ROCKFORD, Ill. (WLCSports.com) - Wisconsin Lutheran College recovered from a sluggish first quarter to post its seventh straight win on Saturday, a 70-40 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference triumph over Rockford at Seaver Center.
The Warriors (12-7, 9-1 NACC), who held the Regents to a combined 22 points over the final three quarters, had 12 players reach the scoring column in their fourth straight road victory.
WLC never held the lead in the first quarter, falling behind 7-2 two-and-a-half minutes into the game. Wisconsin Lutheran faced its largest deficit of the contest, 16-8, with 3:40 remaining. RU, which led 18-11 after the opening quarter, had its best shooting performance of the game at 42.1 percent compared to the Warriors' worst performance at 26.1 percent.
WLC opened the second quarter with an 8-0 run to take its first lead of the game following back-to-back three-pointers from seniors
Lexy Smit (Brandon, Wis.) and
Kara Troxel (Bonduel, Wis.). Wisconsin Lutheran closed out the final 5:51 of the quarter on a 13-1 run to grab a 10-point halftime lead at 32-22. Senior
Ainsley Howard's (Jefferson, Wis.) three-pointer in the final minute gave the Warriors their first double-digit advantage of the day. WLC shot an even 50 percent in the period, compared to Rockford's 7.7 percent.
Wisconsin Lutheran turned a nine-point lead into a 16-point cushion after a 7-0 run midway through the third quarter. Another 8-1 run over the final two minutes of the period pushed the Warriors' lead to 20 points at 51-31. Nearly half of WLC's third quarter points came from inside the paint.
Wisconsin Lutheran held at least a 20-point lead for the final 7:50 of the fourth quarter. Two free throws from freshman
Taylor Ignatowski (Germantown, Wis.) put the Warriors in front by a game-high 31 points with a minute to play.Â
Sophomore
Margie Stevens (Oneida, Wis.) led all scorers with 17 points. She added five rebounds and three steals. Junior
Jayden Hill (Kenosha, Wis.) contributed 10 points, six rebounds, and three steals. Troxel and freshman
Abby Cole (Fond du Lac, Wis.) tallied nine points apiece. WLC outscored the Regents 23-8 off turnovers, 32-16 in the paint, and 26-11 off the bench. Wisconsin Lutheran, which tied a season-high with 19 free throws made, shot 41.1 (23-for-56) percent from the floor.
D'Asia Washington posted a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double for RU (3-14, 2-8 NACC), which shot 28.3 percent (15-for-53) for the game.
The Warriors travel to River Forest, Illinois on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. NACC matchup against Dominican (5-14, 1-9 NACC). Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
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