DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica men's basketball team will have a chance to claim the No. 1 seed for next week's Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Tournament, but could also fall to as low as a No. 3 seed when it hosts North Central University and the University of Northwestern to close the regular season this weekend.
 
Where:
Reif Gymnasium – Duluth, Minn.
 
When:
Friday vs. North Central – 5:30 p.m.
Saturday vs. Northwestern – 3 p.m. (Senior Day)
 
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St. Scholastica Saints
Stats
Record: 16-7, 11-3 UMAC
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: Standings | Stats
 
Last Action: In front of one of the largest crowds in Reif Gymnasium history, the Saints rallied from a 20-point second half deficit to defeat Bridge Rival University of Wisconsin-Superior 116-105 in overtime last Saturday … The 116 points are the second-most scored in a game in program history … It was the first time in CSS history, both teams recorded over 100 points … Jake Naslund (Barnum, Minn./Barnum HS) scored 25 of his career-high 27 points in the final 13 minutes of the second half and overtime … Joe Stark (Hayward, Wis./Hayward HS) tied a program record, by draining 14 free throws … CSS set a program record with 38 made free throws … Both teams attempted a combined 91 free throws.
 
Where They Stand: The Saints are a game back of conference leader Northwestern … With a pair of wins this weekend, the Saints will earn at least a share of the UMAC regular season title … North Central is two games behind the Saints … If North Central wins twice and CSS loses twice, the North Central moves into the No. 2 spot and the Saints fall to No. 3 … After that, there are four teams vying for two sports … UW-Superior, Minnesota Morris, Northland College and Bethany Lutheran College are all in the hunt.
 
Home Winning Streak: The Saints enter this weekend on a program record 12-game winning streak at the Reif Gymnasium … CSS is 9-0 at home this season and the last loss at the Reif was against Minnesota Morris on February 6, 2015 … The 12-game home streak is currently tied for the eighth-longest in NCAA Division III.
 
What a Comeback: The 20-point deficit overcome by the Saints against UWS on Saturday is the largest since they rallied from 19 points down at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls to open the 2008-09 season.
 
Navigating Naslund: Jake Naslund (Barnum, Minn./Barnum HS) is currently averaging a career-high 12.0 points per game … He has seen is points per game average rise each year … He currently has 850 career points, which ranks 18^th in program history.
 
Need Balance The Saints are 15-3 this season when at least three players score in double figures … They are 7-0 when five players score at least 10 points.
 
Most Wins in a Season: The Saints have never won more than 17 games in a season under head coach David Staniger … The program record for wins in a season in 19 in 1988-89 year … The fewest losses in a season is 10, which occurred three times.

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Upcoming Opponents
North Central Rams
Record: 12-12, 9-5 UMAC
 
The Rams are coming off a pair of home wins last weekend against Bethany Lutheran College and Martin Luther College … Prior to last weekend's sweep, the Rams had lost four of five … North Central is 5-7 away from Minneapolis and 7-5 at home … The Rams lead the conference in scoring averaging 82.1 points per game and are on top in 3-pointers made per game (10.8) and 3-point field goal percentage (.407) … North Central struggles on the glass with a rebounding deficit of 5.9 per game … The Rams have six players that average in double figures in scoring led by sophomore guard Travis Voigt at 16.3 points per game … Voigt has made the most 3-pointers in league play (49) than any other play in the conference … Senior Josh High has made a total of 76 3-pointers this season, which leads the league … Senior guard Cody Martin leads the UMAC in assists with 126.
 
Northwestern Eagles
Record: 20-3, 12-2 UMAC
 
The Eagles enter this weekend on an eight-game winning streak … Northwestern's last loss was against CSS on January 15 … It has won each of those eight games by at least nine points … The Eagles will face UW-Superior on Friday before facing the Saints on Saturday … Two of their three losses have come at home … The only road loss was a 64-62 non-conference setback against Bethel University … The Eagles have the top defense in the league, allowing opponents to 66.4 points per game and a shooting percentage of .416 … Northwestern also leads the conference in fewest turnovers per game (9.9) and are second in field goal percentage (.505) … Senior forward Kyle Ooms leads the conference making 66.7 percent of his field goal attempts … Senior Michael Carney leads the team in scoring at 12.7 points per game … He also leads the UMAC with a 3.4 assist-to-turnover ratio … The Eagles have won three straight UMAC regular season titles and five in the last six years.
 
Series Histories:
-CSS leads North Central 19-9
-Northwestern leads CSS 49-26
 
Last Meetings: The Saints fall to North Central in Minneapolis in January 76-71 … The Rams have won three straight in the series and the last two games played at the Reif … The Saints used a big second half run to defeat Northwestern 81-74 in mid-January in St. Paul … The Eagles had won the previous four meetings … CSS has not beaten Northwestern at home since January of 2012.

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Looking Ahead: The UMAC Tournament begins next week … The semifinals take place next Wednesday at the No. 1 and 2 seeds … The UMAC Tournament championship is Saturday, February 27.