Warriors Trounce Alverno For Second Straight Lopsided Win

MILWAUKEE (WLCSports.com) - Wisconsin Lutheran College collected its second consecutive Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference victory of at least 38 points following a 91-52 trouncing over Alverno on Wednesday at Reiman Gymnasium.

The Warriors (7-7, 4-1 NACC), who recorded an identical 91-52 win against Alverno in their previous meeting a season ago, outscored the hosts 56-16 in the paint, 51-3 off the bench, and 30-8 off turnovers.

A slow start from both teams saw the scored tied 3-3 midway through the first quarter, but WLC took control with a 15-1 scoring run for its first double-digit lead of the game. Back-to-back layups from senior Janiyah Goner (Milwaukee, Wis.), who netted eight points in the first quarter, pushed Wisconsin Lutheran's lead to 14 points with 0:30 seconds left. The Warriors carried an 18-5 advantage into the second quarter.

A 7-0 run from AC two minutes into the second quarter cut its deficit to 10 points at 22-12. However, WLC broke the game wide open by scoring 33 points and shooting 15-for-19 from the floor in the period. Sophomore Margie Stevens (Oneida, Wis.) tallied 13 of her team-high 16 points in the second quarter alone. Wisconsin Lutheran closed out the first half on a 15-0 scoring run for a 51-23 lead at halftime.

The Warriors used a 9-0 scoring run past the midway mark of the third quarter to pull away from a back-and-forth scoring affair. WLC's lead peaked at 35 points in the quarter before another 7-0 run from Alverno had the score reading 73-43 in favor of Wisconsin Lutheran heading into the final frame.

The Warriors opened the fourth quarter with seven straight points, including five in a row from freshman Taylor Ignatowski (Germantown, Wis.), for an 80-43 cushion less than two minutes in. WLC's lead hovered between 33 and 38 points until the final minute of play when freshman Raeanne Nevad's (Merritt Island, Fla.) layup gave the visitors a game-high 40-point lead. 

Stevens led Wisconsin Lutheran with 16 points, all coming in the first half, while freshman Abby Cole (Fond du Lac, Wis.) added 15 points. Goner and Ignatowski chipped in with eight points each. The Warriors shot 44.6 percent (37-for-83) from the floor and made nine three-pointers.

Shiauna Nixon-Boyd posted a game-high double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Inferno (2-12, 0-5 NACC), who shot 34.5 percent (19-for-55) for the game. 

WLC travels to River Forest, Illinois on Saturday for a 2 p.m. NACC contest with Concordia Chicago (1-12, 0-6 NACC). Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.