Notables
-CSS led by 11 with 14 minutes to go in the second half
-Crookston scored 46 points in the final 13:32

---

 
CROOKSTON, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica men's basketball team was unable to hold an 11-point second half lead on Saturday as it fell to Division II University of Minnesota, Crookston 91-80 in an exhibition game at Lysaker Gymnasium.
 
First Half
The Saints held a six point lead early in the game following an Andrew Laughlin (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Central HS) 3-point play. However, the Golden Eagles went on an 11-2 run later in the half to take a seven-point lead.
 
In the final minute of the first half, Jake Naslund (Barnum, Minn./Barnum HS) drained a pair of free throws and then hit a jumper in the final moments to tie the game at 40-40 as the teams headed to the locker room.
 
First Half Stats
The Saints shot 46 percent from the floor in the half with Naslund leading the way with 18 points. Laughlin added 14 points. CSS was 8-for-9 from the free throw line. The Golden Eagles shot 47 percent from the floor in the first half.
 
Good Second Half Start
St. Scholastica scored eight of the first 10 points of the second half as Naslund and Marc Peterson (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) hit back-to-back 3-pointers. The Saints extended their lead to 56-45 with 14 minutes remaining. CSS maintained a nine-point lead with 11 minutes to go.
 
Crookston Closes Strong
Following a pair of Joe Stark (Hayward, Wis./Hayward HS) free throws, Crookston would go on a 16-2 run over the next four minutes to take a four-point lead. The Golden Eagles scored 35 points in the final 10 minutes as the Saints would not get the lead back in the final eight minutes with Crookston taking the 91-80 victory.
 
Top Performances for CSS
Naslund finished with 29 points for the game, while Laughlin had a double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman Brandon Newman (Barnum, Minn./Barnum HS) added 12 points and a team-high five assists. CSS shot only 40 percent in the second to finish at 43 percent for the game.
 
Top Performances for the Opponent
CJ Polk had a game-high 32 points for the Golden Eagles, 24 of which coming in the second half. Nate Lorenz had 13 points and 11 rebounds. Crookston shot 52 percent in the second half and finished at 49 percent for the game.
 
Up Next
The Saints open their 2015-16 season for real on Sunday, November 15 at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.