Notables
-Rematch of last year's UMAC Championship
-CSS has won three straight at the Ericksen Center
-Silgen flirts with a double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds
-CSS commits a season-low four turnovers
ST. PAUL (
csssaints.com) - In a rematch of last year's Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) championship, the St. Scholastica men's basketball team traveled to St. Paul to take on their old conference rivals, the University of Northwestern (Minn.) Eagles Wednesday night. The Saints fought hard all night and they returned to the win column by a final score of 75-73.
How It Happened
From the tip-off, CSS wanted revenge. They opened up the first half with some early baskets by
Quinn Fischer (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) and
Nick Carlson (Canyon, Minn./South Ridge HS). Around the halfway point in the half,
Jeff Moore (Richfield, Minn./Richfield HS) helped CSS keep pace with the Eagles (13-5) with a pair of layups to cut Northwestern's lead to just two. With 2:50 to play in the first half, a key three-pointer by
Isiah Hendrickson (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS) gave CSS a four-point lead and the momentum. Northwestern made some buckets down the stretch of the first half to fight back into the Saints' lead. However, a three-pointer by Moore and a layup by
Cade Goggleye (Nett Lake, Minn./North Woods HS) with 39 seconds to play in the first half, gave the Saints a four point lead they would take into the locker room at halftime.
The second half opened up with
Jack Silgen (Deerwood, Minn./Crosby-Ironton HS (St. Thomas)) making his presence felt with a couple of layups of his own and helping to keep the Saints in the game. With 13 minutes to play in the game, Hendrickson hit
Connor Bich (Duluth, Minn./Hermantown HS (Dakota Wesleyan)) on a fastbreak for a three-pointer, which gave the Saints a four point lead. Northwestern cut the CSS lead to just one, when the Saints went on a 13-8 run which gave them a five point lead heading down the stretch. Northwestern fought back and tied the game with six minutes to play. Both teams traded baskets down the stretch, until the Saints found themselves up five with under a minute to play.
Free throws by Goggleye, Silgen, and Fischer gave CSS a five point cushion with just 20 seconds left. Northwestern drilled a three-pointer with four seconds to play to make the game interesting. However Northwestern fouled last year's UMAC Player of the Year in Carlson and sent him to the line where he delivered the final blow. CSS wins tonight's rematch with Northwestern 75-73.
Top Performers
Silgen led the Saints in scoring with 17 points while just missing the double-double, recording nine rebounds. Fischer added 11 points, while Carlson and Moore each added 10 points.
Up Next
The Saints (3-14) will be back in action on Saturday where they will travel to Winona to take on Saint Mary's University in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) matchup. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m.
