Box Score
Box score
AURORA, Ill. - The seventh-seeded Wisconsin
Lutheran College men's basketball team saw its season come to a
close on Saturday by falling to the fifth-seeded Aurora University
Spartans 82-79 in the championship game of the 2009 Northern
Athletics Conference Men's Basketball Tournament at Thornton
Gymnasium.
Wisconsin Lutheran, which shot just 27.6 percent in the first
half, held a 3-2 advantage early on but saw itself trailing for the
majority of the half. The Warriors trailed by double digits for the
final 7:06 of the half. Aurora built its lead to a game-high 15
points with 5:42 left before taking a 38-27 lead into the locker
room at halftime.
WLC turned things around in the second half by shooting 48.6
percent from the floor. The Warriors kept their deficit under 10
points for the final 14:22. Wisconsin Lutheran went on an 11-2 run
midway through the half to take a 64-63 lead at the 7:14 mark. The
Spartans grabbed the lead back for good two possessions later.
After Aurora missed the second of two free throws with five seconds
left, WLC trailed by only three points and had one final shot to
send the game into overtime. Danny Behm's (Jackson, Wis./Kettle
Moraine Lutheran) desperation three-point attempt fell just short
as time expired.
Junior Kyle Madson (Madison, Wis./Lakeside Lutheran) scored 20
points to lead the Warriors. Sam Siemers (Nicollet, Minn./Minnesota
Valley Lutheran) finished with 19 points on 7-for-9 shooting.
Seniors Kyle Plath (Lake Geneva, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran) and Behm
chipped in with 14 and 10 points, respectively.
The Warriors finished the game shooting 39.4 percent
(26-for-66), marking only the third time this season they shot
under 40 percent in a game. The Spartans shot 46.3 percent
(31-for-67) from the floor for the game.
Chad Trudo poured in a game-high 27 points to pace four players
in double figures for the Spartans (16-12). Shane Roland added a
double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Wisconsin Lutheran finishes its 2008-09 season with a 15-13
overall record and a 9-7 mark in the NAC South Division.
