Notables
-CSS' last three home losses have been by a combined eight points
-The Saints have as many home losses (4) than the last two seasons combined
-Second Chance Points: UNW-14, CSS-6
-CSS attempted a season-low 11 free throws
DULUTH, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica men's basketball team suffered another close home loss on Saturday, falling to conference rival University of Northwestern (Minn.) 72-68.
Northwestern's Late Run
In a contest where neither team led by more than six points through 36 minutes of action, the Eagles (4-9, 3-2 UMAC) used a 9-0 run with less than six minutes to play to take an eight-point lead with 2:40 remaining.
Then just like last year's Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Tournament championship game, the Saints tried to use some late-game heroics to get back in. With under a minute to play, CSS scored layups on three straight possessions and combine that with some missed free throws and a Northwestern turnover, the Eagles lead was down to two with 30 seconds remaining.
After Northwestern made one of two free throws to make it a 3-point game, the Saints went for the tie, but the shot was off the mark. Northwestern then made a pair of free throws and added another free throw in the final seconds to seal the 72-68 victory.
After shooting 54 percent in the first half, the Saints were only 37 percent in the second half. CSS has shot less than 21 percent from beyond the arc in three of its five home games.
Top Performances for CSS
Nate Weets (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet HS) paced the Saints with 14 points off the bench, including 12 in the first half.
Zach Dahlman (Braham, Minn./Braham HS) added 13 points and
Brandon Newman (Barnum, Minn./Barnum HS) finished with 11 points. Newman also had a team-high five assists.
Mitch Liebert (Rogers, Minn./Rogers HS) grabbed a team-high five rebounds.
Top Performances for the Opponent
Caleb Hageman led Northwestern with 19 points. Tanner Youngberg had a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds. Isaiah Rahier scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half.
Up Next
The Saints (6-7, 3-3 UMAC) will be out of conference on Wednesday when they travel to face Finlandia University (Mich.). The action is slated to begin at 5:30 p.m. (ET), 4:30 p.m. local time.
