DULUTH, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The fourth-seeded St. Scholastica men's basketball team will roll into Mankato Saturday for the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Tournament Championship game against second-seeded Bethany Lutheran College.
Where:
North Gymnasium – Mankato, Minn.
When:
Saturday at 5 p.m.
Live Video: https://iframe.dacast.com/b/51317/c/75787
Live Stats: http://livestats.blc.edu/
Social Media:
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St. Scholastica Saints
Stats
Record: 15-12, 10-6 UMAC
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: Standings | Stats
What You Need to Know about the Saints:
-The Saints will be making their fourth UMAC Tournament championship game appearance in the last five seasons on Saturday.
-St. Scholastica will be playing their fourth game in a week on Saturday after upsetting top-seeded University of Northwestern (Minn.) Wednesday night in the UMAC Semifinals.
-It marked the Eagles' first home loss in a UMAC Tournament since 2010, when the Saints also accomplished the feat.
-CSS has not lost a road UMAC Tournament game in regulation since 2014.
-Sophomore
Jack Silgen (Crosby, Minn./Crosby-Ironton HS (St. Thomas)) had career night against Northwestern with 27 points, including 17 points in the second half.
-Sophomore
Nick Carlson (Canyon, Minn./South Ridge HS) added 19 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer, while senior
Collin Anderson (Eagan, Minn./Eagan HS) and junior
Jarod Wilken (Annandale, Minn./Annandale HS) each chipped in 15 points.
-Those four players, along with sophomore
Quinn Fischer (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) are all averaging double figures in scoring this season.
-CSS has not finished a season with five players averaging in double-figures in scoring since the 1996-97 season.
-Anderson is 14 points shy of moving into the program's top-five career scoring list.
-The Saints are 12-0 this season when they record at least 40 rebounds and are 2-10 when they grab 35 or less.
-St. Scholastica has committed just eight turnovers in each of the first two tournament games.
-CSS will be in search of their 15
th consecutive 16+ win season and fifth UMAC Tournament title.
-The Saints have not captured the UMAC Tournament championship since defeating Bethany in the 2009 title game.
What You Need to Know about Bethany Lutheran:
Record: 20-6, 14-2 UMAC
-The Vikings will be playing in their second UMAC Championship game in the last three seasons
-BLC captured the 2018 UMAC Tournament title, its only UMAC Tournament championship.
-Bethany rolled over the University of Wisconsin-Superior 92-72 in Wednesday's semifinal.
-The Vikings have shot above 54 percent from the field in each of the last four games.
-Bethany ranks fourth in NCAA Division III, making 51.1 percent from the field for the year.
-13 of their last 14 wins have been by double-figures.
-The Vikings rank sixth in NCAA Division, averaging 92.2 points per game.
-BLC went a perfect 8-0 at home in league play during the season.
-The Vikings are led by point guard Cire Mayfield, who averages 18.1 points per game.
-Mayfield also ranks sixth in NCAA Division III with 7.0 assists per game.
-Trenton Krueger averages 16.2 points per game and ranks second in the nation, making 71.2 percent from the field.
-Bethany leads the conference with 114 blocked shots and 262 made 3-point field goals.
Series Record: BLC leads 21-16
(Last Meeting: 108-91 BLC – 2/1/2020)
Series History: This will be the sixth meeting between the two programs in the UMAC Tournament … CSS is 5-0 all-time against Bethany in the postseason, including eliminating the Vikings two of the last three seasons in Mankato in the UMAC Semifinals … This will be the third UMAC Championship meeting, but the first in Mankato … The Vikings swept the Saints during the regular season by an average margin of 16.5 points.
Looking Ahead: The winner of Saturday's championship game will get the conference's automatic qualifier into next week's NCAA Division III National Tournament. The tournament selections will be announced on Monday on NCAA.com.
