Notables
-Northwestern scored 24 points off of Saints turnovers
-Walther scored all of her nine points for CSS in the second half
-Northwestern was 14-of-16 from the free throw line, all in the second half, including 10-of-11 in the fourth quarter
-CSS fails to make UMAC Tournament for the first time since the 2009-10 season

DULUTH, Minn. - (csssaints.com) The St. Scholastica women's basketball team ended its season on Saturday night against the University of Northwestern with a 60-54 loss. With their win against North Central University on Friday, the Saints needed a win tonight or for Crown College to beat Martin Luther College, which they did not, in order to continue on into the UMAC Tournament.

Strong First Half
The Saints and the Eagles played an even first quarter. After six minutes of play, the Eagles held a lead of four points, the biggest point gap of the quarter, but two consecutive field goals by CSS - a Holly VanKempen (Elbow Lake, Minn./West Central HS) jumper and a layup by Brittani Brennan (Ashland, Wis./Ashland HS) - tied the score at 13 which wouldn't change for the remaining two minutes. The second quarter proved to be the Saints' strongest one. In the first two and half minutes, the Saints extended their lead to five, all the points coming from Emelia Miner (Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson HS), and they held their opponents to a single shot, which didn't fall for the Eagles. CSS pulled ahead even more after nine unanswered points later in the quarter. The Eagles hit a three with two minutes left, putting the halftime score at 26-19 in favor of the Saints.

Second Half Struggles
The Eagles slowly chipped away at the point difference during the third quarter. The Saints managed to hold the lead for most of the quarter, but in the last five minutes of the third, the Eagles rallied and hit 12 points while CSS only scored two. As time expired, the Eagles found themselves up by one point with a score of 40-39. The fourth quarter started out with a Michala Walther (Roseville, Minn./Concordia Academy) 3-pointer, giving the Saints a small lead, but Northwestern quickly hit two shots of their own and took it back. The Saints would not lead again for the rest of the game, though a Sam Brannen (Ramsey, Minn./Anoka HS) field goal tied the score at 49 with just under five minutes left to play. The Eagles rallied after that, and scored 11 of the final 16 points, ending the game with a final score of 60-54.

Top Performers for St. Scholastica
Holly Peterson (Rochester, Minn./Kasson-Mantorville HS) and Brennan were the point leaders for the Saints, scoring 13 and 12, respectively. Walther was right behind them with nine points, all of which came in the second half. Peterson, Brennan, and Walther also led CSS in rebounds, pulling in five each, followed by Danica Schellbach (Rush City, Minn./Rush City HS) and VanKempen, who each had four. 

Top Performers for Northwestern
Amy Berglund was the top scorer for the Eagles, with an impressive 22 points. Regan Cooper had 12 points on the night, all of them coming in the second half, and Jessica Cole was close behind with 10. Cooper collected eight rebounds and Taryn Tubleson was credited with six steals.

Thank You Seniors
The Saints finish with a 10-15 record and 7-9 in league play. The Saints will say goodbye to seniors Leah Hamm (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Denfeld HS), Holly Peterson (Rochester, Minn./Kasson-Mantorville HS), Danica Schellbach (Rush City, Minn./Rush City HS), Brittani Brennan (Ashland, Wis./Ashland HS) and Kelsey Sorenson-Giffrow (Braham, Minn./Braham HS (Minn. Duluth)). Schellbach and Brennan were part of the program's first NCAA Division III Tournament appearance in 2013.

For future information on the St. Scholastica women's basketball program, keep checking csssaints.com.