Notables
-CSS outscored 43-22 the final 15 minutes of the game
-Brannen collected 20 points, her second 20+ point game of the season
-Lead changed six times in the first half
-Point Off Turnovers: UWS-30, CSS-12

SUPERIOR, Wis. (csssaints.com) - The St. Scholastica women's basketball team suffered a 94-72 defeat against the University of Wisconsin-Superior on Saturday afternoon.

The Action
The game started with a layup from the Yellowjackets, but was quickly answered by a Michala Walther (Roseville, Minn./Concordia Academy) 3-pointer, giving the game it's first of six lead changes. Superior went on a six point run to extend their lead to five, but the Saints kept the pressure on and took the lead in the last two minutes of the quarter. With thirty seconds left in the first, the Saints led by one, but a 3-pointer from the 'jackets in the last two seconds of the quarter gave them the 19-17 end-of-quarter advantage.

The beginning of the second quarter was much like the first, with the teams trading buckets back and forth. After five and half minutes, UWS went on a nine point run to push itself into the lead, which it would not give up for the rest of the game. The Saints fell behind by 10 points with three minutes left in the quarter, and managed to cut the difference down to five before halftime, after a pair of free throws from Rachel Weyenberg (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS) brought the score to 43-38 in favor of the 'jackets.

CSS put a lot of pressure on in the third quarter, not giving up after Superior opened the quarter with three straight layups, putting the Yellowjackets up by 11. From there the Saints went on a 12-2 run, making the score 51-50 halfway through the quarter. UWS finished the quarter out strong, outscoring the Saints once more and ending the third up by seven with a score of 65-58.

The final 10 minutes of play opened with six straight points from the 'Jackets, who in the first five minutes of the quarter, went on a 17-7 point run. From there, the point disparity of 17 only grew larger. By the end of the game, the Saints trailed by 22 points and took the 94-72 loss.

Notable Performances
Sam Brannen (Ramsey, Minn./Anoka HS) led the Saints, with 20 points off the bench, her second highest point total of the season by just one point. She also had five rebounds. Walther and Mel Weisbrick (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing HS (Hibbing CC)) were behind Brannen with 18 points a piece. Walther also had five assists and four steals.

For UWS (19-4, 11-3 UMAC),  Hailey Kontny led the offense with 18 points. Behind her was Bailee Bartunek with 16, and 14 rebounds. Hannah Norlin and Emily Carpenter each tallied 13 points.

Up Next
The Saints (7-15, 5-9 UMAC) hit the court next Friday when they take on the University of Minnesota-Morris. Tip off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.