Box Score MILWAUKEE (WLCSports.com) – Despite 33 points from senior Andrew Bruggink (Brookfield, Wis.), the second-seeded Wisconsin Lutheran College men's basketball team fell 96-83 to third-seeded Concordia Wisconsin in a NACC Tournament Semifinal matchup inside the Recreation Complex Thursday night. The back-and-forth game featured 13 ties and 13 lead changes before the Falcons pulled away late with a 15-2 game-clinching run.
- Final Score: Concordia Wisconsin 96, Wisconsin Lutheran 83
- Records: Wisconsin Lutheran (19-7, 16-4 NACC), Concordia Wisconsin (18-9, 15-5 NACC)
- Location: Recreation Complex, Milwaukee, Wis.
- Wisconsin Lutheran raced out to a 10-2 lead in the first three minutes of action, using three Concordia Wisconsin turnovers to jumpstart an 8-0 run. Bruggink made a pair of jumpers and sophomore Drew Bernhagen (Markesan, Wis.) had a couple of early makes as well.
- The Falcons responded with an 8-0 run of their own to knot the game at 10 apiece. A layup from Bruggink halted the run with 14:18 left in the first half. Another 8-0 run from the visitors over the next couple minutes gave CUW a 20-14 lead with just under 10 minutes left in the opening half.
- Trailing by seven points with 7:51 left in the half, WLC rattled off a 14-2 run to gain a five-point advantage at 31-26. Bernhagen and senior Colin Biesterfeld (West Bend, Wis.) both knocked down threes, while sophomore Zach Zuleger (West Bend, Wis.) capped the run with a putback after collecting an offensive rebound.
- With less than a minute left in the half, the Warriors erased a two-point deficit behind a three from Colin Biesterfeld. After a Falcons turnover, Bruggink drove the length of the floor and finished strong at the rim with two seconds remaining to give Wisconsin Lutheran a 41-38 lead at the break.
- The first 5:40 of the second half featured four ties, before Colin Biesterfeld and Bruggink knocked down a pair of buckets to give WLC a five-point lead at 54-49.
- Concordia Wisconsin battled back and knotted the score at 58-58, and later took a one-point lead on a layup. Bruggink answered with five straight points to regain the Warriors the lead, 64-60, with 9:49 left in the game.
- Neither team could gain much of an advantage over the following six minutes, as the score was deadlocked at 81-81 with 3:39 remaining. An 11-0 run by the Falcons, with eight points scored by Jordan Johnson, gave the visitors a 92-81 lead with just 46 ticks on the clock. Four more makes from the charity stripe as time ran down gave the visitors a 96-83 victory over the Warriors.
- Bruggink paced the Warriors with 33 points on 10-of-25 shooting. He was perfect from the free throw line, making all 11 of his attempts. Bernhagen and Colin Biesterfeld added 12 each to round out the Warriors' in double figures.
- Wisconsin Lutheran shot 42.4 percent (28-of-66) from the field and 35.0 percent (7-of-20) from deep. The Green and White were solid from the line, shooting 87.0 percent (20-of-23).
- Junior Matty Farner (Muskego, Wis.) collected a team-high six rebounds while Bernhagen finished with five assists.
- WLC forced 18 turnovers, leading to a 24-13 advantage in points off turnovers.
- Jordan Johnson scored a game-high 45 points on 16-of-26 shooting, including 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. Brandon Keller added 15 points and tallied a double-double as he pulled down 11 rebounds. Jared Jurss dished out four assists to lead the team.
- CUW shot 52.3 percent (34-of-65) from the floor and 53.3 percent (8-of-15) from beyond the arc. The Falcons shot 60.6 percent (20-of-33) in the second half and added 14 makes from the charity stripe.
- Concordia Wisconsin out-rebounded Wisconsin Lutheran 46-28 which led to a 29-13 advantage in second chance points.
- The Warriors conclude their 2019-2020 season with a 19-7 overall record along with a program-best 16-4 mark in the NACC to claim their first conference championship since 2002.
