Notables
-St. Thomas' first-ever game at the Reif
-2nd Half FG Pct.: UST-60 percent, CSS-29 percent
-Bench Scoring: UST-45, CSS-24
-St. Thomas made seven 3-pointers in the second half
DULUTH, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica men's basketball team was out-scored 52-28 in the final 23 minutes as it fell to the University of St. Thomas 80-56 Tuesday night in the home opener at the Reif Gymnasium.
Even Start
The first 17 minutes of Tuesday night's contest featured six ties and two lead changes with neither team leading by more than five points.
After the Tommies (2-1) scored the opening bucket, the Saints scored six straight, four of which by
Brandon Newman (Barnum, Minn./Barnum HS). St. Thomas later tied it at 9-9, but
Aaron Olson (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) drained a 3-pointer to give the lead back. After a St. Thomas 3-pointer on the ensuing possession,
Nate Weets (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet HS) buried a 3-pointer and it was the Saints on top again.
The Tommies took a five-point lead with under seven minutes remaining in the half, but the Saints came back to tie it on a
Collin Anderson (Eagan, Minn./Eagan HS) 3-pointer. After a pair of Anderson free throws tied the game, St. Thomas closed the first half on a 10-2 run to lead 38-30 at the break.
Newman had eight points for the Saints, while Ryan Lindberg scored 10 to lead the Tommies.
Tommies Control the Second Half
The margin hung around 5-10 for the first six minutes of the second half until St. Thomas found its groove from beyond the arc. The Tommies went won a 15-2 run midway through the half to widen their lead to 65-47.
St. Thomas made seven 3-pointers in the second half to win by a final score of 80-56. The Tommie bench out-scored the CSS bench 31-12 in the half.
Top Performances for CSS
Newman matched a game-high with 15 points. Anderson followed with 14 points for the third straight game.
Connor Gray (Superior, Wis./Superior HS) grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
Top Performances for the Opponent
Burt Hedstrom had 15 points off the bench to pace the Tommies. Hedstrom scored 11 of his points in the second half. Lindberg finished with 14 points, Simeon Davis added 12 points off the bench and Steffan Musoke chipped in 10 points off the bench.
Up Next
The Saints (0-3) remain in the Twin Ports, but will be across the bridge at the University of Wisconsin-Superior Merrill Thompson Tip-Off Classic on Saturday and Sunday. CSS will open the tournament against UW-Stout on Saturday at 5 p.m.
