Sports Net.