DULUTH, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica men's basketball team is back at the Reif Gymnasium on Thursday when it welcomes the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire for a non-conference matchup.
Where:
Reif Gymnasium – Duluth, Minn.
When:
Thursday at 7 p.m.
Live Video: http://www.csssaints.com/watch/?Live=85
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/css/mbball/
Social Media:
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/Csssaintsbball
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/csssaints
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/csssaints
St. Scholastica Saints
Stats
Record: 2-3, 0-0 UMAC
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: Standings | Stats
What You Need to Know about the Saints:
-The Saints went 2-0 at the Merrill Thompson Tip-Off Classic over the weekend for their first two wins of the season.
-CSS had big second halves in both wins, shooting 56 percent in the victory over the University of Wisconsin-Stout and then shooting 60 percent in Sunday's win over Luther College (Iowa).
-St. Scholastica made 16 3-point field goals against UW-Stout, which was the second-most in a game in program history.
-Freshman
Jarod Wilken (Annandale, Minn./Annandale HS) set program records for the most field goal and 3-point field goal attempts without a miss in the win over Stout.
-Wilken was 9-for-9, including 7-of-7 from beyond the arc in the victory.
-Wilken ranks sixth in NCAA Division III, making 68 percent of his 3-point attempts.
-CSS made a season-high 23 free throws in the victory over Luther.
-That marked the seventh time in the last 17 games that the Saints made at least 20 free throws in a game, all victories.
-Junior
Brandon Newman (Barnum, Minn./Barnum HS) is the only Saint to score in double-figures in each of the first five games.
-St. Scholastica leads conference teams with a +3.2 turnover margin.
-CSS has forced the most turnovers in the league at 14.6 per game and lead the UMAC with 36 steals.
-The Saints rank third in the nation, averaging only 13.0 fouls per game.
-The last time the Saints defeated multiple Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference teams in a season, outside of UW-Superior, was during the 1996-97 season.
What You Need to Know about UW-Eau Claire:
-The Blugolds enter Thursday's contest with a 3-2 record and on a three-game win streak.
-UWEC defeated the University of Wisconsin-Superior 69-60 on Tuesday at home.
-The Blugolds also have a two-point home win against fellow UMAC School University of Minnesota Morris, which took place on Saturday.
-Eau Claire is 1-2 away from home thus far.
-UWEC is led by two-time First Team All-WIAC guard George Diekelman
-Diekelman is averaging a team-best 19.4 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per game.
-Diekelman ranks eighth nationally with 33 free throws made.
-Senior forward Chris Duff is also scoring in double-figures at 16.6 points per game.
-The Blugolds rank fifth in NCAA Division III, averaging only 9.3 turnovers per game.
-The Blugolds have been picked to finish fourth in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference this season.
Series Record: UWEC leads 16-0
(Last Meeting: 77-59 UWEC – 11/19/2013)
Series History: The Saints are in search of their first win against the Blugolds … 15 of the 16 meetings have been decided by 10 points or more … The closest margin was a four-point decision in Duluth in the first-ever meeting in 1997.
Looking Ahead: The Saints begin Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play on Wednesday, December 6 across the bridge at rival University of Wisconsin-Superior. Tip time is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
