MILWAUKEE (WLCSports.com) - Senior
Ryan Broeckel (Chilton, Wis.) recorded his eighth double-double of the season of 24 points and 12 rebounds and senior
Jacob Stoltz (Kewaskum, Wis.) added 21 points to lead top-seeded Wisconsin Lutheran College to an 85-65 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament Quarterfinal win over eighth-seeded Aurora on Tuesday at the Time of Grace Center.
The Warriors (22-4), who posted their third-best shooting performance of the season at 54.8 percent, never trailed against the Spartans (11-15) and led by as many as 30 points in the second half en route to their eighth straight win.
Senior
Grayson Goetz (Aurora, Ill.) started the scoring with a layup and three-pointer for a 5-0 WLC lead less than two minutes in. Another three from Stoltz sent the advantage to 12-6, before AU fought back within two at 17-15 with just over 11 minutes left. A 6-0 spurt put Wisconsin Lutheran in front by eight and the lead reached double-digits for the first time at 30-19 after Stoltz's fastbreak layup with six-and-a-half minutes remaining. Aurora came within six points at 31-25, but the Warriors used a 7-0 run to extend the margin to 13 points, and shortly after held a 41-29 halftime lead. Stoltz tied for a first-half high 12 points, as WLC shot 51.5 percent from the floor in the opening half.
Wisconsin Lutheran connected on its first six shot attempts of the second half to open up a 22-point lead at 56-34. Two minutes later, the Warriors went on an 8-0 scoring run to push their lead to 29 points following a three-pointer from senior
Jacob Hefle (Germantown, Wis.). WLC's advantage reached a game-high 30 points at 74-44 after a layup from sophomore
Ben Lubbers (Delafield, Wis.) with eight-and-a-half minutes to play. The Spartans went on their biggest run of the game late, 8-0, but the deficit was too much to overcome. Broeckel netted 16 of his game-high 24 points in the second half, as Wisconsin Lutheran shot 58.6 percent from the floor.
Broeckel finished with game highs of 24 points and 12 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season. Stoltz scored 21 points on 4-for-6 from three-point range, while Hefle added 14 points also on 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. The Warriors outscored AU 17-3 in points off turnovers and 42-30 in the paint. WLC shot 54.8 percent (34-for-62) for the game and 45.8 percent (11-for-24) from beyond the arc.
Noah Butler poured in a team-high 19 points off the bench for Aurora, which shot 43.1 percent (25-for-58) for the game.
Wisconsin Lutheran hosts fourth-seeded Rockford (18-8) in Thursday's NACC Tournament Semifinal at 7 p.m. at the Time of Grace Center. The Warriors defeated the Regents 84-68 in their lone meeting of the season on Jan. 13. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
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