Notables
-Anderson reaches 1,000 career points
-Newman becomes third player to reach 1,500 career points
-Senior class reaches 15 wins for the fourth straight season
-Bench Points: CSS-37, Crown-6
DULUTH, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica men's basketball team outscored Crown College 14-3 over the final five minutes to defeat the Storm 73-72 Saturday night to capture the No. 3 seed in next week's Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Tournament.
How it Happened
Both teams entered with identical 10-5 conference marks, which meant the winner would play on the road in a UMAC Tournament semifinal on Wednesday, while the loser would have a quick turnaround and host a UMAC Tournament first round game Monday night.
Senior
Brandon Newman (Barnum, Minn./Barnum HS), who missed Wednesday's game at Northland College, scored St. Scholastica's first five points of the game. The Storm (16-9, 10-6 UMAC) hung with the Saints, particularly conference leading scorer Tim Wendel and teammate Gunnar Ledin.
A
Collin Anderson (Eagan, Minn./Eagan HS) 3-pointer gave the Saints an 18-15 advantage with 11 minutes left in the first half. The 3-pointer also put Anderson over 1,000 points in his career, the 12
th player in program history to reach that milestone. That 3-pointer started a 14-3 run for the Saints, who led 29-18 with eight minutes to go in the half.
However, the Storm caught fire in the final eight minutes of the half recording 19 of the final 24 points to take a 37-34 halftime lead. Wendel and Ledin combined for 30 of the team's 37 points in the half.
Wendel added another bucket to open the second half to extend the margin to five. CSS responded with an 8-0 run to regain the lead at 42-39.
Jarod Wilken (Annandale, Minn./Annandale HS) had five of those eight points. The teams exchanged 7-0 runs over the next four minutes as the lead switched hands again.
The Saints held a slim margin until Crown went on an 11-0 run to take a 66-58 lead with six minutes to go. Ledin had nine straight points during that span. A key sequence took place with five minutes to go and the Saints down by six. Senior
Nate Weets (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet HS) would make a lay-up and would be fouled. He would miss the free throw, but CSS got the offensive rebound and Weets would spot-up a 3-pointer and drain it for a five-point possession to cut the margin to one.
Moments later, another Weets 3-pointer gave the Saints a 68-67 lead with 3:30 to go. Neither team would make a field goal in the final three minutes with the exception of the Storm making a meaningless 3-pointer as time expired. The Saints got to the line three times in the final three minutes with Newman making 1-of-2 and Anderson going 4-for-4.
In the waning moments with it still being a one-possession game, Wendel would drive for the game-tying layup with 15 seconds remaining, but Wilken would get the swat and ultimately preserve the victory for the Saints.
Top Performers for CSS
Anderson led four Saints in double-figures with 19 points.
Quinn Fischer (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) added 14 points and a season-high 14 rebounds. Wilken finished with 12 points and Newman with 10. Weets also dished out six assists.
Top Performers for Crown
Wendel finished with a game-high 29 points, while Ledin finished with 27 points. Wendel also grabbed eight rebounds.
Up Next
The Saints (15-10, 11-5 UMAC) move on to face Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato on Wednesday in a UMAC Tournament semifinal matchup. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
