Notables
-Lind records double-double with 24 points, 11 rebounds
-Johnson scores 18 points, goes 5-8 from 3PT range
-Carlson provides 10 points, two steals off bench
-CSS shoots season-high 52.1% from field
DULUTH, Minn. – The St. Scholastica women's basketball extended its winning-streak to three games this afternoon, as the Saints were able to come out with a 77-74 victory over the Yellowjackets from UW-Superior. Although the Saints had leads in double-digits in both halves, the Yellowjackets would rally back to tie the game late. However, clutch points from CSS helped pull away, defeating UW-Superior by a score of 77-74.
From the Hardwood
The Saints opened up the first quarter taking an 8-2 lead, as Kloey Lind (Pine City, Minn./Pine City HS) scored three times on layups, and Gabby Voigt (St. Michael. Minn./St. Michael- Albertville HS) scored a layup of her own.
After the Yellowjackets chipped away at the CSS lead, a three-pointer from Jackie Johnson (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji HS) and a layup from Jada Bierschbach (Richmond, Minn./Rocori HS) gave CSS a 16-6 lead with just about four minutes to play in the opening quarter.
UW-Superior had a strong ending to the first quarter, going on a 12-3 run, as the Saints took a 19-18 lead into the second quarter.
St. Scholastica reclaimed its lead on its opening two possessions of the second quarter, with Johnson hitting her second shot from beyond-the-arc, and Lexi Imdieke (Andover, Minn./Andover HS) got her afternoon started with a jumper to make the score 24-22.
Johnson's third three-pointer, and layups from Hope Carlson (Proctor, Minn./Proctor HS) and Katie Vaske (Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury HS (Hamline University)), extended CSS' lead back up to double-digits, leading 32-22.
In the late minutes of the first half, the Saints were helped big time from the three-point line, with Carlson, Vaske, and Johnson all hitting shots before the end of the half, giving CSS a 48-32 lead at halftime.
Johnson picked up right where she left off in the third quarter, drilling yet another three-pointer, followed by Lind, who also added two layups near the end of the first half, getting a layup to fall.
A Carlson three-pointer with five and a half minutes to play in the third quarter extended the Saints lead to 59-41.
The Yellowjackets earned points back from trips to the free throw line, but layups by Hannah Compton (Anoka, Minn./Crosby-Ironton HS) and Lind helped extend the lead back to 13 entering the fourth quarter.
Bierschbach got the scoring started for St. Scholastica in the fourth quarter, and moments later, Lind would convert an and-one on a strong play to make the score 70-55.
An and-one by Vaske would give CSS a nine-point lead, but the Yellowjackets were still fighting strong, trimming the lead all the way to four points in the late minutes.
Lind helped sink a layup and a pair of free throws to give CSS the cushion it needed, and with a three-point lead, the Saints defense was able to stop a last-second heroic shot to win today's game by a score of 77-74.
Up Next
The Saints (5-4, 2-3) will be back in action on January 3rd, where they will host the Royals from Bethel at Reif Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
