Notables
-First meeting of the two programs
-47 of CSS' points came off the bench
-Weets a career-high 17 points
-CSS had five players with double digit points
-Newman named to All-Tournament team
WAUKESHA, Wis. (csssaints.com) - The St. Scholastica men's basketball team earned its first victory of the season on Saturday afternoon defeating Principia College (Ill.) 90-79 at the Carroll University (Wis.) Pioneeer Tip-Off.
Early Lead, Consistent Play
The Saints started things off with a good 3-pointer from Collin Anderson (Eagan, Minn./Eagan HS) 30 seconds into play, and they never looked back, keeping the lead throughout the entire game. The Panthers didn't let the CSS run away with the game, but their consistent scoring could not keep up with the shots being hit by the Saints. A Nate Weets (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet HS) layup, combined with one from Brandon Newman (Barnum, Minn./Barnum HS) along with a successful 3-pointer from Marc Peterson (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) extended the Saints' lead to 11 points in the middle of the half, the largest deficit the first half would see. From there, the teams traded baskets back and forth, with the Saints holding a comfortable lead for most of the half. Five unanswered points from an offensive push by the Panthers closed the gap to five points with two and half minutes remaining until half time, but the Saints would push the lead to eight points before time expired, giving the game a first half score of 46-38.
The second half opened with three points for the Panthers, but Zach Dahlman (Braham, Minn./Braham HS) answered with a 3-pointer of this own. CSS would score 18 points to the Panthers' seven in the next four and a half minutes, putting the score at 64-48 and extending their lead to 16 points, the largest point difference of the game. From there, the Panthers would then hit 10 unanswered points to shrink the gap. With eight minutes left in the game, Principia got to within three points of the lead, but it was too little too late for the Panthers. The Saints shut them down with six straight points, which got the CSS momentum rolling again, and by the time the game ended, the score was 90-79 in favor of St. Scholastica.
Notable Performances
Weets led the offense for CSS with a career-high 17 points off the bench, going 9-for-10 from the free throw line. Marc Peterson (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) trailed him with 15 points, drilling five 3-point field goals. Newman and Dahlman had 12 and 11 points, respectively, with Newman collecting a steal. Kory Deadrick (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) hauled in 13 rebounds for the Saints, along with eight points. For the Panthers, Micah Paulson had 18 points. Parker Davidson collected 16 points and 14 rebounds.
Up Next
The Saints (1-1) are back in action on Tuesday in St. Paul when they take on the University of St. Thomas in a non-conference matchup. The game is set to begin at 7 p.m.
