AURORA, Ill. (WLCSports.com) - Senior
Ryan Broeckel (Chilton, Wis.) scored a game-high 24 points to pace five players in double figures and Wisconsin Lutheran College shot 66.7 percent in the second half en route to a 94-78 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference win over Aurora on Wednesday at Thornton Gymnasium.
The Warriors (14-3, 9-1 NACC), who won their fourth straight game, have rattled off seven straight wins over the Spartans (7-9, 4-5 NACC) in the all-time series.
AU held its largest lead of the game at 12-8 five-and-a-half minutes in, before a 13-2 run put WLC in front by seven and forced a timeout at the 12-minute mark. Following five straight points from Aurora, the Wisconsin Lutheran lead hovered between two and seven points for the next nine minutes of the first half. The Spartans came within a point twice with under two minutes to play, but the Warriors tallied the final four points of the opening half for a 43-38 lead. Senior
Jacob Stoltz (Kewaskum, Wis.) scored 13 of his 19 points in the first half for WLC, which shot 46.9 percent (15-for-32) from the floor.
Wisconsin Lutheran held a pair of seven-point leads within the first minute of the second half, which featured six lead changes and four ties. AU evened the score at 55-55 with 13:45 to play and hung onto a 67-66 lead with nine minutes remaining. The Warriors answered with an 8-0 run, their largest of the game, bookended by a pair of threes from senior
Jacob Hefle (Germantown, Wis.). The run finished at 15-2 when Hefle connected on another triple for an 81-69 advantage with four-and-a-half minutes left. Aurora came no closer than eight points the rest of the way and WLC ended the game on a 7-0 run for the game-high 16-point lead as time expired. Broeckel finished with 16 second-half points, while Hefle added 12 for Wisconsin Lutheran, which made 20 of its 30 shot attempts for a staggering 66.7 percent.
Broeckel, who played all 40 minutes, finished with game-highs of 24 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks. Stoltz scored 19 points and dished out five assists, while Hefle drained six three-pointers for 18 points. Freshman Dom HIll (Waukesha, Wis.) netted a season-high 15 points, while senior
Grayson Goetz (Aurora, Ill.) chipped in 13 points, seven assists, and six rebounds in the return to his hometown. The Warriors shot 56.5 percent (35-for-62) for the game and outscored the Spartans 46-26 in the paint.
Isaiah Davis scored 19 points to lead five players in double figures for AU, which shot 46.6 percent (27-for-58) from the floor.
WLC travels to Lisle, Illinois on Saturday for a 2 p.m. NACC contest against Benedictine (9-7, 6-3 NACC). Live coverage links will be available at WLCSports.com.
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