Notables
-Second straight time CSS and Northland have gone to overtime
-CSS was 5-for-5 from the floor and 14-of-16 on free throw attempts in overtime
-56 total fouls called, 76 total free throws attempted
-Weets went 11-for-12 from the free throw line
-Points Off Turnovers: CSS-24, Northland-4

DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) - The St. Scholastica men's basketball team overcame Northland College shooting 70 percent from the floor in the second half as Julius Johnson (Minneapolis, Minn./Henry Sibley HS)'s 3-pointer sent the contest into overtime where the Saints prevailed 105-102 on Saturday in an Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) thriller at the Reif Gymnasium. 

The Action
The two teams spent the first five minutes trading baskets back and forth. A 3-pointer by Joe Stark (Hayward, Wis./Hayward HS) gave the Saints the 10-9 lead. CSS would then score six unanswered points, extending the lead to seven. A pair of 3-pointers by Northland closed the gap to within three, but it would not be overtaken. With four minutes left, the CSS offense saw another surge of nine straight points to bring the score to 37-25 in favor of the Saints. The 12-point lead was the largest of the half for CSS, though before half time, the LumberJacks would manage to make the score 41-31. Over the course of the first half, the Saints shot 100 percent from the free throw nine, going 9-for-9. 

The second half proved to be a difficult one for the Saints. They started out strong, extending their lead thanks in part to four points in five minutes from Brandon Newman (Barnum, Minn./Barnum HS). The LumberJacks went on a six point run to get to within seven. The two offenses battled, and the Saints were slowly overtaken by the LumberJacks, who had a 70 percent shooting average in both field goals and 3-pointers during the half. With five minutes left in the game, a Northland 3-pointer put the 'Jacks up 70-69. The LumberJacks pushed the lead out to a comfortable seven with just under two and half minutes left in the game. A Johnson layup jump-started the Saints offense with a minute and a half left in the game. 45 seconds later, Kory Deadrick (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) drew a game-changing foul and then nailed two huge shots from the free throw line to bring the lead to within three. With 17 seconds left, Dylan Zimmerman (Elmdale, Minn./Upsala HS) pulled in a rebound off a missed Northland jumper and sent it up the court for the Saints. At nine seconds, the Saints missed a three that would have tied the score, but it was rebounded by Zach Dahlman (Braham, Minn./Braham HS) and kept in CSS possession. Dahlman got the ball out to Johnson who, with four seconds left, hit a shot from outside the arch to tie the score at 81, pushing the game into overtime. 

The extra time continued to be a close contest between the teams, but the Saints opened with five straight points and never gave up the lead. The closest the 'Jacks would get was two points, but all their buckets were answered by CSS. A couple of successful free throws from Nate Weets (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet HS), who had an excellent night at the line, put the Saints up 105-98 with 12 seconds left in the overtime period. The LumberJacks finished strong with two free throws and a jumper, but it was not enough, and the final seconds of the game expired, giving the Saints the 105-102 victory.

Notable Performances
The Saints had four players with double digit points. Newman led the way with 26, followed by Joe Stark (Hayward, Wis./Hayward HS) who had 21. Newman had 11 of his 26 points in overtime. Nate Weets (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet HS) had 13 points and went 11-for-12 from the free throw line. Johnson had 11 points, including the last second shot that pushed the game into overtime. Deadrick and Zimmerman both has six rebounds during the game.

Thomas Whiting had 23 points and 10 rebounds for the LumberJacks, closely trailed by Dan Campion who had 21 points and six rebounds.

Up Next
The Saints (4-4, 2-1 UMAC) take on Martin Luther College next Friday in New Ulm in an Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) competition. The game is set to begin at 7:30.