Box Score
Box score
MILWAUKEE - The Wisconsin Lutheran College
men's basketball team fell to Concordia Wisconsin 89-68 Tuesday
night in its Northern Athletics Conference opener at the Recreation
Complex.
The Falcons (4-1, 2-0 NAC) jumped out to an early 13-point lead
at 23-10 but the forest green and white answered by cutting their
deficit to 25-20 with 6:26 remaining in the first half. The
Warriors and Falcons traded baskets for the next three minutes
before Concordia opened the lead up again by taking another
13-point lead, 40-27, into the locker room.
Sophomore Andy Thusius (Kenosha, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran) led
Wisconsin Lutheran in the first half with eight points, while Alex
Merbach (Kaukauna, Wis./Fox Valley Lutheran) chipped in with six.
CUW's Mitchell Schneider led all scorers in the opening 20 minutes
with 10 points.
The Falcons shot 58.6 percent (17-of-29) from the floor in the
opening half, compared to the Warriors' 31 percent (9-of-29), and
they out-scored WLC 28-8 in the paint. The Warriors did force 14
turnovers in the opening half compared to turning the ball over
just eight times themselves.
The second half saw Concordia cruise to the victory as the
Warriors never got closer than 11 points. The Falcons, who are
receiving votes in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25 poll, built their
lead to a game-high 25 points on more than one occasion.
Merbach scored 13 second-half points to finish with a team-high
19, while also pulling down a team-high six rebounds. Thusius added
12 points for the forest green and white while also dishing out
four assists. Junior Nate Bauer (Lake Mills, Wis./Lakeside
Lutheran) also had four assists.
Schneider finished with a game-high 25 points for CUW after
draining five three-pointers in the contest. He also had a
game-high nine rebounds and was one of four players to reach double
figures for the visitors. Luke Doedens dished out seven
assists.
The Warriors (1-5, 0-1 NAC) return to action Friday when they
take part in the Lopata Classic at Washington University in St.
Louis, Mo. They will face top-ranked Augustana (Ill.) (4-0) in
their first game of the classic at 4 p.m.
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