Notables-Game featured 10 ties and eight lead changes-Neither team led by more than seven in the game-Stark finished 7-for-7 from the free throw line-The Saints have won six straight conference openers
ASHLAND, Wis. (csssaints.com) – Freshman
Joe Stark (Hayward, Wis./Hayward HS) calmly drained two free throws with eight seconds remaining to lift the St. Scholastica men's basketball team to a 65-63 victory over Northland College in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) opener on Saturday.
The Saints trailed by six with four minutes to go until
Marc Peterson (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) cut that lead in half to make it a three-point game. With the LumberJacks lead down to two, Stark completed a three-point play the old-fashioned way to give CSS a 60-59 lead with two minutes to go.
The teams then exchanged free throws and baskets and the game was tied at 65-65 with less than 30 seconds to go. Following a timeout, Stark would drive to the hoop and be fouled. He would sink the two free throws to put the Saints up 65-63. The LumberJacks would get 3-point look in the waning seconds, but it came up short as the Saints hung on for the two-point win.
The Saints shot 53 percent from the floor for the game, while the LumberJacks were held to 39 percent shooting. CSS was 19-for-23 from the free throw line.
Stark finished with a season-high 16 points and was 7-for-7 from the free throw line.
Mike Spoden (Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids HS) was the only other Saint in double-figures matching a career-high with 11 points, including eight points in the second half. Peterson added nine points on three 3-point field goals.
Julius Johnson (Minneapolis, Minn./Henry Sibley HS) had eight points and team-high six rebounds.
Dan Campion had a big game for Northland with 28 points
The Saints (5-7, 1-0 UMAC) will have their conference home opener next Friday when they welcome preseason UMAC favorite University of Northwestern to the Reif Gymnasium. Tip time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and can be seen live on Saints Sports Net.
