DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica men's basketball team will begin the second half of its conference schedule this weekend when it welcomes Bethany Lutheran College and Martin Luther College to the Reif Gymnasium.
 
Where:
Reif Gymnasium – Duluth, Minn.
 
When:
Friday vs. Bethany Lutheran – 5:30 p.m.
Saturday vs. Martin Luther – 3 p.m.
 
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St. Scholastica Saints
Stats
Record: 10-6, 6-2 UMAC
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: Standings | Stats
 
Last Action: The Saints had a pair of first place conference showdowns last weekend … On Friday night, they defeated the University of Northwestern 81-74 … CSS had a 17-0 in the second half to rally from behind take control … Andrew Laughlin (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Central HS) led the way with 19 points off the bench … On Saturday, the Saints faced North Central University in another battle for first place, but this time the Rams got the best of CSS in the final minutes, out-scoring the Saints 16-8 in the final five minutes to win 76-71.
 
Solid Weekend for Newman: Freshman Brandon Newman (Barnum, Minn./Barnum HS) averaged 15.5 points and six rebounds in both games over the weekend … Newman leads the team in scoring, averaging 12.1 points per game and has scored in double-figures nine times this season … He is also fourth in the UMAC with 24 steals.
 
Where They Stand: The Saints enter the second half of league play tied for second with Northwestern … North Central leads the conference, a game ahead of both Northwestern and St. Scholastica … The Rams defeated both the Eagles and Saints in the first go-round … The University of Minnesota Morris is fourth with a 5-3 record … The University of Wisconsin-Superior and Bethany Lutheran are tied for fifth with a 4-4 record … The top five teams in the league make the postseason tournament.
 
Hot or Cold: Five times this season the Saints have scored at least 50 points in a half, including in the second half of the Northwestern win on Friday … On the other end, there have been two games this year where the Saints have failed to score 20 points in a half … In the win against UW-Superior, CSS almost did both, scoring 18 points in the first half and 49 in the second half … The Saints are at the bottom of the league in 3-point field goal percentage (.310).
 
Friendly Confines: The Saints will enter this weekend on a seven-game home winning streak, dating back to last season … CSS will play seven of its final nine regular season game at the Reif Gymnasium.
 
Need Balance The Saints are 9-2 this season when at least three players score in double figures … They are 4-0 when five players score at least 10 points.

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Upcoming Opponents
Bethany Lutheran Vikings
Record: 6-10, 4-4 UMAC
 
The Vikings are coming off a weekend split with a home loss to Minnesota Morris on Friday and responding with a victory over Crown College on Saturday … Five of Bethany Lutheran's six wins have come at home this season as the Vikings are just 1-4 on the road … The Vikings are the only team to defeat North Central during the first round of conference play … Junior forward Brandyn Felix leads the team and ranks fourth in the league averaging 18.3 points per game … Sophomore guard Neil Eichten averages 12.1 points per game and senior forward Nick Sanborn 10.5 points per game … Sophomore Nate Chadderdon leads the conference with 54 offensive rebounds and ranks second in the league at 9.4 rebounds per game … The Vikings lead the UMAC in rebounding (40.7 per game) and free throws made per game (16.8).
 
Martin Luther Knights
Record: 1-14, 1-7 UMAC
 
The lone victory for the Knights this season was a two-point win at Northland on January 2 … Martin Luther went to double-overtime on Friday against Crown, but fell 117-113 … A tired Knights team then gave up a 100 the next day against Minnesota Morris … Senior guard Todd Brassow enters the weekend as the conference's leading scorer, averaging 24.7 points per game … Brassow had 45 points in the double OT loss to Crown on Friday … He has scored over 30 points in four of his last five games … Freshman guard T.J. Babinec averages 16.1 points per game and senior guard Josh Rathje averages 13.7 points per game … Babinec has made the most 3-point field goals in the conference this season (48) … The Knights lead the conference with 10.2 steals per game, but are at the bottom of the league in rebounding with a margin of -15.6.
 
Series Histories:
-Bethany Lutheran leads CSS 14-12
-CSS leads Martin Luther 38-18
 
Last Meetings: The Saints scored over 100 points for the first time since 2007 in a 103-88 win over Bethany Lutheran in Mankato earlier this season … The Saints also tied a program record with 15, 3-pointers and scored 57 points in the first half, the most points in a half since November 30, 2004 … CSS has won three straight against the Vikings … The Saints defeated Martin Luther 85-77 in New Ulm in the conference opener in December … Four Saints scored in double-figures in the win … CSS has won six straight against the Knights.

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Looking Ahead: The Saints will be at Finlandia University (Mich.) on January 29 and Northland College on January 30 for their final road games of the season.