Notables
-Newman scores in double-figures for the fifth straight game
-Wilken finishes the weekend 12-for-13 from the floor, including 8-of-8 from beyond the arc and 4-of-4 from the FT line.
-FT Made: CSS-23, LC-6
-Bench Points: CSS-38, LC-16
SUPERIOR, Wis. (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica men's basketball team out-scored Luther College (Iowa) 52-30 in the second half to defeat the Norse 92-70 on Sunday to finish 2-0 at the Merrill Thompson Tip-Off Classic, hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Superior.
Newman's First Half
The Saints used a 10-0 run in the opening six minutes to take a 16-7 lead.
Brandon Newman (Barnum, Minn./Barnum HS) recorded six of the 10 points during the run. A
Connor Gray (Superior, Wis./Superior HS) layup gave the Saints a 28-17 advantage with nine minutes to go in the first half.
The margin climbed as high as 12 following a
Sam Thompson (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS) 3-pointer with three minutes remaining. However, the Norse (2-3) ended the first half with a 12-0 run to tie the contest at 40-40 as the teams went to the locker room.
Newman recorded 16 points in the opening 20 minutes, going 5-for-5 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free throw line. Rahul Bagga answered with 18 points for Luther. CSS made 10 more free throws than the Norse in the first half.
Saints Take Control in Second Half
Bagga connected on a 3-pointer to briefly give the Norse the lead in the early going of the second half. A
Joe Stark (Hayward, Wis./Hayward HS) 3-pointer gave the Saints the lead for good three minutes into the second half. That started an 8-0 run for St. Scholastica.
The Norse got the margin down to three, but the Saints responded with a 7-0 run to make it 60-50 CSS. The Saints put the game away with an 18-4 run with 10 minutes left to make it 78-58 with 7:30 to go. Luther got as close as 10 before the Saints finished the game scoring 14 of the final 16 points to make the final 92-70 in favor of St. Scholastica.
Jarod Wilken (Annandale, Minn./Annandale HS), who set program records with a perfect field goal percentage on Saturday, was 3-for-3 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line in the second half. The Saints shot 60 percent from the floor in the second half.
Top Performances for CSS
Newman led all scorers with 23 points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds, while recording three steals. Thompson finished with 14 points off the bench. Wilken scored all 11 of his points in the second half. Stark and
Zach Dahlman (Braham, Minn./Braham HS) finished with 10 points each.
Nate Weets (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet HS) matched a career-high with six assists.
Top Performances for the Opponent
Rahul Bagga led the Norse with 21 points. Jared Nicolaisen added 17 points and Ray Whitlock chipped in 11 points.
Up Next
The Saints (2-3) are back at the Reif Gymnasium on Thursday for a non-conference matchup against the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Action is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
