Box Score MILWAUKEE (WLCSports.com) - The Wisconsin Lutheran College men's basketball team turned a six-point halftime lead into a game-high 29 in the second half behind 18 three-pointers, as the Warriors improved to 8-1 on their homecourt following a 101-77 win over Rockford on Tuesday night inside the Recreation Complex. Senior Andrew Bruggink (Brookfield, Wis.) scored a career-high 37 points on eight threes in WLC's seventh straight home victory.
- Final Score: Wisconsin Lutheran 101, Rockford 77
- Records: Wisconsin Lutheran (12-4, 9-2 NACC), Rockford (8-8, 6-5 NACC)
- Location: Recreation Complex, Milwaukee, Wis.
- It was a back-and-forth first half between the Warriors and Regents which featured four ties and five lead changes. A short 5-0 spurt from RU gave the visitors a four-point lead at 12-8, its largest lead of the game, with 13:23 left in the first half.
- Back-to-back triples from freshman Trevor Stiede (Pulaski, Wis.) erased the four-point deficit and gave WLC a 20-18 advantage with just over 10 and a half minutes to play.
- A layup from sophomore Drew Bernhagen (Markesan, Wis.) broke a 22-22 tie and started an 11-2 run for Wisconsin Lutheran. The Green and White led by as many as 11 in the opening half after Bruggink's second triple of the game with just over three minutes remaining. The Warriors went into halftime with a 43-37 lead.
- WLC broke the game wide open in the second half by shooting 57.9 percent from the floor and 59.1 percent from three-point range.
- Wisconsin Lutheran quickly built a 19-point lead at the 15:23 mark of the second half behind three consecutive three-pointers. The hosts extended their lead to 20 for the first time after back-to-back triples from sophomore Alex VanCrete (Green Lake, Wis.) with 14 minutes left.
- A 10-3 Rockford run cut the deficit to 15 points at 73-58 with 8:28 remaining, but consecutive threes brought the lead back up to 19 points just over a minute later.
- Leading by 21 with under three minutes to play, the Warriors surged out to a game-high 29-point lead behind three-point baskets from sophomore Anthony Mendoza (San Diego, Calif.) and freshman Cole Hardtke (Lombard, Ill.).
- Bruggink paced four players in double figures with a career-high 37 points, including 25 in the second half. He finished with eight three-point makes tying for the third-most in a game in program history. His 37 points are also tied for sixth for most points in a game by a Warrior.
- VanCrete finished with 14 points, while Bernhagen and junior Matty Farner (Muskego, Wis.) added 12 each. Farner tied junior Randy Johnson Jr. (Milwaukee, Wis.) for a team-high seven rebounds. Senior Colin Biesterfeld (West Bend, Wis.) dished out eight of WLC's season-high 31 assists, also the fifth-highest total in program history.
- Wisconsin Lutheran shot 53.6 percent (37-for-69) from the floor, its second-best mark of the season, and 54.5 percent (18-for-33) from three-point range, also the second-best performance of the year. The 18 threes are also the third-most in a game in program history.
- The Green and White snapped a three-game losing streak to the Regents while winning for the eighth time in nine games at home.
- Brandon Emerick and Nathaniel Shead scored 13 points each to lead three other Regents in double figures. Kivontay Shaw posted a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds for RU, which shot 49.1 percent (27-for-55) from the floor.
- The Warriors remain home on Saturday when they host Aurora (5-11, 4-7 NACC) for a 2:00 p.m. tip-off inside the Recreation Complex. Links to live stats and video will be available for the game at WLCSports.com.
