Grayson Goetz 30 As Men's Basketball Gets Comeback Win At Marian

FOND DU LAC, Wis. (WLCSports.com) - Junior Grayson Goetz (Aurora, Ill.) scored a career-high 30 points and Wisconsin Lutheran College used a 19-0 second-half run to get past Marian 72-65 on Tuesday in a battle for first place in the NACC at Sadoff Gymnasium.

The Warriors (14-6, 11-2 NACC), who won their 10th straight conference game and eighth straight overall, held a narrow lead over the Sabres (11-8, 9-3 NACC) for the first 10 minutes of the game. A 9-0 run by MU gave the hosts their first lead of the game at 20-15, forcing a WLC timeout at the 8:04 mark.

Marian maintained its lead for the remainder of the opening half, leading by as many as eight points twice with under 4:24 left. Wisconsin Lutheran trailed 31-26 at halftime after shooting 39.3 percent in the first half.

The teams traded baskets over the first five minutes of the second half, before an 11-2 run by the Sabres gave them their largest lead of the game at 51-38 with 10:39 remaining. The Warriors ripped off a 19-0 scoring run out of a timeout to take their first lead since the midway point of the first half. Goetz scored nine points during the rally and senior Simeon Strauss (Chicago, Ill.) capped the comeback with a three for a 57-51 lead with 5:39 left.

MU came within a point at 61-60, but five straight from WLC, including a three from Strauss, stretched the lead back to six. A three put Marian within three with 0:32 seconds left, but Wisconsin Lutheran made four of six free throws down the stretch and didn't surrender a point to seal the win.

Goetz finished with a career-high 30 points, including 22 in the second half, to lead all scorers. He also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds and dished out four assists. Junior Ryan Broeckel (Chilton, Wis.) added 22 points, six rebounds, and three blocks. The Warriors shot 46.4 percent (26-for-56) for the game, including 53.6 percent in the second half.

David Britton scored 18 points to pace three players in double figures for the Sabres, who shot 40 percent (24-for-60) in the contest.

WLC remains on the road Saturday for another NACC matchup against Aurora (12-7, 7-5 NACC). Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. Live coverage links will be available at WLCSports.com.