Duluth, MN. – The St. Scholastica Men's basketball team fell in their home opener to the University of Northwestern-St this evening. Paul Eagles. The Saints trailed the Eagles by just three points at halftime, but a hot shooting second half from the Eagles squad gave them the advantage over the Saints, taking today's game by a score of 85-78.
How it Happened
First Half
Tanner Thomson (Woodbury, Minn./Stillwater HS) and
Jacquez Overstreet (Appleton, Wis./Oshkosh West (Marian University)) got the scoring started for the Saints offense in the early moments of the opening half, giving the Saints an early 7-2 lead.
CSS would extend their lead as
Aaron Keykal (Princeton, Minn./Princeton HS) would score his first field goal of the game, as well as help from a layup by Overstreet and another three-pointer from Thomson to bring the score to 17-5.
Keykal would score the next two field goals for the Saints, followed by Overstreet's second three-pointer of the half, to make the score 25-16.
Following another Overstreet jumper,
Kai Penney (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo Highschool) got his first points of the night with a three-pointer to keep the Saints' lead over double-digits.
A quick 9-2 run by the Eagles brought them back into the contest, as the Saints' lead was trimmed to 32-28.
Following a layup from Thomson, the Eagles took their first lead of the night, going on a 10-0 run before a
Moe Washington (Silver Spring, Md./Hibbing Community College) layup would help to stop the bleeding to make the score 41-36 in favor of Northwestern.
Keykal would score the final field goal of the half in the closing seconds with the Eagles clinging to a 41-38 lead at the half.
Second Half
After being held without a field goal in the first half,
Koy Nelson (Port Wing, Wis./South Shore HS) struck first for the Saints with a three-pointer to cut the Eagles lead to just five points.
Nelson would score the next three field goals for the Saints, converting a layup and his second and third three-pointers of the night to make the score 59-51 with Northwestern still leading.
Kobe Karels (Cambridge, Minn./Isanti (Aurora University)) made his presence felt in his first two shot attempts of the night, nailing a pair of three-pointers to bring the game to within four points.
Both
Andre Crockett Jr. (Rochester, Minn./Mayo HS (Rochester Community College)) and
Bryce Shoto (Owego, Il./Oswego East Highschool) scored their first points of the game at the 9:53 mark and 7:45 mark in the half, respectively, as Crockett Jr. scored on a layup and Shoto scored on a wide-open three-pointer.
Shoto would score moments later on a layup, which was followed by yet another Nelson three-pointer to make the score 76-71 in favor of the Eagles.
Shoto was able to convert both free throws to bring the game to 80-73, and despite late baskets by Keykal and Thomson, the Eagles were able to close out the game and take today's contest by a score of 85-78.
Top Performers
Aaron Keykal (Princeton, Minn./Princeton HS) recorded a double-double in today's match, recording 12 points to go along with 10 rebounds.
Koy Nelson (Port Wing, Wis./South Shore HS) scored 16 of his 17 points in the second half, while also adding a team-high five assists.
Jacquez Overstreet (Appleton, Wis./Oshkosh West (Marian University)) showcased his defensive efforts tonight, leading the team in both steals and blocks with three and two, respectively.
Up Next
The Saints (0-4, 0-0) will be back in action on Wednesday, November 20, where they will host Northland College at the Reif Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
