DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica women's basketball team will face Bethany Lutheran College and Martin Luther College this weekend at the Reif Gymnasium.
 
Where:
Reif Gymnasium – Duluth, Minn.
 
When:
Friday vs. Bethany Lutheran – 7:30 p.m.
Saturday vs. Martin Luther – 5 p.m.
 
Live Video/Stats: http://www.csssaints.com/ssn
 
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St. Scholastica Saints
Stats
Record: 6-10, 4-4 UMAC
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: Standings | Stats
 
Last Action: The Saints split last weekend, falling to the University of Northwestern on Friday 74-49 and coming back to win at North Central University 64-54 … The Saints shot a season-low 29 percent from the floor in the loss to Northwestern … Michala Walther (Roseville, Minn./Concordia Academy) had 17 points in Saturday's win over the Rams … CSS trailed by as much as 13 in Saturday's win.
 
Where They Stand: With the first half of the conference schedule complete, the Saints are in fifth place, a game behind both Martin Luther and Bethany Lutheran for third place … Northwestern sits second with a 7-1 record and the University of Wisconsin-Superior is first, a perfect 8-0 … Northland College and the University of Minnesota Morris are both 3-5, a game behind the Saints … The top five teams make the postseason tournament.
 
Top Scorer Out for the Year: Senior Kelsey Sorenson-Giffrow (Braham, Minn./Braham HS (Minn. Duluth)) who led the team in scoring after six games will miss the remainder of the season due to injury … Sorenson-Giffrow was hurt in practice in early December.
 
Picking Up the Scoring Load: The Saints have been led in scoring by either Walther or Brittani Brennan (Ashland, Wis./Ashland HS) in each of the last 10 games since the Sorenson-Giffrow injury … Walther has been averaging 15.2 points per game and Brennan 14.3 points during that span.
 
New Saints: The Saints have two new members on the squad, but those familiar with the basketball team or St. Scholastica athletics will recognize them … Leah Hamm (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Denfeld HS) joined the Saints in December … Hamm, who hadn't played basketball since high school, was a four-year standout on the CSS women's soccer team … Hamm has scored 15 points in 70 minutes since joining the team … Junior Holly Peterson (Rochester, Minn./Kasson-Mantorville HS) re-joined the team last week … Peterson was studying-abroad during first semester.

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Upcoming Opponents
Bethany Lutheran Vikings
Record: 8-8, 5-3 UMAC
 
The Vikings enter the weekend on a three-game winning streak after defeating both Minnesota Morris and Crown College at home last weekend … Freshman guard Haley Sandin is the conference's leading scorer averaging 20.9 points per game … Sandin has made more free throws anyone else in the league (107) … Juniors Minnie Frederick and Briana Brandts average 13.3 and 12.6 points, respectfully per game … Frederick leads the league with 71 steals, while Brandts leads the UMAC with 11.5 rebounds per game … The Vikings as a team to a lot of damage from the foul line, leading the conference in free throw makes per game (17.1), attempts/game (24.5) and percentage (.695).
 
Martin Luther Knights
Record: 8-7, 5-3 UMAC
 
The Knights also swept Crown and Minnesota Morris last weekend and have won four of their last five games … Martin Luther has won games this season, in which, it has shot 18 percent and 26 percent from the floor … The key, the Knights lead the UMAC in offensive rebounds per game (16.7) and total rebounds per game (44.9) … Senior guard Erin Schmeling is the only Knight averaging in double-figures as 10.9 points per game … Senior Leah Nass has a team-high 5.8 rebounds per game.
 
Series Histories:
-CSS leads Bethany Lutheran 17-6
-CSS leads Martin Luther 42-19
 
Last Meetings: Bethany Lutheran snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Saints in December with a 74-57 victory in Mankato … It was the worst CSS loss to the Vikings in series history … Martin Luther defeated the Saints in the conference opener 71-67 in New Ulm … It was the third straight loss in New Ulm by the Saints … CSS has won the last two home meetings with the Knights.

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Looking Ahead: The Saints will be at Finlandia University and Northland College on January 29 and 30.