WLC Wins Ninth Straight Home Game, Clinches NACC Tournament Berth

MILWAUKEE (WLCSports.com) – The Wisconsin Lutheran College men's basketball team made nine of 15 first-half three-pointers to surge out to a double-digit halftime lead, as the Warriors collected a 79-63 win over Illinois Tech on Tuesday night inside the Recreation Complex. WLC clinched a NACC Tournament berth for the first time under third-year head coach Aaron Aanonsen.

• Final Score: Wisconsin Lutheran 79, Illinois Tech 63
• Records: Wisconsin Lutheran (16-4, 13-2 NACC), Illinois Tech (7-13, 5-10 NACC)
• Location: Recreation Complex, Milwaukee, Wis.

• With Illinois Tech up one three minutes into the game, senior Andrew Bruggink (Brookfield, Wis.) connected on a three from the wing to give the Warriors a 9-7 lead. The Scarlet Hawks answered with a three of their own a minute later but Bruggink knocked down another triple to regain the 12-10 advantage.
• Bruggink's three sparked a 12-0 Wisconsin Lutheran run that extended the lead up to 11 at 21-10. Sophomore Drew Bernhagen (Markesan, Wis.) came off the bench and drained a three pointer while Bruggink made a pair of midrange jumpers.
• The Scarlet Hawks used a 7-0 run of their own to close the gap to just two points at 23-21 before sophomore Alex VanCrete (Green Lake, Wis.) hit WLC's fourth three-pointer of the first half to extend the lead back to five.
• Illinois Tech tied the game at 27-27 with 5:58 remaining in the opening half but two more threes, this time from freshman Trevor Stiede (Pulaski, Wis.) and senior Colin Biesterfeld (West Bend, Wis.), gave the Warriors a seven-point advantage.
• With seconds remaining in the first half, Bruggink secured a rebound and connected on a contested three from the top of the key to give the Green and White a 47-37 lead at the break.
• Six minutes into the second half, the Warriors extended their lead to 15 as Bruggink and junior Randy Johnson Jr. (Milwaukee, Wis.) made threes on consecutive possessions to bring the score to 58-43. WLC pushed its lead to a maximum of 18 with 9:13 remaining in the game behind a layup from junior Matty Farner (Muskego, Wis.).
• A 7-0 run for the Scarlet Hawks brought the score back within nine, but Wisconsin Lutheran used a seven-point spurt of its own to regain control.
• A three-point make by sophomore Anthony Mendoza (San Diego, Calif.) with 0:38 seconds remaining capped off the Warriors' sixth straight victory by a score of 79-63.

• Bruggink finished with a game-high 29 points, his sixth consecutive game with at least 27 points, while adding four assists. Farner posted his fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and VanCrete rounded out the Warriors in double figures with 10 points.
• Wisconsin Lutheran shot 44.1 percent (26-of-59) from the field and 44.8 percent (13-of-29) from beyond the arc. The Warriors shot especially well in the first half, going 57.1 percent (16-of-28) from the floor and 60.0 percent (9-of-15) from downtown.
• WLC, the nation's second-best three-point shooting team, made at least 10 threes for the eighth time this season.
• The Green and White out-scored the Scarlet Hawks 24-16 off the bench, led by nine points from Bernhagen.
• The Warriors' 13 conference wins matched the 1995-1996 team for most conference wins in a season with five games remaining.
• Wisconsin Lutheran won its ninth straight home game and improved to 10-1 at home this season.

• Max Hisatake led the way for the Scarlet Hawks with 18 points and 20 rebounds, while Otis Reale added 14 points and four assists off the bench. Illinois Tech shot 43.4 percent (23-of-53) from the floor and 36.8 percent (7-of-19) from three.

• The Warriors close out their regular season home slate on Saturday when they host Concordia Chicago (7-13, 6-9 NACC) for Winterfest and Senior Day. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Live stats and video will be available on WLCSports.com.