Box Score FOND DU LAC, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Behind a 46-point second half, the Wisconsin Lutheran College women's basketball team improved to 9-0 in NACC play after earning a 70-33 road victory against Marian Wednesday night inside Sadoff Gymnasium. Four starters scored in double-figures and the Warriors shot an impressive 69.2 percent in the second half.
THE BASICS
- Final Score: Wisconsin Lutheran 70, Marian 33
- Records: Wisconsin Lutheran (12-1, 9-0 NACC), Marian (2-12, 0-9 NACC)
- Location: Sadoff Gymnasium, Fond du Lac, Wis.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Both teams struggled to find a rhythm offensively early on as the Warriors held a 6-2 lead with just over four minutes left to play in the first quarter.
- Jen Dowden (Bonduel, Wis.) snapped a near four-minute scoring drought for WLC with a layup, giving the Green and White an 8-6 lead in the opening quarter.
- The Sabres battled back with buckets on back-to-back possessions to knot the game up at 8-8 with 1:13 left in the first.
- The score remained even after the opening quarter at 8-8. The Warriors shot just 15.8 percent from the field, while MU shot 18.8 percent.
- The hosts took the lead for the first time at the 8:36 mark in the second by a score of 10-8.
- Back-to-back steals and then a block from Maddie Cruz (New Berlin, Wis.) propelled a 6-0 spurt to give Wisconsin Lutheran a 14-8 lead with 7:32 left in the half.
- Caitlin Knueppel's (Wauwatosa, Wis.) layup with 3:22 left gave the Warriors a 20-15 advantage.
- WLC, which shot 31.3 percent in the opening half, went into the locker room with a 24-19 lead.
- Knueppel led all scorers at the break with 10 points, while Cruz added six points and seven boards.
- Wisconsin Lutheran used an 8-0 run to start the second half to take control as it held a 32-19 lead just two minutes into the quarter.
- Dowden's layup with 4:33 left pushed the Warriors' lead to 38-23.
- Wisconsin Lutheran saw its lead grow to as many as 23 in the third quarter after Coreana Carson (Milwaukee, Wis.) buried a triple from behind the arc.
- The Warriors, who shot 75 percent from the floor in the quarter, were led by nine points from Carson and six from Dowden and Kelly Tramburg (Fall River, Wis.).
- Back-to-back layups from Tramburg pushed the Warriors' advantage to 33 (63-30) with 5:51 to play.
- The Warriors' lead grew to 38 points, their largest of the game, following a layup from Katie Datka (Bayside, Wis.).
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- The Warriors saw four players reach double-figure scoring for the game, led by 15 from Carson.
- Dowden added 10 points, nine rebounds, and a team-high five assists.
- Knueppel and Tramburg each finished with 10 points and three boards.
- Maddy Elrod (Conifer, Colo.) added nine points and nine rebounds off the bench for WLC.
- Wisconsin Lutheran shot 48.3 percent (28-of-58) for the game, its highest output in its last five games, including 69.2 percent (18-of-26) in the second half.
- The Warriors forced 15 turnovers, including 12 steals, which they converted into 12 points.
- WLC held a 44-31 advantage on the glass, a season-high for rebounds, and a 19-7 advantage in bench points.
- Wisconsin Lutheran won its 19th straight game over Marian.
FOR THE FOES
- Brandi Bender led Marian with 11 points and three rebounds.
- Molly Magnus and Rachel Serchen each added six points for MU.
- The hosts shot only 20.4 percent (11-of-54) from the field.
- The Sabres forced 10 turnovers which they turned into 10 points.
UP NEXT
- The Warriors return to action Saturday when they travel to Rockford (4-10, 2-7 NACC) in a NACC battle. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. Wisconsin Lutheran won the first matchup of the season in Milwaukee November 25 by a score of 70-48. Live stats and video will be available for the matchup at WLCSports.com.
