MILWAUKEE (WLCSports.com) - Wisconsin Lutheran College sprinted out to a 20-point first-quarter lead and never looked back on its way to a 79-68 victory over No. 21 Hope on Tuesday at the Time of Grace Center.
The Warriors (2-1), who shot a season-high 50.9 percent from the floor, made good on 13 of their 25 three-point attempts to notch their first-ever win over the Flying Dutch (4-1).Â
Hope netted the first bucket of the game before WLC rattled off 13 straight points, including eight from senior
Sam Leisemann (Fall River, Wis.). Another 8-0 scoring run vaulted Wisconsin Lutheran's lead to 20 points at 27-7 before taking a 17-point advantage into the second quarter. Six different players scored in the opening period for the Warriors, who shot 58.8 percent from the floor and outscored the Flying Dutch 13-0 in points off turnovers.
A 7-0 run to start the second quarter trimmed Hope's deficit down to 10 points at the 7:04 mark. A layup from sophomore
Jayden Hill (Kenosha, Wis.) and a three from junior
Ainsley Howard (Jefferson, Wis.) lifted the lead back to 15 points. Holding a 34-23 advantage with 4:10 left before the break, a second Howard three and a Leisemann layup extended the lead to 16 points at the 3:16 mark. WLC carried a 44-30 lead into halftime after Leisemann beat the buzzer on another layup.
Wisconsin Lutheran's lead reached a game-high 21 points at 55-34 midway through the third quarter following a three from junior
Mack Hogenson (Neenah, Wis.). The Flying Dutch responded with a 13-2 scoring run to creep within 10 points with 1:34 remaining in the third, and the Warriors went into the final frame in front 63-51.
WLC's fourth quarter lead hovered between 11 and 14 points for the opening five minutes. A 7-0 scoring spurt, including five in a row from senior
Meggie Scott (Yorkville, Ill.) sent the lead to 19 points at 77-58 with 2:11 left. Hope whittled its deficit down to 11 as the final horn sounded.
Leisemann led Wisconsin Lutheran with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks. Scott finished with 13 points and seven assists, while junior
Kara Troxel (Bonduel, Wis.) added 11 points. Hogenson tallied five assists and Hill had five steals for the Warriors, who shot 29-for-57 from the floor and 13-for-25 from three-point range.
Olivia Bellows scored a game-high 21 points to pace the Flying Dutch, who shot 39.3 percent (22-for-56) from the floor.
WLC heads to Lexington, Kentucky this weekend for the Pat Deacon Classic hosted by Transylvania. Wisconsin Lutheran will open with Alma (3-2) on Saturday at 2 p.m. CST. Live coverage links will be available at WLCSports.com.
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