Notables
- The Saints opened the second half with a 29-4 run
-CSS scored 50 points in a half for the sixth time this season
- St. Scholastica only turned the ball over five times on the night, their lowest number this season
- Freshman Mitch Liebert (Rogers, Minn./Rogers HS) scored his first collegiate points
- The Saints had five players in double digits
DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica men's basketball team took care of business Friday night, defeating the Bethany Lutheran Vikings by a score of 83-62 at the Reif Gymnasium.
First Half
Things started off shaky for the Saints, as it was the guest on the scoreboard who dominated a majority of the first half. Despite St. Scholastica winning by almost 20, it was Bethany Lutheran who was up by almost 20 with 10 minutes having gone by in the first half. The Vikings started the game on a 14-2 run, opening up a huge lead and stunning most of the players and fans of St. Scholastica. The Saints called a timeout to try and recollect themselves, but Bethany Lutheran kept the pedal to the medal, knocking down a couple more threes thanks to freshman guard Austin Bauer. The Vikings eventually built up an early 26-8 lead, which is usually good enough to off-set any home team.
The Saints didn't get rattled however, and after a few steals by guard Julius Johnson (Minneapolis, Minn./Henry Sibley HS) and a jumper and three-pointer by Jake Naslund (Barnum, Minn./Barnum HS) they found themselves right back in the game, down 28-17. It was then a back-and-forth affair until sophomore guard Marc Peterson (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) hit a three, followed by an Andrew Laughlin (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Central HS) fast break layup to bring the Saints within two points. Bethany Lutheran would then score five more points before the first half buzzer, giving them a 37-32 lead heading into the locker room.
Second Half
Whatever Coach David Staniger said in the locker room must've set off a spark, because the Saints came out on fire to start the second half. Joe stark started off the scoring with a jumper inside the paint, followed by a three-pointer a minute later to tie the game for the first time since tip-off. There was a few sloppy possessions by both teams after the Stark three-pointer, but Johnson ended the sloppiness with a nice forward pass to Brandon Newman (Barnum, Minn./Barnum HS), who put in the fast break layup and gave the Saints their first lead of the night. They didn't look back.
The next three possessions might've led to the biggest momentum swing one could ask for in the game of basketball. After a Bethany Lutheran turnover, Johnson came down the court and hit a three after a few swings through the offense. Another turnover by the Vikings led to a timeout, as they tried to settle down a bit. The next play resulted in the whole gym exploding, as Johnson floated one up for Laughlin, who threw it down with authority. The Saints defense held their ground for another possession, which was followed up nicely by a Joe Stark (Hayward, Wis./Hayward HS) and-one three pointer.
The Saints eventually built up a 61-41 lead after a Zach Dahlman (Braham, Minn./Braham HS) crossover jumper, but failed to increase their lead any further until the final minute of play. Bethany found a burst of energy, scoring every possession for the next few minutes, thanks in part to Brady Rose scoring six straight points for the Vikings. Every time it looked like the Vikings were crawling back into the game, however, they were denied. Freshman guard Nate Weets (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet HS) hit back-to-back threes to keep up with the success the Bethany Lutheran offense was having. The teams would trade buckets for the rest of the game, and the Saints would walk off the court with an 83-62 victory.
Top Performers
Bethany Lutheran was led by Rose, who had a team-high 13 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Also hitting double figures for the Vikings was sophomore guard Neil Eichten with ten points.
The Saints were led offensively by Naslund, who scored a team-high 13 points and recorded six rebounds. Johnson ended with a nice stat line for himself as well, tallying 11 points, seven assists, and four steals. Laughlin also scored 11 points and added six boards. Filling out the double digit scoring was Stark (11) and Newman (10).
Up Next
The Saints (11-6, 7-2 UMAC) will square off against conference foe Martin Luther College on Saturday afternoon at the Reif Gymnasium. The last time these two teams played it was St. Scholastica out-lasting Martin Luther by a score of 85-77. The game is slated to start at 3 p.m. All of the action can be seen on Saints Sports Net.
