01/13/06

After ending the first half with a 25-point lead, the Saints defeated Bethany Lutheran 84-69 at home for their first conference win of the season.

Whitney Latham, Erin Niles, and Sarah Klocke led the Saints in scoring as all three reached double figures. Latham's 20 points led the Saints while Niles had 18 and Klocke added 16. The Saints shot 55.3% in the first half compared to the Knights' 31.0% to obtain their highest scoring first half of the season. The teams headed to the locker rooms with the scoreboard reading 51-26.

However, Bethany did not go down without a fight. In the second half, they outscored the Saints 43-33, led by Jessica Merseth and Leslie Bremer. Merseth had 16 of her 18 points in the second. The Knights also outrebounded the Saints 53-35 in the game.

Bethany's second half efforts were not enough to down the Saints powerful offense though. Setting up much of the CSS scoring was Kim Huschle, who had a career high of 12 assists in the contest.

Tomorrow the Saints take on Martin Luther College, looking to further improve their UMAC record to 2-2.