Box Score MILWAUKEE (WLCSports.com) – Behind a game-high 22 points from junior Alex VanCrete (Green Lake, Wis.), the top-seeded Wisconsin Lutheran College men's basketball team defeated second-seeded Edgewood 75-65 in the NACC Tournament North Divisional Final on Saturday inside the Recreation Complex. The Warriors will host top-seeded Rockford from the South Division next Saturday in the NACC Tournament Final.
- Final Score: Wisconsin Lutheran 75, Edgewood 65
- Records: Wisconsin Lutheran (9-3), Edgewood (10-7)
- Location: Recreation Complex, Milwaukee, Wis.
- After Edgewood opened the scoring with a three on its opening possession, the Warriors defense held the visitors scoreless for the next five minutes. WLC scored six straight points behind a pair of layups from freshman Jacob Stoltz (Kewaskum, Wis.) and a midrange jump shot by junior Drew Bernhagen (Markesan, Wis.).
- With the score even at eight with 12:39 remaining in the first half, Wisconsin Lutheran scored 12 unanswered points to open up a 20-8 lead. VanCrete scored seven points on the run and freshman Grayson Goetz (Aurora, Ill.) added a pair of buckets to force an Eagles timeout.
- Edgewood scored five points coming out of the break, but VanCrete answered with a three on the wing to extend the advantage back to 10. The Eagles cut the lead back to single digits late in the first half but a three from Goetz and free throws from VanCrete and Bernhagen gave the Warriors a 35-21 lead at halftime.
- Both teams traded baskets for the first five minutes of the second half before threes from senior Randy Johnson Jr. (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Stoltz pushed Wisconsin Lutheran's advantage to 53-36. Junior Isaiah Lenz (Oconomowoc, Wis.) added to the lead with a two-handed jam off a feed from Bernhagen to force an Eagles timeout.
- Midway through the second half, WLC saw its lead reach a game-high 20 points on a jump shot by Bernhagen. Edgewood responded with a 13-2 run to cut the Warriors lead down to nine at 61-52 with 6:13 to play.
- With 4:40 on the clock, Edgewood scored nine unanswered points over the next two minutes to trail just 65-63. Stoltz finished strong at the rim and VanCrete connected on a clutch three to give Wisconsin Lutheran a seven-point lead at 70-63 with 1:35 left.
- WLC finished the game with five makes from the free throw line to secure a 75-65 win to advance to the NACC Tournament Final next Saturday.
- VanCrete posted a double-double, leading four players in double figures with 22 points and grabbing a season-high 10 rebounds. Stoltz scored 17 points while Bernhagen added 16 points and five assists. Goetz led the bench scoring with 10 points and seven boards.
- The Warriors shot 45.0 percent (27-of-60) from the field and 27.8 percent (5-of-18) from deep.
- WLC forced 11 turnovers and out-scored the Eagles 15-11 in points of turnovers.
- Wisconsin Lutheran improved to 6-0 at home on the season, with five wins coming by double digits.
- Jake Negus scored 16 points to lead four players in double figures for the Eagles. Jake Graf added 13 points, while Will Schwartz and Jake Schroeckenthaler each scored 11 points off the bench.
- Edgewood shot 36.8 percent (25-of-68) from the floor and 20.7 percent (6-of-29) from beyond the arc.
- The Warriors host Lake Forest (0-5) in a non-conference matchup at 7 p.m. on Tuesday for Senior Night. Next Saturday, Wisconsin Lutheran will face Rockford in the NACC Tournament Final inside the Recreation Complex with tip-off scheduled for 6 p.m. Rockford advanced to the Final with a win over Aurora today by a score of 97-91. Live coverage links will be available for both games at WLCSports.com.
