MILWAUKEE (WLCSports.com) – Senior
Sam Leisemann (Fall River, Wis.) recorded her 13th double-double of the season and senior
Meggie Scott (Yorkville, Ill.) added a career-high 18 points to lead top-seeded Wisconsin Lutheran College to a 63-51 win over fifth-seeded Aurora on Friday in a NACC Tournament Semifinal game at the Time of Grace Center.
The Warriors (22-4), who advance to Sunday's NACC Tournament Final for the fourth straight season, held the Spartans (20-7) to 23 points below their season scoring average en route to their 17th straight victory.
Following a back-and-forth start from both teams, WLC held a 7-4 lead with 4:58 remaining in the first quarter. After AU knotted the score up at seven apiece, Wisconsin Lutheran closed out the quarter with a 5-2 spurt and a three from Scott, her second of the opening quarter, gave the Warriors a 12-9 lead after one period of play.
WLC opened the second quarter with a 6-0 spurt behind four points from freshman
Margie Stevens (Oneida, Wis.) for 20-11 advantage with 5:30 to play. Aurora responded with a 4-0 spurt, but another three from Scott and a three-point play from Leisemann pushed the Warriors' lead to 11 and they took a 26-15 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Both teams exchanged buckets in the opening minutes of the third quarter. WLC extended its lead to a game-high 16 points, thanks to a 6-0 surge fueled by four points from Leisemann. The Spartans cut their deficit to 13, but Wisconsin Lutheran finished off the quarter with a 40-25 lead.
The Warriors maintained a constant 15-point advantage through most of the fourth quarter. A late 6-1 surge trimmed the margin down to 10 points, 55-45, with 1:30 remaining. WLC never let its lead slip into single digits, however, as it advanced to the NACC Tournament Final with a 63-51 victory.
Leisemann led Wisconsin Lutheran with a double-double of 25 points and 12 rebounds, both game highs, for her 13th double-double of the season. Scott finished with a career-high 18 points on 4-for-8 shooting from beyond the arc, while Stevens added 14 points and seven boards. The Warriors shot 33.9 percent (20-for-59) from the field.
Sam Barrett paced AU with 14 points off the bench and Selena Vargas grabbed 10 rebounds. Aurora shot 32.7 percent (16-for-49) for the game.
Top-seeded WLC advances to Sunday's NACC Tournament Final where it will host second-seeded St. Norbert (18-9) at 1 p.m. This is the third straight year the two teams will meet for the conference title. The winner receives the conference's automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
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