Box Score MILWAUKEE (WLCSports.com) – Sophomore Trevor Stiede (Pulaski, Wis.) made four threes, including the go-ahead three with 2:46 remaining, and scored a career-high 19 points off the bench as the Wisconsin Lutheran College men's basketball team won its season opener 78-69 over Marian on Friday night inside the Recreation Complex. It was the first time on the hardwood in 343 days for the defending NACC champions.
- Final Score: Wisconsin Lutheran 78, Marian 69
- Records: Wisconsin Lutheran (1-0, 1-0 NACC), Marian (1-3, 0-3 NACC)
- Location: Recreation Complex, Milwaukee, Wis.
- The Warriors and Sabres traded threes in the opening four minutes of the game, with freshman Jacob Stoltz (Kewaskum, Wis.) connecting on a pair from beyond the arc and senior Randy Johnson Jr. (Milwaukee, Wis.) adding one to even the score at nine. Marian scored three times in the next minute and a half to take a 16-11 lead with 14:18 remaining in the opening half.
- Trailing by five midway through the half, WLC scored 12 unanswered points to take a 25-18 lead. Stiede converted a four-point play, and senior Jon Bailey (Milwaukee, Wis.) scored a pair of second chance buckets on the Warriors' run.
- Wisconsin Lutheran pushed the lead to 10 late in the first half on a pair of free throw makes by Stiede but the Sabres knocked down a three with five seconds left to close the gap to 38-31 at the break.
- Early in the second half, Marian used a 14-2 run to take a five-point lead at 47-42. The visitors shot a perfect 6-of-6 on the run, including a pair of makes from deep. Juniors Solomon Zarling (West Bend, Wis.) and Alex VanCrete (Green Lake, Wis.) each made a layup to bring the game back to one, and Stiede connected on a three two minutes later to tie the game at 49-49.
- The Sabres took control again, taking a six-point lead with five and a half minutes remaining. After a pair of free throws by Stoltz, VanCrete knocked down a midrange jumper and a three from the wing to swing the momentum back to the Warriors and give them a 63-62 lead.
- With 2:46 remaining, the Warriors rattled off nine consecutive points for an eight-point lead at 74-66. The defense forced a pair of turnovers which translated into two fastbreak scores on the run, and WLC closed out the game at the free throw line, knocking down all four attempts for a 78-69 victory.
- Stiede paced the Warriors with 19 points and connected on four makes from three. Stoltz finished with 18 points on an efficient 5-of-7 shooting while dishing out a team-high five assists in his Warriors debut.
- Juniors Zach Zuleger (West Bend, Wis.) and Drew Bernhagen (Markesan, Wis.) led the team with eight and seven rebounds, respectively, and WLC out-rebounded the Sabres 49-27, including 19-7 on the offensive glass.
- VanCrete recorded a game-high three steals, and Zuleger added two steals of his own.
- Wisconsin Lutheran shot 42.2 percent (27-of-64) from the field and 33.3 percent (8-of-24) from deep. From the line, the Green and White shot 80.0 percent (16-of-20).
- It was the Warriors' third straight season-opening victory and their fifth straight overall in the series against the Sabres.
- Tyler Gouin led the Sabres in scoring with 20 points while David Britton added 18 points and a team-high four assists.
- Marian shot 41.4 percent (24-of-58) from the floor and 33.3 percent (9-of-27) from beyond the arc. The Sabres converted on 63.2 percent (12-of-19) from the charity stripe.
- The Warriors play the second game of the series against Marian tomorrow at 5 p.m. inside the Recreation Complex. Live coverage links are available at WLCSports.com.
