MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College built a commanding first-half lead and held off a second-half surge to earn a 69–54 non-conference win over Gustavus Adolphus on Friday in the Paul F. Knueppel Classic at Time of Grace Center.
The Warriors (2-0) came out firing, shooting 69 percent in the opening quarter while turning a brief early deficit into a double-digit advantage behind the play of junior
Margie Stevens (Oneida, Wis.) and freshman
Kenly Frey (Brookfield, Wis.). WLC closed the first period with a 14–2 run to take a 28–17 lead.
That momentum carried into the second quarter, where Wisconsin Lutheran strung together a decisive 9–0 stretch that pushed the advantage past 20 points for the first time. A pair of three-pointers from freshman
Madeline Leffel (Germantown, Wis.) and a 14-0 advantage in points off turnovers helped the Warriors enter halftime with a 49–26 cushion.
The Golden Gusties (0-1) responded after the break, piecing together a strong third quarter in which it shot 47.1 percent from the floor and outscored WLC 21–8. A 7–0 run cut the margin to 53-39, and GAC closed the quarter with another 6-0 spurt to cut its deficit to just 10 at 57-47 after three.
Frey's three-pointer to start the fourth quarter and a steal-and-layup moments later ended Gustavus Adolphus' momentum and restored a 15-point lead. Wisconsin Lutheran limited the Golden Gusties to just seven points over the final nine minutes, holding the visitors to 18.8 percent shooting in the fourth as it closed out the victory.
Three Warriors finished in double figures, led by Stevens and Frey with 17 points apiece. Leffel added 13 points off the bench, and senior
Jayden Hill (Kenosha, Wis.) stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, 10 rebounds, and six steals. WLC shot 44.2 percent from the field, 38.9 percent from three, and 72.7 percent at the line.
GAC was paced by Kaitlyn Schaefer's 14 points, while Anna Goodman added nine points. Whitley Ronn grabbed eight rebounds for Gustavus Adolphus, which shot 32.2 percent overall and just 13 percent from behind the arc.
Wisconsin Lutheran's 24–11 advantage in points off turnovers proved to be the difference, overcoming the Gusties' edge in second-chance points (14–8) and bench scoring (21–19).
The Warriors host Wartburg (1-2) on Saturday at 3:15 p.m. in the final game of the Paul F. Knueppel Classic. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
