DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica men's basketball team will take its final road trip of the regular season this weekend as it faces North Central University on Friday and the University of Northwestern on Saturday.
 
Where:
Friday
Clark Danielson College Life Center Gymnasium – Minneapolis
Saturday
Ericksen Center – St. Paul
 
When:
Friday at North Central – 7:30 p.m.
Saturday at Northwestern – 5 p.m.
 
Live Video:
Friday: http://www.ncurams.com/sports/mbkb/2014-15/boxscores/20150213_9yo0.xml
Saturday: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/unw/
 
Live Stats:
Friday: http://www.ncurams.com/sports/mbkb/2014-15/boxscores/20150213_9yo0.xml
Saturday: http://www.nwceagles.com/sports/2012/11/7/gen_1107121456.aspx
 
Social Media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/csssaints
Instagram: http://instagram.com/csssaints
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/css.saints
 
St. Scholastica Saints
Stats
Record: 10-11, 6-4 UMAC
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: Standings | Stats
 
The Saints went 2-1 last week with home wins over Northland College and Crown College … However, the Saints dropped their second game of the season to the University of Minnesota Morris.
 
Where They Stand: With four games remaining the Saints sit in third place, two games out of second place Minnesota Morris and two games ahead of North Central and Northland … A win over North Central, paired with a Northland loss vs. Northwestern on Friday will clinch the Saints at least the three seed.
 
Laughlin POW: Junior Andrew Laughlin (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Central HS) became the first St. Scholastica player to be named UMAC Player of the Week on Tuesday … Laughlin averaged 15.3 points and nine rebounds per game … Since being re-installed into the starting lineup, he has scored in double-figures in seven straight games and has seen his scoring average climb from 7.2 per game to 9.7 … He also has three double-doubles in that span.
 
Strong Second Halves: In their two wins last week, the Saints outscored Northland and Crown collectively 88-55 in the second half … In their last five wins, CSS has outscored teams in the second half.
 
Naslund Getting Going: Junior Jake Naslund (Barnum, Minn./Barnum HS) has scored in double-figures in five straight games … Naslund had a season-high 21 points in the team's win over Crown on Saturday.
 
Never Out of It: The Saints have trailed by at least eight in four of their wins this season with all four coming with less than 14 minutes to go in regulation.
 
Series Histories:
CSS leads North Central 19-7
-Northwestern leads CSS 47-25
 
Last Meetings: The Saints fell to North Central at the Reif 69-61 earlier this season … CSS led by seven with nine minutes to go, but made only three field goals in the final nine minutes … Nathan Carlson (Alvarado, Minn./East Grand Forks HS) had 12 points to lead the Saints … Luke Chaflin had 18 points to leads the Rams … The previous night, the Saints fell to Northwestern 83-62 … Northwestern scored 24 of its 34 field goals in the paint and shot 55 percent from the floor … Joe Stark (Hayward, Wis./Hayward HS) led the Saints with 12 points, while Porter Morrell had 23 points to pace the Eagles.
 
North Central University Rams
Record: 8-12, 4-6 UMAC
 
The Rams snapped a four-game losing streak with an 87-75 victory at Bethany Lutheran on Saturday … North Central averages nearly six more points per game more at home than on the road this season, but have lower shooting percentage in its gym … The Rams are the best 3-point shooting team in the league making 41 percent of its attempts … Luke Chaflin leads the way with a conference-best 18.3 points per game … A total of four Rams average in double-figures … Travis Voight is making 53 percent on his 3-point attempts, which leads the UMAC … Jordan Harrell leads the conference with 7.8 rebounds per game.
 
University of Northwestern Eagles
Record: 12-9, 10-0 UMAC
 
The Eagles are on their way to another UMAC championship … Northwestern has not been tested through its first 10 league games defeating teams by an average of 19 points per game … The Eagles have made at least 10 3-pointers in four of their last six games … They lead the conference with 7.6 3-pointers per game … Northwestern has the top defensive team in the league, allowing only 66.4 points per game this season … Junior guard Michael Carney leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.5 per game … Carney leads the UMAC with 55 made 3-pointers … Junior Kyle Ooms cleans up the glass, averaging 7.6 rebounds per game.