Notables
-Both teams combined for 22, 3-point field goals
-A season-high five Saints score in double figures
-Points in the Paint: CSS-44, NC-14
-CSS has shot over 50% from the floor in each of the last five games
DULUTH, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The top-seeded St. Scholastica men's basketball team led for nearly 38 minutes of action as it took care eighth-seeded Northland College 86-71 in an Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Tournament quarterfinal game Thursday night at the Reif Gymnasium.
How It Happened
The LumberJacks (0-8) recorded the first points of the game, but the Saints answered with the next six points and led the rest of the way.
Jack Silgen (Deerwood, Minn./Crosby-Ironton HS (St. Thomas)) and
Quinn Fischer (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) went on an 8-0 run themselves to climb the lead to 14-4 five minutes in.
A couple minutes later
Connor Bich (Duluth, Minn./Hermantown HS (Dakota Wesleyan)) made back-to-back 3-pointers to make it a 14-point game. At one point in the first half, in a three-minute span, both teams combined to make eight consecutive 3-point field goals without a two-point field goal or free throw made. Northland kept it within arms reach and trailed 51-37 at the break.
A
Jarod Wilken (Annandale, Minn./Annandale HS) dunk initiated an 8-0 CSS run to give St. Scholastica a 67-44 lead, its largest of the game. Wilken had six of the eight points during that span. However, the LumberJacks got the margin back down to 15 and it stayed around that the rest of the way as the Saints won by a final of 86-71.
Top Performers
Nick Carlson (Canyon, Minn./South Ridge HS) had 14 points to lead the balanced CSS attack. Silgen finished with 13 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Wilken also finished with 13 points. Fischer added 12 points and Bich had a season-high 11 points.
Ryan Rawlings led Northland with 21 points.
Up Next
The Saints (9-0) will face Bethany Lutheran College in the UMAC Tournament semifinals Saturday night at the Reif Gymnasium. The Vikings edged the University of Wisconsin-Superior 71-70 this evening to advance. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
