Game of the Week - St. Scholastica at Minnesota Morris - Women's Basketball
UMAC Game of the Week Archives
ST. PAUL -- The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Game of the Week is a feature that takes place each week throughout the conference portion of the season with one contest being selected and highlighted as the UMAC Game of the Week.
This week's UMAC Game of the Week will take place at 3 p.m. on Saturday, January 24 in Morris, Minn. as the College of St. Scholastica travels to the University of Minnesota Morris in women's basketball action. The Cougars (3-0 UMAC) were picked to finish as the top team in the conference this season while the Saints (2-1 UMAC) were predicted to finsh in second place according to the annual preseason poll of the UMAC coaches.
About the Cougars
Minnesota Morris will host St. Scholastica on Saturday afternoon in a crucial early conference season game. The Cougars have won five straight regular season games with the Saints, last losing 66-62 in 2012 at Duluth. Morris has not lost a regular season home game against St. Scholastica since 2004, but the Saints did beat UMM in the 2012-13 UMAC semi-finals. All-time Minnesota Morris is 20-4 against CSS and 11-2 at home.
Currently the Cougars are averaging 68.3 points per game (first in the UMAC) and shooting 40.4% from the field. The team is making 7.0 three-point field goals per game and shooting 36.4% from behind the arc, which ranks 20th in the NCAA. The UMM defense is holding opponents to just 28.2% from three point range. Minnesota Morris has struggled from the foul line this year, converting just 63.4% from the charity stripe.
Through three conference games Kendra Wycoff is averaging 19 points per game and seems to have found her shot from three, going 12-25 from behind the arc. Emily Auch is averaging 10.7 points per game in the UMAC while grabbing 4.7 rebounds per game. Jess Love is coming off the bench to score 8.3 points per game in the UMAC.
About the Saints
The Saints are coming off a 1-1 home weekend, where it fell to the University of Northwestern 66-55 on Friday night and defeated North Central University 80-52 on Saturday. Senior guard Mariah Hovick averaged 16 points per game on the weekend. In fact, Hovick has scored in double figures in eight straight games. She leads the team, averaging 11.7 points per game and leads the UMAC, making 87 percent of her free throws.
The Saints are the top free throw shooting team in the conference and are ranked 32nd in NCAA Division III, making 73 percent of their attempts. The next closest team is Northland College at 69 percent. CSS is shooting 80 percent from the free throw line at home this year, but only 64 percent in road games.
Game Notes
-Minnesota Morris leads the all-time series 25-5. The Saints have only won twice at Morris since 2000.
- UMM and CSS rank second and third in the conference in field goal percentage and opponent field goal percentage.
-The Saints continue to lead the conference, allowing 64.4 points per game. Morris is the top scoring team in the league, averaging 68.3 points per game.
- Both Minnesota Morris and St. Scholastica allow less than 65 points per game on the season.
- Three Cougars rank in the top-five in the conference in three point field goal percentage, topped by Maja Coomes who is shooting 46.2% from three.
- Minnesota Morris' Kendra Wycoff is 13th in the NCAA with 3.0 three-point field goals made per game.
- St. Scholatica's Mariah Hovick has averaged 14.1 points in eight career games against the Cougars.
- The Cougars have allowed just three made three point field goals through the first three UMAC games.
Minnesota Morris Recap |
St. Scholastica Recap Final Score: UMM 69, CSS 64
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