Notables
-Six Saints reached double figures.
-CSS led for over 35 minutes of play
-Second straight win in Mankato
-CSS is now 10-1 when scoring at least 40 points in a half
-Newman is eight points shy of 1,000

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MANKATO, Minn. (csssaints.com) -- The St. Scholastica men's basketball team held on late to beat conference leader Bethany Lutheran College by a score of 90-85 on Saturday and avenge an earlier loss this season.

First Half
The Vikings (11-7, 7-2 UMAC) opened the scoring with a pair of free throws before Dylan Zimmerman (Elmdale, Minn./Upsala HS) added a layup for the Saints to level the score. CSS took the lead moments later through a layup by Jarod Wilken (Annandale, Minn./Annandale HS). Bethany evened the score again at 4-4 before the Saints went on a five-point run to make it 9-4.
 
The Vikings responded with a run of their own to cut the Saints' lead to one. CSS responded with a six-point run. The teams then traded baskets until Bethany was able to tie the game at 21-21.
 
Wilken added a 3-pointer for the Saints to regain the lead, but the Vikings soon added a pair of free throws to cut the lead to one. CSS then added two layups to increase its lead to five, until Bethany went on a six-point run to make it 29-28 in favor of the Vikings.
 
The Saints regained their lead after a pair of layups to make it 32-29. But the Vikings then went on a six-point run to take the lead. Sam Thompson (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS) then added a 3-pointer for the Saints to tie the game at 35-35. Bethany added a jumper to take the lead before Thompson converted a three-point-play to make it 38-37 in favor of CSS. The Saints were able to extend their lead to seven to finish the half at 46-39.

St. Scholastica had five players with eight points in the half.
 
Second Half  
Five minutes into the second half Bethany tied the game at 54-54 before Joe Stark (Hayward, Wis./Hayward HS) added a 3-pointer to regain the lead for the Saints. A lead they would hold on to the rest of the game, but not without late-game drama.

Midway through the half CSS earned a nine-point lead, its largest of the game, after a Nate Weets (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet HS) 3-pointer. The margin got down to one with 6:30 remaining, but Weets responded with a layup. The Vikings got the lead down to one a couple of more times, but the Saints had an answer each time, including the last made field goal of the game when Thompson found Dylan Zimmerman (Elmdale, Minn./Upsala HS) for a layup with a great pass with less than a minute to play.  

The Vikings would get three looks at a game-tying 3-pointer, but none fell and the Saints were able to hold on for the 90-85 victory. 
 
Top Performances for CSS
Collin Anderson (Eagan, Minn./Eagan HS) led six Saints in double-figures with 17 points. Zimmerman finished with 12 points and six rebounds.  Zach Dahlman (Braham, Minn./Braham HS), Brandon Newman (Barnum, Minn./Barnum HS), Wilken, and Weets all put up 10. Anderson and Weets both had five assists. Thompson also grabbed six rebounds.
 
Top Performances for the Opponent
Trenton Krueger and Brady Rose both had 17 points for the Vikings. Krueger added 11 rebounds for a double-double. Neil Eichten contributed nine assists.
 
Up Next
The Saints (10-7, 6-3 UMAC) travel to Minneapolis on Wednesday for a conference matchup against North Central University (Minn.). Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.