Notables
- First outright UMAC regular season title in program history
- Fifth regular season UMAC championship for CSS, first since the 2008-09 season
- Laughlin was one rebound shy of a double-double (10 pts, 9 rebs)
- First regular season UMAC championship not won by the Eagles since the 2011-2012 season
- 14-Game Home Winning Streak
- 18 Wins the most by St. Scholastica under Head Coach David Staniger
DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica men's basketball team is on top of the conference once again, knocking off the University of Northwestern Eagles by a score of 76-69 Saturday at the Reif Gymnasium to claim the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) regular season championship.
First Half
It was Senior Day for St. Scholastica, which meant all three seniors (Andrew Laughlin, David Ohnstad, and Jake Naslund) were in the game for the opening tip. After a few possessions for both teams the entire gym was in realization that everyone was going to give it their all, as players were diving for loose balls and showing a lot of emotion.
Naslund picked up two fouls within the first two minutes of the half, which meant he wouldn't get an opportunity to play again until the second half. The score was in favor of the Saints, 14-12, with 11 minutes left in the first half thanks to back-to-back buckets from Joe Stark. Peter Maring answered with four points of his own to spark a 10-0 Northwestern run. The Saints were able to shoot their way back into the game after threes from Marc Peterson, Brandon Newman, and Kory Deadrick. Stark hit a three within the final minute of the half to give the Saints a 33-32 lead, which is where the score would remain when the teams heading into the locker rooms.
Second Half
Stark got things going early for the Saints in the second half, scoring five of the first nine points for CSS as they jumped out to 42-35 lead. The teams exchanged baskets for a few possessions and the scoreboard read 46-39 with 15 minutes left in the game, then the Naslund show began.
Naslund hit back-to-back three-pointers to give the Saints their first double-digit lead of the game. Naslund then went to the charity stripe, where he knocked down both free throws. Northwestern was able to squeeze in a few points before Naslund knocked down a jumper just inside the three-point line and a fast break layup off a nice pass from Julius Johnson. After Naslund's 12 straight points for the Saints the score was 58-44 in favor of CSS with 11 minutes remaining in the game.
Northwestern didn't go away quietly, however, as Michael Carney tried to spark a late-game comeback with back-to-back threes of his own. The comeback would be halted short as the Saints kept trading baskets with the Eagles, thanks in part to Newman's six straight points for CSS. With under five minutes to play, after a Zach Dahlman layup, the Saints found themselves up 68-56. The teams traded baskets from there on out until the final horn sounded and the scoreboard displayed a Saints 76-69 victory over Northwestern.
Conference Champions
The game meant more than just momentum heading into the tournament, as the two teams were both 12-3 in UMAC play before heading into the game. With the victory, the Saints are now the undisputed conference champions for the 2015-2016 regular season and have earned the No. 1 seed heading into the conference tournament. This is the first regular season conference championship for the Saints since the 2008-09 season and the first time Northwestern hasn't been named conference champs since the 2011-2012 season.
Top Performers
St. Scholastica was led by Stark, who had a game-high 19 points and also hauled in five rebounds. Newman scored 16 points and grabbed five boards of his own. Laughlin was one board shy of a double-double, posting a solid performance of 10 points and nine rebounds.
Up Next
St. Scholastica will host a UMAC Tournament semifinal on Wednesday night at the Reif Gymnasium. The Saints will face the winner of University of Wisconsin-Superior and the University of Minnesota Morris, who will play in the First Round game on Monday in Morris.