MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WLCSports.com) — Wisconsin Lutheran College was unable to slow a balanced Wheaton attack in an 83-56 non-conference loss on Wednesday at Time of Grace Center.
The Thunder (7-4) seized control early and never relinquished the lead, using an efficient first half to build a 38-24 advantage at the break. Wheaton scored the first eight points of the game and opened with a 13-3 run overall. The Warriors came within four points at 20-16 midway through the first half after a pair of free throws from freshman
Isaiah Mellock (Greendale, Wis.). The Thunder answered with a 9-2 spurt to bring its lead back to double-digits with 7:48 remaining. WLC trailed by nine after sophomore
Sam Hans' (Hartland, Wis.) layup with 4:49, but Wheaton later extended its lead to a first-half best 14 points at intermission.
The Thunder used a 9-0 run four minutes into the second half to push the margin beyond 20 points for the first time. Two free throws from sophomore
Garrett Murphy (Colgate, Wis.) brought the deficit down to 16 points with nine minutes left, but Wisconsin Lutheran would get no closer. Wheaton shot 45.9 percent after halftime and knocked down all seven of its three-pointers over the final 20 minutes.
For the game, the Warriors (3-8) finished shooting 26.6 percent (17-for-64) from the field. Junior
Trey Luehring (Cedarburg, Wis.) led WLC with 11 points, while Hans added eight points and paced Wisconsin Lutheran on the glass with seven rebounds.
The Thunder shot 44.9 percent (31-for-69) overall and placed five players in double figures. Soren Richardson led Wheaton with 18 points, followed by Carson Grier with 17, Reid Olson with 16, Kyan VanderWoude with 13, and Devin Martin with 10. Brady Wynja pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.
The Warriors return to action on Saturday, January 3, when they travel to Concordia Chicago (4-7, 3-1 NACC) for a 3:15 p.m. tip-off. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
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