Box Score FOND DU LAC, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Sophomore Drew Bernhagen (Markesan, Wis.) scored a game-high 25 points to lead four players in double figures as the Wisconsin Lutheran College men's basketball team erased an 11-point first half deficit to win 75-66 over Marian on Saturday afternoon inside Sadoff Gymnasium. Senior Andrew Bruggink (Brookfield, Wis.) also set a single game school record by going a perfect 16-for-16 from the free throw line.
- Final Score: Wisconsin Lutheran 75, Marian 66
- Records: Wisconsin Lutheran (18-5, 15-3 NACC), Marian (4-19, 3-15 NACC)
- Location: Sadoff Gymnasium, Fond du Lac, Wis.
- Marian rushed out to an early 13-2 lead in the first four minutes of the game, scoring on five straight possessions and forcing a Wisconsin Lutheran timeout. Coming out of the timeout, the Warriors defense forced three straight turnovers and converted them into points to cut the deficit to 13-8.
- Sophomore Alex VanCrete (Green Lake, Wis.) knotted the game at 17-17 with 9:22 left in the first half with a layup before the Sabres knocked down a three on the next possession. Bernhagen answered with a three of his own to tie the game.
- The hosts then used an 11-2 run over the next five minutes to regain a nine-point advantage at 31-22. A pair of free throw makes by senior Andrew Wojcik (Brookfield, Wis.) and a three by freshman Trevor Stiede (Pulaski, Wis.) brought the score back within three at 33-30.
- With under a minute remaining in the half, Bruggink converted a pair of free throws as the Warriors trailed 38-32 heading into the break.
- Three minutes into the second half, a layup from VanCrete gave WLC its first lead of the game at 41-40.
- Marian was able to regain the lead, 46-45, before Bernhagen connected on a three and VanCrete put in a pair of layups to give Wisconsin Lutheran a 52-46 advantage with 12:10 to play.
- Junior Matty Farner (Muskego, Wis.) hit a jumper and a three on consecutive possessions to extend the Warriors' lead to 60-52. The Sabres were able to cut the lead down to five with 5:26 remaining, but Bruggink hit all eight of his free throw attempts in the closing minutes to extend the lead to a game-high nine-points. Bernhagen knocked down a pair of free throw attempts with 0:22 seconds left to close out the 75-66 victory.
- Bernhagen finished with a game-high 25 points on 7-of-17 shooting, including five makes from beyond the arc. Bruggink added 20 points, going a perfect 16-of-16 from the charity stripe for the best free throw performance in a game in program history. VanCrete and Wojcik contributed with 10 apiece to round out the Warriors in double figures.
- VanCrete had a team-high eight rebounds, while Farner and Bruggink each collected seven.
- WLC shot 38.9 percent (21-of-54) from the floor in the contest, but a solid 47.6 percent in the second half, and 35.0 percent (7-of-20) from deep. The Green and White were strong from the charity stripe, shooting 89.7 percent (26-of-29).
- Wisconsin Lutheran matched its most wins since the 2007-2008 season by winning its fourth straight game over Marian.
- Justin Wilson and DeAndre Ross tied for the team with lead with 20 points each and were the only two Sabres to reach double figures. Marian shot 41.8 percent (23-of-55) from the field and 45.5 percent (10-of-22) from three.
- Scott Paulus had a game-high 10 rebounds and Blake Pedrin dished out a team-best four assists.
- The Warriors travel to Benedictine (19-4, 15-3 NACC) on Tuesday night for a matchup featuring the top two teams tied in the NACC standings. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Live stats and video will be available on WLCSports.com.
