DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica men's and women's basketball teams will be at Reif Gymnasium on Friday and Saturday for the first Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) home games of the year against the University of Minnesota Morris on Friday and Crown College on Saturday.
Game Schedule: (Game Day Media)
Friday
Women vs. Minnesota Morris – 5:30 p.m.
(Live Video & Stats on Saints Sports Net | Alternate Live Stats)
Men vs. Minnesota Morris – 7:30 p.m.
(Live Video & Stats on Saints Sports Net | Alternate Live Stats)
Saturday
Women vs. Crown – 3 p.m.
(Live Video & Stats on Saints Sports Net | Alternate Live Stats)
Men vs. Crown – 5 p.m.
(Live Video & Stats on Saints Sports Net | Alternate Live Stats)
Men
About the Saints
Record: 3-9, 1-0 UMAC
-
The Saints won their conference opener on Tuesday at Northland College 93-64.
-
In that win, the Saints scored a season-high 51 points in the first half to finish with a season-high 93 points for the game.
-
CSS also shot a season-best 56 percent from the floor, including 55 percent on 3-point attempts. The Saints made a season-high 12, 3-pointers in the win.
-
Mid-year transfer Trevor Morlock (Rogers, Minn./Rogers HS (Minn., Crookston)) led the Saints with 23 points making 6-of-8 shots from beyond the arc and going 5-for-6 from the free throw line.
-
Jonah Dahlman (Braham, Minn./Braham HS) also scored 20 points and also had five assists.
-
Dahlman ranks third in the conference with 26 steals and sixth with 40 assists.
-
Brett Tester (Andover, Minn./Andover HS) still leads the team in scoring for the year at 13.2 points per game. Dahlman is averaging 12 points per game.
-
Tester is second in the conference with 42 made free throws this year and is fourth with 72 rebounds.
-
CSS is second in the UMAC averaging 13.2 made free throws per game.
About the Cougars
Record: 4-6, 1-0 UMAC
-
Minnesota Morris won its conference opener over Crown on Tuesday 86-62.
-
Steve Birman led the Cougars with 27 points in the win.
-
The Cougars played only three NCAA Division III programs in the non-conference, going 1-2 in those games and each contest was decided by no more than five points.
-
Morris leads the UMAC and is fourth in the nation making 47 percent of its 3-point attempts.
-
The Cougars are second in the conference in overall field goal percentage at 50 percent.
-
They also lead the league by averaging 2.4 more rebounds a game than their opponents.
-
Birman leads the team in scoring at 11.8 points per game and Brendon Foss is right behind him at 11 points per game.
-
The Cougars also have transfer RJ Dean, who was the UMAC Freshman of the Year last season at Northland.
-
Morris is picked to finish fifth in the league this season, according to the preseason coaches' poll.
Series History: (CSS is 12-18 all-time vs. Minnesota Morris)
-
The Cougars have won five of the last six meetings, but both teams split the season series last year.
-
The Saints defeated Morris 77-64 at the Reif with Jonah Dahlman (Braham, Minn./Braham HS) scoring a career-high 32 points.
About the Storm
Record: 5-7, 0-1 UMAC
-
Crown fell at Morris on Tuesday in the conference opener 86-62.
-
Seven-foot center Anthony DiLoreto led the Storm with 19 points.
-
The Storm played well out of conference with a 5-6 record with wins over Wartburg, Central (Iowa), Saint Mary's and Division II Minnesota, Crookston.
-
DiLoreto is second in the conference averaging 18.4 points per game and leads the league in field goal percentage (.618), rebounds per game (11.8), and blocked shots (39).
-
DiLoreto is fifth in the country in rebounds per game and blocks per game.
-
Truman Shetler is also averaging in double-figures at 12.9 points per game.
-
Shetler is second in the conference with 27 steals.
-
Crown leads the conference in assists per game (17.5), blocks per game (3.7) and opponents' field goal percentage (.432).
-
The Storm are picked to finish fourth in the league, according to the preseason coaches' poll.
Series History: (CSS is 24-3 all-time vs. Crown)
The Saints have won five straight in the series and are 13-0 all-time at home against the Storm.
Women
About the Saints
Record: 3-9, 0-1 UMAC
-
The Saints lost their UMAC opener by a score of 55-49 at the hands of Northland College on Tuesday.
-
The Saints made a season-low three free throws in Tuesday's loss at Northland. That loss was also just the second time this season CSS lost while leading at halftime.
-
Despite that, the Saints still lead the league with 16 made free throws per game.
-
The Saints went undefeated at home in UMAC play in 2011-12 for the first time since the 1997-98 season. CSS has won eight straight conference home games.
-
Erin Frase (Phillips, Wis./Phillips HS (UW-River Falls)) paces the Saints averaging 12 points per game and has led the team in scoring the past two games.
-
Frase continues to lead the conference, making 62 percent of her field goal attempts.
-
Mariah Hovick (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake HS) averages 9.7 points per game to go along with 5.3 rebounds per game.
-
Hovick leads the Saints with 31 steals on the year.
-
CSS is shooting 38 percent from the field and 24 percent from beyond the arc for the year so far.
About the Cougars
Record: 3-7, 1-0 UMAC
-
Morris is coming into UMAC play as the favorite to win the conference, according to the preseason coaches' poll.
-
The Cougars played just two NCAA Division III teams during their non-conference slate.
-
The Cougars easily dispatched Crown College on Tuesday night by a score of 98-37.
-
Morris snapped a four-game losing streak with the win over Crown.
-
Emily Mehr leads the Cougar offense averaging 19.6 points per game.
-
Kendra Wycoff is not too far behind averaging 13.5 points per game.
-
The Cougars are shooting 35 percent from the field and 27 percent from beyond the arc on the year.
-
The Cougars lead the conference in free throw percentage (.728) and fewest turnovers per game (17.7).
Series History: (CSS is 4-21 vs. Minnesota Morris)
-
Minnesota Morris ended the Saints' season a year ago with a 71-63 victory in the UMAC Tournament Semifinals in Morris.
-
The last time the two teams met at Reif Gymnasium in Duluth, the Saints defeated the Cougars in overtime 66-62. The win snapped a 13-game losing streak to Morris.
-
The last seven meetings in Duluth have been decided by eight points or less, including five by four points or less and two overtime games.
About the Storm
Record: 1-6, 0-1 UMAC
-
Crown is coming off a 98-37 road defeat to UMAC favorite Minnesota Morris.
-
The Storm did not play a single game away from St. Bonifacius during the nonconference season.
-
The Storm was voted to finish last in the UMAC preseason poll.
-
Judy Mundt leads the UMAC in scoring at 20.3 points per game.
-
Michelle Hyde is the only other Crown player averaging above 10 points with 13.0 points per game.
-
Crown is shooting 30 percent from the field (lowest in the conference) and 32 percent from beyond the arc.
-
The Storm also rank at the bottom of the league in rebounding margin (-27.1) and turnovers per game (25.6).
-
The Storm's only victory of the year came via a 69-17 blowout of Crossroads.
Series History: (CSS is 27-0 vs. Crown)
-
CSS won both contests last year by an average margin 39.5 points.
