Box Score MILWAUKEE (WLCSports.com) – Sophomore Jacob Stoltz (Kewaskum, Wis.) scored a team-high 20 points to pace five players in double figures, as the Wisconsin Lutheran College men's basketball team bounced back with an 86-82 win over Rockford on Saturday afternoon inside the Time of Grace Center.
- Final Score: Wisconsin Lutheran 86, Rockford 82
- Records: Wisconsin Lutheran (9-3, 4-2 NACC), Rockford (9-4, 3-3 NACC)
- Location: Recreation Complex, Milwaukee, Wis.
- The Warriors bolted out to a 9-0 lead over the Regents in the opening two minutes on scoring contributions from four different players. WLC maintained its nine-point lead at 19-10 following a three from senior Drew Bernhagen (Markesan, Wis.) with 13:45 left in the first half.
- The Regents tied the contest for the first time at 21-21 after a 9-0 run and later used an 8-0 spurt to jump in front for the first time at 37-33 with 3:34 reading on the first-half clock.
- Rockford led by as many as five late in the opening half, but Wisconsin Lutheran went into halftime trailing 44-42 after two free throws from Stoltz. Bernhagen scored 10 points in the first half for the Green and White, which went 8-for-8 from the charity stripe.
- The Warriors used an 8-0 run early in the second half to take a 50-46 lead, capped by a layup from Bernhagen. The run proved to be the difference as the hosts never trailed the rest of the way.
- Six straight points from WLC gave them an eight-point lead at 69-61 with under 10 minutes to play.
- After the Regents closed to within three at 71-68, a 9-0 run capped by a three-point play from senior Alex VanCrete (Green Lake, Wis.) gave Wisconsin Lutheran its largest lead of the game with 3:15 remaining.
- A late rally by RU brought them within three points with under five seconds left but a final free throw sealed the win for the Green and White.
- Stoltz scored a team-high 20 points, 12 of which came from the free throw line, to lead five Warriors in double figures.
- Bernhagen (15), VanCrete (14), sophomore Grayson Goetz (Aurora, Ill.) (13), and junior Simeon Strauss (Chicago, Ill.) (10) rounded out the double-figure scorers.
- WLC shot a season-high 82.9 percent from the charity stripe on a season-best 29 makes. Wisconsin Lutheran outrebounded Rockford 33-24 and shot 43.6 percent from the floor.
- The Warriors begin a stretch of four straight road games on Wednesday when they travel downtown to face MSOE (5-7, 1-4 NACC) for a 7 p.m. tip-off. Live coverage links will be available for the game at WLCSports.com.
