DULUTH, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica women's basketball team starts Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) action this weekend down in the Twin Cities.
Where:
Friday
Wild Athletic Center – St. Bonifacius, Minn.
Saturday
Ericksen Center – St. Paul, Minn.
When:
Friday vs. North Central (Minn.) – 5:30 p.m.
Saturday at Northwestern (Minn.) – 3 p.m.
Live Video/Stats vs. North Central: http://www.ncurams.com/sports/wbkb/2016-17/boxscores/20161202_x1wb.xml
Live Video vs. Northwestern: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/unw/
Live Stats vs. Northwestern: http://unweagles.com/sports/2012/11/7/gen_1107121456.aspx
Social Media:
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/CSSsaints
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/csssaints
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/css.saints
St. Scholastica Saints
Stats
Record: 0-5, 0-0 UMAC
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: Standings | Stats
Last Action: The Saints went 0-2 last weekend, falling to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) foes Saint Mary's University and Augsburg College … After shooting a season-low 26 percent against Saint Mary's on Saturday, CSS shot a season-best 44 percent against Augsburg on Sunday … The Saints also averaged 63 points per game in the contests, which was 14 points better than the average in the first three games.
Friday's Game Location: Friday's game against North Central is being played at Crown College in St. Bonifacius because of scheduling conflict at North Central's facility in Minneapolis.
Brannen Named POW: Junior guard
Sam Brannen (Ramsey, Minn./Anoka HS) was named the UMAC Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 16.5 points and four rebounds per game over the weekend … She recorded 12 points and three assists against Saint Mary's and then poured in a career-high 21 points and grabbed six rebounds against Augsburg.
3-Point Struggles: The Saints have been unable to get consistent shooting from beyond the arc thus far, averaging 3.8 made 3-point field goals per game and connecting on just 22 percent of their 3-point attempts.
Get That Shot Out of Here: St. Scholastica leads all UMAC teams with 28 blocked shots …
Holly VanKempen (Elbow Lake, Minn./West Central HS) leads the way with 13 block shots, while
Danielle Cieluch (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS) has six block shots.
UMAC Preseason Poll
1. UW-Superior – 63 points (7 First Place Votes)
2. Northwestern – 54 (1)
3. Bethany Lutheran – 51 (1)
4. Minnesota Morris – 46
5. St. Scholastica – 42
6. Martin Luther – 28
7. Northland – 24
8. Crown – 12
9. North Central – 11
Upcoming Opponents
North Central Rams
Record: 0-4, 0-0 UMAC
The Rams are also in search of their first win of the season as they have not played since before Thanksgiving … Junior guard Lizzy Swanson leads the offensive attack for North Central, averaging 23.0 points per game, which ranks second in the conference … Swanson broke NCU's single season scoring record last year … Annabel Morrisroe is averaging 10.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest … Sydney Steele has the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league at 2.0 … The Rams grab a conference-best 42.3 rebounds per game, including 17.3 on the offensive glass.
Northwestern Eagles
Record: 0-2, 0-0 UMAC
The Eagles have played only two games thus far with a 10-point loss to Hamline University and a 24-point loss to Augsburg on Saturday … The Eagles will open conference play against the University of Wisconsin-Superior on Friday … The Eagles fell to the Yellowjackets in last year's UMAC Tournament Championship game … Junior guard Amy Berglund averaged 17.5 points and seven rebounds per game in the first two contests … Berglund was a First Team All-UMAC choice a season ago … Senior guard Tiffany Stubbs averaged 14.5 points per game.
Series Records:
-CSS leads North Central 27-1
(Last Meeting: 52-51 CSS – 2/19/2016)
-CSS leads Northwestern 43-37
(Last Meeting: 60-54 UNW – 2/20/2016)
Series Histories: The Saints edged out North Central 52-51 in the second-to-last game of the season last year … The lone loss for St. Scholastica in the series came at North Central in the 2010-11 season … This will be the first time the two teams will be playing at a neutral site /// Northwestern has won four of the last five meetings against the Saints, including sweeping the season series last year … However, CSS is 3-2 in the last five meetings at the Ericksen Center.
Looking Ahead: The Saints will be at home to host Finlandia University (Mich.) on Friday, December 9 and then Northland College on Saturday, December 10.
