MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College led by one at the break, but Marian used a decisive second-half surge to pull away for a 94-75 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference win on Wednesday at Time of Grace Center.
The teams traded momentum throughout a back-and-forth first half that featured 11 lead changes and eight ties. The Warriors (6-16, 4-11 NACC) built a five-point advantage less than five minutes left in the half following freshman
Bryce Appel's (Edgerton, Wis.) three-pointer, and took a 38-37 lead into intermission after shooting 46.7 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes. Appel paced all scorers with 16 first-half points for WLC.
The Sabres (13-9, 9-6 NACC) turned the game after halftime, opening the second half with a 14-1 run over the first five minutes to seize control. MU stretched its lead to double figures for the final 13-and-a-half minutes of the game, shooting 65.4 percent from the field in the second half. Wisconsin Lutheran refused to go away behind senior
Ja'Quell Chisom (Milwaukee, Wis.), who scored 21 of his game-high 28 points after the break, but Marian answered each push and led by as many as 21 with under three minutes to play.
The Warriors finished the night shooting 44.4 percent (28-for-63) from the field. Chisom led WLC with a career-high tying 28 points, followed by Appel with 18 and freshman
Isaiah Mellock (Greendale, Wis.) with 11. Appel also paced Wisconsin Lutheran on the glass with seven rebounds.
The Sabres shot 53.4 percent (31-for-58) overall and placed five players in double figures. Derek Lindert led the way with 27 points, while Alex Vassilakis added 25, Andrew Ayeni chipped in 17, Harper Krolak scored 15, and Marvin Haslett finished with 10. Vassilakis pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds, and Ayeni handed out eight assists.
The Warriors return to action on Saturday, February 14, when they travel to Dominican (1-21, 1-14 NACC) for a 3:15 p.m. tip. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
