Duluth, Minn. - The St. Scholastica Saints fought hard in a home game to earn their victory against St. Olaf in an exciting 81-62 game following a strong second-half performance. The Saints gained the upper hand from the start and were firing on all cylinders in the second half to seal them a conference game win. 

1st Half

The Saints got off to a strong start, fueled by Koy Nelson (Port Wing, Wis./South Shore HS), and quickly gained the upper hand, leading by eight points just three minutes into the game. Although the Oles responded with clinical offensive play to close the gap, the Saints maintained their momentum and extended their lead. This was largely thanks to Aaron Keykal's (Princeton, Minn./Princeton HS) commanding presence in the paint and Nelson's top-scoring performance in the first half. The intense opening half ended with the Saints ahead, 35-29.

2nd Half

The second half began with high energy as Junior guard Nelson ignited the Saints' offense, sinking three consecutive three-pointers for a perfect start. Midway through the half, the Saints extended their lead to 12 points, continuing their impressive run. Their momentum only grew from there, with Andre Crockett Jr. (Rochester, Minn./Mayo HS (Rochester Community College)) contributing a key three-pointer and Nelson maintaining his scoring rhythm through fast breaks. Despite the Oles' efforts to mount a comeback, they were stifled by the Saints' defense, led by Freshman guard Drelyn Jones (Leyden, Il./Leyden Highschool), who recorded three steals and grabbed eight rebounds. A powerful display from the Saints concluded this entertaining game with a final score of 81-62.
 

Top Performers

• Aaron Keykal (Princeton, Minn./Princeton HS): The Sophomore forward landed himself yet another Double-Double this season, netting the second-highest 15 points, and led the team with 12 rebounds (four offensive) in just 24 minutes of the game. His momentum and strong display in the paint made him a key player in tonight's win, both scoring and rebounding.
• Koy Nelson (Port Wing, Wis./South Shore HS): Playing 31 minutes, Nelson led the team in both an impressive 23 points on 10-16 shooting (62.5%) as well as four assists. Nelson also added six rebounds (two offensive) to contribute to the team's defensive effort.

Up Next

The Saints (6-8, 2-3 MIAC) will resume action on the road against the Gusties of Gustavus Adolphus College on Saturday, January 11 at 1 p.m.