MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College capped a dominant weekend at the Paul F. Knueppel Classic with a 67-53 non-conference victory over Wartburg on Saturday at Time of Grace Center, giving the Warriors their first 2-0 finish at the event since 2021. The win also pushes WLC to a 3-0 start for the first time in four years – all against opponents receiving votes in the D3hoops.com preseason Top 25.
The teams traded early leads through a tightly contested opening period that featured six lead changes. After the Knights briefly went ahead 10-8, Wisconsin Lutheran responded with layups from senior
Jayden Hill (Kenosha, Wis.), sophomore
Abby Cole (Fond du Lac, Wis.), and freshman
Madeline Leffel (Germantown, Wis.) to enter the first quarter break up 14-12.
The Warriors began to separate midway through the second frame, using a 6-0 run to push their lead to 26-18. Cole fueled the surge with six points in the quarter, while Leffel and junior
Margie Stevens (Oneida, Wis.) knocked down triples. Wartburg's best push came on a 5-0 burst late in the half, but Hill answered with a jumper in the final second to give WLC a 33-27 lead at halftime.
Wisconsin Lutheran unleashed its biggest run of the game in the third. After the Knights opened with a three, the Warriors rattled off an 8-0 run to build a 46-35 advantage. WLC outscored Wartburg 9-0 in second-chance points during the frame, as Stevens scored seven points in the quarter. Wisconsin Lutheran carried a 51-41 lead into the fourth.
The Warriors, who led by double-digits for the entire fourth quarter, extended their lead to a game-high 16 points at 67-51 on Leffel's fast-break layup with 4:42 remaining. Neither team managed to score over the final 4:07 of the contest.
WLC shot 47.5 percent (29-for-61) from the field and held advantages in points in the paint (42-28), second-chance points (15-2), and bench points (21-11).
Wisconsin Lutheran was paced by Cole, who finished with 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting while also collecting seven rebounds. Leffel provided a major spark off the bench with 15 points and a team-high four assists, while Stevens added 13 points along with five rebounds, four steals, three assists, and a block. Hill also reached double figures with 12 points and matched Cole with a team-best seven rebounds.
The Knights, who shot 47.6 percent (20-for-42), were led by Lauren Golinghorst, who scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed four rebounds. Grace Hennessy contributed eight points and a team-high five rebounds, while Katie Boulanger also chipped in eight points.
The Warriors (3-0) open Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play on Tuesday when they host Marian (0-3) at 7 p.m. at Time of Grace Center. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
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