DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (WLCSports.com) - Freshman
Margie Stevens (Oneida, Wis.) paced three players in double figures with a career-high 21 points to lead Wisconsin Lutheran College to a 72-59 non-conference win over Alvernia on Thursday in the Daytona Beach Shootout at the Ocean Center.
The Warriors (6-4) rebounded from a sluggish 33.3 percent shooting performance in the first half by connecting for 53.8 percent over the final two quarters to hand the Golden Wolves (7-3) their third loss of the season.
Three pointers from juniors
Mack Hogenson (Neenah, Wis.) and
Lexy Smit (Brandon, Wis.) erased an early 3-0 deficit to give WLC a 6-3 lead. Sophomore
Jayden Hill's (Kenosha, Wis.) layup at the 5:12 mark of the first quarter put Wisconsin Lutheran ahead 8-5, but a quick 7-0 run from AU put them in front by four. Senior
Sam Leisemann (Fall River, Wis.) beat the first quarter buzzer with a layup and the Warriors trailed 14-13 after the opening period.
A Stevens layup a minute into the second quarter kept WLC within two points at 17-15. Alvernia answered with an 8-2 spurt to take an eight-point lead, its largest of the game. Wisconsin Lutheran closed the final 3:42 of the second stanza on a 9-2 run, capped by a Stevens three, for a 29-27 halftime lead. Stevens scored all nine of her first-half points and tallied six rebounds in the second quarter alone.
The Warriors turned a tightly contested game into their first double-digit lead in the third quarter behind 53.3 percent shooting. Clinging to a 31-30 lead, junior
Kara Troxel (Bonduel, Wis.) capped a 10-2 run with a layup, and senior
Meggie Scott (Yorkville, Ill.) extended the lead to 10 points for the first time at 44-34 with her second made three of the quarter. The Golden Wolves cut their deficit to eight with two minutes remaining, but two free throws from Troxel and a layup from Hill pushed WLC's lead to 52-40 entering the final frame.
AU came within nine points on four separate occasions in the fourth quarter, but Wisconsin Lutheran always had an answer. The Warriors' lead remained above double digits for the final 4:15 of the game after a six-point run sent the margin to a game-high 15 points at 65-50. Leisemann netted 11 of her 15 points in the fourth quarter to ice the 13-point victory.
Stevens led all scorers with a career-high 21 points along with a career-best nine rebounds. Leisemann notched her sixth double-double of the season with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Troxel also reached double figures with a season-high 11 points in addition to three steals. WLC, which shot 42.4Â percent (25-for-59) for the game, pulled down a season-high 43 rebounds.
Tamia Wessels scored a team-high 19 points to pace three players in double figures for Alvernia, which shot 40.4 percent (21-for-52) from the floor.
Wisconsin Lutheran is off until Wednesday, January 3 when it resumes conference play at home against St. Norbert (4-6, 2-1 NACC). Live coverage links for the 7 p.m. tip-off will be available at WLCSports.com.
Â
