DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica men's basketball team will begin its 2015-16 season on the road on Sunday at Luther College (Iowa).
 
Where:
Regents Center Gymnasium – Decorah, Iowa
 
When:
Sunday at 2 p.m.
 
Live Video: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/luther/
 
Social Media:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/CSSsaints
Instagram: www.instagram.com/csssaints
Facebook: www.facebook.com/css.saints
 
St. Scholastica Saints
Roster | 2014-15 Stats
2014-15 Record: 12-14, 8-6 UMAC
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: Standings | Stats
 
Key Returners:
-Andrew Laughlin (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Central HS) – Forward – Second team All-UMAC choice last season and was named the team's Most Valuable Player … Led the team in points scored, free throws made and rebounds.
-Jake Naslund (Barnum, Minn./Barnum HS) – Guard – Honorable mention All-UMAC choice last season … Led the team in scoring and 3-point field goals.
-Joe Stark (Hayward, Wis./Hayward HS) – Guard – Named team's Co-Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year … Was third in the conference in free throw percentage.
 -Julius Johnson (Minneapolis, Minn./Henry Sibley HS) – Guard – First on the team in assists, steals, and minutes played last season.
 
Key Losses:
-Mike Spoden (Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids HS) – Center – Led the team in blocked shots and started 20 games last season.
 
Coach Staniger: Head Coach David Staniger begins his 16^th season leading the St. Scholastica men's basketball team … He is the winningest coach in program history with 181 victories, 19 shy of the 200-win milestone.
 
Get off to a Good Start: The Saints have not won a season opener since 2008 when they defeated the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in double overtime … Since 2010, CSS has opened the season 0-2, 0-6, 0-5, 0-6 and 0-3.
 
Local Flair: Newcomers for the Saints this season include Barnum's Brandon Newman (Barnum, Minn./Barnum HS), Cloquet's Nate Weets (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet HS), Duluth East's Sam Thompson (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS) and Superior's Connor Gray (Superior, Wis./Superior HS).
 
Winning the Close Ones: The Saints have won eight games last season in contests decided by six points or less.
 
Fore!: Sophomore guard Marc Peterson (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) played on the inaugural CSS men's golf team in the fall and became the first Saints golfer to earn all-conference honors.
 
Finlandia Added into Schedule Rotation: With the University of Wisconsin-Superior entering the league this season that gave the UMAC an odd number (9) of teams … To retain the travel partner Friday/Saturday conference schedule, Finlandia University (Mich.) has been added to the rotation as a non-conference member and will be a travel partner with Northland College.
 

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Top 5 Games to Watch
11/21 – at Saint John's
The Johnnies hired a new head coach in the offseason in alum Pat McKenzie
12/28-29 – at Land of Magic Classic
The Saints return to Daytona Beach between the holidays for the first time since 2010
1/9 – at UW-Superior
First UMAC meeting between the Bridge Rivals
2/5 – vs. Minnesota Morris
The Saints have lost five straight to the Cougars.
2/20 – vs. Northwestern
The Eagles are the preseason conference favorite and made the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament last season

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UMAC Preseason Poll
1.   64 Points – University of Northwestern (8 First Place Votes)
2.   52 Points – College of St. Scholastica (1)
3.   51 Points – University of Wisconsin-Superior
4.   43 Points – University of Minnesota Morris
5.   35 Points – Bethany Lutheran College
6.   27 Points – Northland College
7.   23 Points – Crown College
8.   20 Points – North Central University
9.   9 Points – Martin Luther College

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Upcoming Opponents
Luther Norse
2014-15 Record: 9-17, 5-9 IIAC
 
The Norse just made it into the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) Tournament, but fell in the first round to end its season … Luther will have to replace Jake Martin, who led the team in scoring and rebounding last season … The Norse had only two road wins last season and one of those came against the Saints.
 
Series History: Luther leads 2-0
 
Last Meeting: The Norse defeated the Saints to open last season in Duluth by a 70-66 score … The other meeting took place in Aberdeen, S.D. in 2009, which resulted in a two-point Luther victory

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Looking Ahead: The Saints will compete in the St. Cloud State Tournament on November 20 and 21 … CSS will open with NAIA's Mayville State on Friday, November 20.