DULUTH, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica men's basketball team begins its season on Friday in St. Cloud when it faces No. 20 Saint John's University in the Husky Hoopster Classic.
Where:
Halenbeck Hall – St. Cloud, Minn.
When:
Friday
vs. #20 Saint John's – 5 p.m.
Saturday
vs. Mayville State – 4 p.m.
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/stcloudstate/mbball/
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St. Scholastica Saints
2016-17 Stats
2016-17 Record: 17-10, 12-4 UMAC
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: Standings | Stats
Season Outlook: After winning the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) regular season title in 2015-16 and advancing to the UMAC Tournament championship game the past two seasons, there are high expectations for the Saints entering the season … CSS is preseason favorite to win the conference as the squad returns four players that started at least 13 games last season … The team will be led by junior
Brandon Newman (Barnum, Minn./Barnum HS), who was a First Team All-UMAC selection last season and the UMAC Freshman of the Year in 2015-16 … Newman led the team in scoring (16.4), free throws made (112), assists (76), and steals (32) in 2016-17 … The 16.4 scoring average was the highest average by a Saint since the 2011-12 season … Also back are senior leaders
Zach Dahlman (Braham, Minn./Braham HS) and
Joe Stark (Hayward, Wis./Hayward HS) … Dahlman is the team's defensive specialist, often matched up against the opposing team's best player … Stark appeared in every game his first two seasons and played in 23 of 27 games last year … Juniors
Dylan Zimmerman (Elmdale, Minn./Upsala HS),
Connor Gray (Superior, Wis./Superior HS) and
Mitch Liebert (Rogers, Minn./Rogers HS) will rotate at the "5" position … Junior guard
Nate Weets (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet HS) has appeared in every game of his college career and finished second on the team in free throws made last season … Sophomore guard
Collin Anderson (Eagan, Minn./Eagan HS) led all non-starters in the conference in scoring last season at 11.5 points per game … Anderson ended the year with 36 points in a four-overtime loss to the University of Northwestern (Minn.) in the UMAC Tournament championship game.
Coach Staniger: Head Coach
David Staniger enters his 18
th season guiding the Saints … He has led the Saints to at least 17 wins each of the past two seasons for the first time in program history … His teams have also won at least 12 league games in back-to-back years for the first time in program history.
Road Warriors: The Saints have won at least seven away games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the mid-1990s … CSS won six of its final seven road games last season, including a program record six straight.
2016-17 Record: The Saints set program record for points per game (84.6), most 3-point field goals (238), most free throws made (484) and most free throws attempted (644) last season.
Season Openers: The Saints are 1-7 in their last eight season openers with their last win coming in 2015 at Luther College … CSS has not won a neutral site season-opener since defeating Augsburg University in 2004 in Superior.
Top 5 Games to Watch
11/17 – vs. Saint John's
The Johnnies are ranked No. 20 in the preseason D3hoops.com poll.
11/21 – vs. St. Thomas
The Tommies make their first-ever trip to the Reif.
12/6 – at UW-Superior
The first Bridge Battle of the season, which is also the conference opener.
12/9 – vs. Bethany Lutheran
The first meeting between the two conference favorites at the Reif.
1/6 vs. Northwestern
The first meeting against the reigning seven-time UMAC Tournament Champions and a rematch of last year's tournament classic.
UMAC Preseason Poll
1. St. Scholastica - 58 points (4 First Place Votes)
2. Bethany Lutheran - 57 points (3 First Place Votes)
3. Northwestern - 54 points (2 First Place Votes)
4. Minnesota Morris - 42 points
5. Crown - 34 points
6. Wisconsin-Superior - 28 points
7. Northland - 24 points
8. North Central - 18 points
9. Martin Luther - 9 points
What You Need to Know about Saint John's:
-The Johnnies went 19-9 last season and finished 13-7 in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) action.
-Saint John's lost to Bethel University in the MIAC Tournament Championship game.
-The Johnnies return all five starters from last year's squad.
-SJU is ranked N0. 20 in the preseason D3hoops.com poll.
-Saint John's is the preseason favorite to win the MIAC this season.
-Guard David Stokman has been named a Preseason All-American by D3hoops.com.
-Stokman was a D3hoops.com All-West Region selection last season and finished second in NCAA Division III in 3-point percentage.
-Stokman averaged a team-high 18.1 points per game in 2016-17.
-Another key player back is First Team All-MIAC selection Tyler Weiss.
-Weiss averaged 16.8 points per game last season and the led the squad with 6.1 rebounds per game.
Series Record: SJU leads 6-0
(Last Meeting: 78-59 SJU – 11/21/2015)
Series History: The Saints and Johnnies have met three times since 2011 at the St. Cloud Tournament … Saint John's won by two in 2011, by 10 in 2013 and by 19 in 2015.
What You Need to Know about Mayville State:
-The Comets are a NAIA program and play in the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA).
-Mayville State has already played three regular season games and three exhibition games entering the weekend.
-The Comets enter the weekend with a 1-2 record.
-Guard Daniel Lindgren leads the team with 23.3 points per game.
-Forward Taylor Delaughter is averaging 10.0 rebounds per game.
-Mayville State was 9-18 and 2-14 in conference play last season.
Series Record: Mayville State leads 4-0
(Last Meeting: 79-62 Mayville State – 11/20/2015)
Series History: The Saints have faced the Comets twice since 2013 at the St. Cloud Tournament … Both resulted in double-digit Mayville State victories.
Looking Ahead: The Saints have their home opener on Tuesday when they welcome the University of St. Thomas to the Reif Gymnasium. Action is slated to begin at 7 p.m.
