Warriors' Seventh Straight Win Culminates With NACC Crown

PLYMOUTH, Wis. (WLCSports.com) - Senior Ryan Broeckel (Chilton, Wis.) scored 26 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead Wisconsin Lutheran College to an 87-75 regular season finale win over Lakeland on Saturday at Woltzen Gymnasium. 

With the win and a St. Norbert loss, the Warriors (21-4, 16-2 NACC) won the NACC regular season title outright and earned the top seed in next week's NACC Tournament. 

The Muskies got out to an early 8-4 lead, their largest of the game, but layups from seniors Grayson Goetz (Aurora, Ill.) and Broeckel tied it up at 8-8 at the 16:20 mark. A 5-0 spurt minutes later gave WLC a 19-12 lead. Both teams continued to exchange buckets and a layup from Broeckel at the seven-minute mark propelled Wisconsin Lutheran to its first double-digit advantage of the contest. A three from senior Jacob Stoltz (Kewaskum, Wis.) with 3:02 remaining put the Warriors ahead 48-31, their largest lead of the game. LU responded with a 10-2 run to close out the half and WLC took a 50-41 lead into the locker room. Stoltz scored 16 of his 20 points in the first half, while Broeckel added 14.

Wisconsin Lutheran and Lakeland exchanged baskets in the opening minutes of the second half and the Muskies trimmed their deficit to just four near the 14-and-a-half minute mark. Consecutive baskets from Goetz pushed the advantage back to eight and a three-point play from Broeckel with 8:54 remaining extended the Warriors' lead to double digits. LU quickly cut it back to single digits, but a three from Goetz at the 4:04 mark gave WLC a 79-67 lead. The margin stayed above double digits the rest of the way, reaching as many as 16 before the final 12-point differential. Goetz finished with 15 second-half points, while Broeckel netted 12.

Broeckel posted his second straight double-double and sixth of the season with a game-high 26 points and 15 rebounds. Goetz had 21 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while Stoltz added 20 points. Senior AJ Vos (Lombard, Ill.) grabbed 10 rebounds. The Warriors shot 39 percent (30-for-77) on their field goal attempts in the contest.

Cam Jaeger led the Muskies with a 24-point, 10-rebound double-double as they shot 47.3 percent (26-for-55) from the field.

Top-seeded WLC hosts eighth-seeded Aurora (11-14, 8-10 NACC) in a NACC Tournament Quarterfinal game on Tuesday at 7 p.m. inside the Time of Grace Center. Wisconsin Lutheran defeated the Spartans 94-78 in their lone meeting of the season on January 17. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.