DULUTH, Minn. – The Bethany Lutheran men's basketball team earned their eighth Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) victory with the win over St. Scholastica on Friday night.
 
THE BASICS:
Final Score:  Bethany Lutheran 88, St. Scholastica 79
Records: Bethany Lutheran (12-8, 8-4 UMAC), St. Scholastica (12-9, 8-4 UMAC)
Location: Duluth, Minn. | Reif Gym (Burns Wellness Commons)
 
Notes Prior to Tip-off:
The Vikings had a three-game win streak snapped with a 100-91 loss at home to Minnesota Morris last Saturday. It was also their first conference home loss of the season. Bethany has scored at least 90 points in each of the last three games and is the highest scoring team in the UMAC, averaging 85.6 points per game. Like the Saints, the Vikings like to get to the free throw line as they rank second in the conference in free throws made (315) and attempted (445). Bethany also controls the glass, leading the conference in rebounds per game (40.0) overall and a +6.3 rebounding margin in conference games. Brandyn Frelix leads the team, averaging 16.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Neil Eichten averages 12.9 points per game and Brady Rose 10.6 per game.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• In a back and forth first 20 minutes of action, it was the Saints holding the 46-40 lead at halftime.
• The Vikings shot 51.6 percent (16-for-31) in the first half while the Saints shot slightly below at 45.2 percent (19-for-42).
• CSS connected on four three's in the first 20 minutes compared to BLC's two.
• The Vikings used a strong second half, scoring 48 points to the Saints 33 to earn the very important conference win.
• BLC held the 48-35 advantage on the glass.
• Both teams committed 15 turnovers in 40 minutes of UMAC men's basketball on the campus of St. Scholastica.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Brandyn Frelix (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Jarred Merchant (Kimball, Minn.) led the Vikings offensive attack with 17 points apiece.
• Frelix also had 10 rebounds to record his eighth double-double of the 2016-17 season.
• In 28 minutes of court time, Neil Eichten (Wabasso, Minn.) added 14 points.
• Austin Bauer (Caledonia, Minn.) and Bradley Rose (Le Sueur, Minn.) each had nine points.
• Kyle Kubesh (Buffalo Lake, Minn.) had 10 rebounds for BLC in the efforts over CSS.

 
Series Records:
-Bethany Lutheran leads CSS 16-13.
 
UP NEXT:
The Vikings (12-8, 8-4 UMAC) continue their road trip on Saturday afternoon at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.  The action will begin at 5 p.m.

To stay current with Vikings athletics this season, continue to visit www.blcvikings.com and follow @BLCvikings on Twitter.  
MEDIA: If you need further information, please feel free to contact Lucas Herd at 507-344-7856 or email lucas.herd@blc.edu.