01/27/07

Behind a team-, career-, and season-high 23 points by freshman Kirsten Haukom, the Saints defeated Bethany Lutheran on the road 78-61, winning their second straight UMAC contest.

Haukom went 12-for-12 from the free throw line and added 6 rebounds and 5 assists in the victory.

Three other Saints scored in double figures as Megan Downs had 13 and both Jessie Stenberg and Whitney Latham added 10 each.

Similarly, the Vikings had four players reach double figures in scoring. They were led by Laura Parochka and Jessica Merseth, who both had 12, while Casey Gudahl added 11 and Leslie Bremer had 10. Merseth also led all players with 17 rebounds.

The early back-and-forth action of the game faded as time in the first half wound down, and the Saints went on an 8-0 run to extend their lead to 32-23 with just over two minutes to play. St. Scholastica would take a 35-27 lead into halftime.

The second half saw the Saints dominate as they stretched their lead to as many as 19 points. Sixteen of Haukom's 23 points came in the second half. Add in two 7-0 runs and one 6-0 streak, and the Saints found the victory over the Vikings.

With the win, St. Scholastica climbed to 7-11 overall and 3-4 in conference play while Bethany Lutheran dropped to 13-6 overall.

Next weekend, Feb. 2 and 3, St. Scholastica will host Bethany Lutheran and Martin Luther in a rematch of this weekend's games.