DUBUQUE, Iowa (WLCSports.com) – Loras finished the game on an 8-1 scoring run, including the go-ahead free throws with nine seconds left, to hand Wisconsin Lutheran College a heartbreaking 79-78 defeat in a battle of two one-loss teams on Saturday at the Lillis Athletic & Wellness Center.
The Warriors (10-2), who saw their nine-game winning streak come to an end, overcame a 13-point deficit early in the second half and led by as many as six with under two minutes left before falling in the final seconds to the Duhawks (11-1).
Neither team held more than a three-point lead through the first eight minutes of the first half, which featured six ties and two lead changes. A 5-0 spurt gave LC an 18-14 lead but senior
Jacob Stoltz (Kewaskum, Wis.) evened the score at 24-24 less than five minutes later with one of his six made triples. Loras then used a 7-0 run to jump in front 31-24. WLC came within five points three times during the final four-plus minutes of the half before trailing 40-32 at the break. Stoltz led all first-half scorers with 13 points, as Wisconsin Lutheran shot 56.5 percent from the floor.
The Duhawks netted the first five points of the second half to open up a game-high 13-point lead less than a minute in. The Warriors answered, however, scoring 12 of the next 13 points to close within two at 46-44 following a Stoltz triple at the 16:41 mark. Senior
Jacob Hefle (Germantown, Wis.) drilled his only three-point attempt of the game to even the contest at 50-50. A layup from senior
Ryan Broeckel (Chilton, Wis.) and another three from Stoltz capped the 23-5 scoring run and gave WLC a 55-50 lead with 13 minutes to play.
LC scored the next seven points to jump ahead by two, before consecutive threes from freshman
Dom Hill (Waukesha, Wis.) and Stoltz put Wisconsin Lutheran back in the lead at 61-57 with under 10 minutes remaining. Senior
Grayson Goetz's (Aurora, Ill.) jumper made it a 66-61 Warriors advantage, but another 6-0 spurt sent Loras back in front by one under the seven-minute mark. Broeckel responded with a go-ahead layup and later finished a three-point play to put WLC up 77-71 with 1:58 left on the clock.
The Duhawks answered again with six straight of their own to tie the score at 77-77. Stoltz sunk one of two free throws on the ensuing possession for a 78-77 lead with 0:54 seconds left. Wisconsin Lutheran forced a turnover on the next LC possession, but couldn't convert it into points. Loras drew a foul on its last possession and hit two free throws with nine seconds left to go in front by one. The Warriors had one last shot, but Goetz's baseline jumper sailed long as time expired.
Stoltz led all scorers with a season-high 28 points, including six three-point buckets. He added four assists and a game-high three steals. Broeckel finished with 16 points, five rebounds, and two blocks, while senior
AJ Vos (Lombard, Ill.) added 11 points and a pair of blocked shots. WLC shot a season-high 54.5 percent (30-for-55) from the floor and made 11 of its 23 attempts from beyond the arc for 47.8 percent. It marked the fifth time this season the team has shot at least 50 percent as well as making a minimum 10 three-pointers.
Ali Sabet scored 24 points to pace three in double figures for the Duhawks, who shot 45.9 percent (28-for-61) from the field and made 19 of their 20 free throw attempts.
Wisconsin Lutheran resumes Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play on Wednesday, traveling to De Pere for a 7 p.m. showdown with St. Norbert (9-3, 4-1 NACC).
