LA CROSSE, Wis. (WLCSports.com) - No. 22Â Wisconsin Lutheran College battled back from an 11-point second half deficit to take a two-point lead with under five minutes to play, but No. 17 WashU answered with six straight points to hand the Warriors a 59-56 loss in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 on Friday at Mitchell Hall.
WLC, which made its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, became just the second program in the 19-year history of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference to win at least two games in the national tournament.
Wisconsin Lutheran exchanged leads with the Bears six times throughout the opening 10 minutes of the first half. The Warriors held a 17-16 lead after a three-pointer from graduate
Ryan Broeckel (Chilton, Wis.) with 10:40 remaining. WashU responded with a 12-0 scoring run to tie its largest lead of the game, 28-17, with 6:35 left. WLC trailed by nine points, 35-26, at halftime after shooting 35.5 percent compared to the Bears' 56.0 percent.
WashU matched its largest lead of the game within the opening minute-and-a-half of the second half, but Wisconsin Lutheran answered with an 8-2 scoring spurt to trail by five after a jumper from graduate
Jacob Hefle (Germantown, Wis.) with 14:53 on the clock. The Bears held a 47-41 lead with eight-and-a-half minutes remaining before back-to-back three-pointers from Hefle and a jumper from graduate
Grayson Goetz (Aurora, Ill.) gave the Warriors a 49-47 lead at the 4:35 mark. WashUÂ responded by scoring the next six points to jump back in front by four with two minutes left. The teams alternated buckets the next four possessions, as WLC still trailed by four with 0:20 seconds remaining. Graduate
Jacob Stoltz (Kewaskum, Wis.) was fouled a three-pointer and hit all three shots with 0:13 seconds to play. The Bears knocked down a pair of free throws and contested Wisconsin Lutheran's game-tying three-point attempt as time expired.
Broeckel, Goetz, and Stoltz finished with 13 points each for the Warriors, who shot 44.0 percent in the second half to finish at 39.3 percent for the game. Hefle was the fourth player in double figures with 11 points. Broeckel and Stoltz tied a team-high with six rebounds, Goetz tied a game-high with four assists, while Broeckel tied a game-high with three steals. WLC held a 17-7 advantage on points off turnovers and 28-26 edge on points in the paint.
Hayden Doyle led three players in double figures with a game-high 16 points for WashU (22-6). The Bears shot 46.0 percent from the floor in the game. Both teams shot an identical 8-for-26 from beyond the arc and combined for just 13 free throw attempts.
Wisconsin Lutheran finishes its 2024-2025 season with a 27-4 overall record.
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