MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Senior Day ended in heartbreak for Wisconsin Lutheran College, as Benedictine edged the Warriors 81-80 in the 2025-2026 season finale on Saturday at Time of Grace Center.
The Eagles used a 7-0 run midway through the first half to build a 21-14 lead at the 8:55 mark, their largest advantage of the opening period. The Warriors trimmed the deficit and eventually pulled within one. A late dunk and buzzer-beating 3-pointer by senior
Ja'Quell Chisom (Milwaukee, Wis.) capped a strong close for WLC, which trailed just 38-37 at the break after six lead changes and five ties in the first 20 minutes.
The second half featured continued back-and-forth action with four additional lead changes. Wisconsin Lutheran seized momentum early, opening on a 10-2 surge to turn a one-point halftime deficit into a 47-40 lead at the 16:21 mark on freshman
Bryce Appel's (Edgerton, Wis.) 3-pointer for the Warriors' largest lead of the game.
A 3-pointer put BenU back in front, 54-52, with 13:09 to play, and the visitors gradually stretched the margin to double digits, claiming their largest lead of the contest at 65-55 with 8:29 remaining.
WLC refused to fold, chipping away at the deficit over the final eight minutes and trailed 79-77 inside the final minute. After a defensive stop, sophomore
Lucas Anamndu (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) was fouled and split a pair at the line with 0:16 seconds remaining, pulling Wisconsin Lutheran within one at 79-78. Following an offensive rebound, Appel stayed with the play and converted a putback layup with 0:14 seconds to go, giving the Warriors their first lead of the final minutes at 80-79 and sending the Senior Day crowd into a frenzy.
Benedictine had the final answer. Out of a timeout, the Eagles worked the ball inside to Ryan Tucker, who finished a layup with 0:04 seconds left to reclaim the lead at 81-80. WLC raced the ball up the floor in the closing seconds, but a contested 3-pointer at the buzzer fell short, sealing the narrow defeat.
Chisom paced Wisconsin Lutheran with 19 points, while Appel and freshman
Isaiah Mellock (Greendale, Wis.) added 15 and 14, respectively. Anamndu chipped in 10 and senior
Austin Wagner (Jackson, Wis.) contributed nine points in his Senior Day start. Appel and Anamndu grabbed a team-best five rebounds, and junior
Trey Luehring (Cedarburg, Wis.) handed out a game-high five assists.
For BenU (10-15, 9-9 NACC), Ryan Tucker led all scorers with 21 points. Noah Mason added 17 points to go along with five assists and four steals. Brandon McCoy and Ben Peacock each finished in double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Connor Glasgow pulled down a game-high nine rebounds.
Benedictine shot 48.3 percent (28-of-58) from the floor, while the Warriors finished at 46.4 percent (26-of-56).
The one-point setback marked the final collegiate game for WLC's seven seniors –
Trey Keizer (Westchester, Ill.), Chisom,
Vincent Martin Jr. (Milwaukee, Wis.), Wagner,
Ephraim Albers (Reedsburg, Wis.),
Ben Lubbers (Delafield, Wis.), and
Daniel Frausto (Chicago, Ill.) – and concluded Wisconsin Lutheran's season at 7-18 overall and 5-13 in the NACC.
