MILWAUKEE (WLCSports.com) - Junior
Sam Leisemann (Fall River, Wis.) scored 17 points to pace three players in double figures as Wisconsin Lutheran College downed DePauw 64-56 in a battle of two teams receiving votes in the D3hoops.com Top 25 on Saturday at the Paul F. Knueppel Classic.
The Warriors (1-1) erased a brief 3-0 deficit with a 15-2 scoring surge in the first quarter. Graduate senior
Ally Gough (Horicon, Wis.) highlighted the fast start with a pair of three-pointers as six players cracked the scoring column in the opening stanza which saw WLC jump out to an 18-7 advantage.
Wisconsin Lutheran maintained a double-digit lead for all but the first 0:45 seconds of the second quarter. The Warriors ended the first half with five straight points, including Gough's third three of the game for a 33-17 halftime lead.
WLC shot a game-high 50 percent in the third period, as its lead grew to a game-high 19 points after a three-pointer from junior
Meggie Scott (Yorkville, Ill.) at the 8:39 mark. The Tigers (1-1) came no closer than 13 points in the quarter and a buzzer-beating layup from Scott sent Wisconsin Lutheran into the fourth holding a 49-32 lead.
An 11-0 scoring run from DU brought them within eight points with 5:09 left in the game, but the Warriors held DePauw to just three made field goals the rest of the way. The Tigers, who scored half of their points from the charity stripe in the final frame, came as close as six points with just 0:13 seconds left.Â
Leisemann led Wisconsin Lutheran with 17 points to go along with nine rebounds. Scott finished with 11 points and junior
Kaitlyn Shadoski (Janesville, Wis.) added 10 points. Sophomore Ella Ten Pas (Oostburg, Wis.) grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. The Warriors shot 36.8 percent from the floor, but out-scored DU 20-8 in points off turnovers. Leisemann and Shadoski were two of the six players named to the All-Classic Team.
Ava Hassel scored a game-high 23 points to lead DePauw, which shot an even 37 percent in the game. Mya Shannon, a Second Team Preseason All-American, was held scoreless.Â
WLC continues its season-opening homestand on Wednesday when it hosts Carthage (0-2) for a 7 p.m. non-conference tip-off. Live coverage links will be available at WLCSports.com.
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