MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College clinched the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference regular season title outright on Senior Day with a commanding 66-42 victory over Benedictine on Saturday at Time of Grace Center.
The win secured the outright NACC crown for the Warriors (20-5, 17-1 NACC), marking their third straight 20-plus win season and 14th overall, while the Eagles fell to 17-8 overall and 12-6 in league play. WLC shot 43.3 percent (26-of-60) from the field and held BenU to 30.9 percent (17-of-55).
The teams traded baskets early in the first quarter, which featured six lead changes and four ties. Benedictine led by as many as two, but Wisconsin Lutheran closed the period on a 4-0 burst, highlighted by a senior
Jayden Hill (Kenosha, Wis.) layup off a turnover, to take a 17-15 edge after one.
The Warriors began to seize control in the second quarter. Clinging to a 19-17 advantage, WLC used an 11-2 run to push the margin to double digits. Six points from junior
Abby Cole (Fond du Lac, Wis.) and four from freshman
Kenly Frey (Brookfield, Wis.) helped build a 30-19 halftime lead. The Eagles managed just four points in the period on 2-of-10 shooting.
Wisconsin Lutheran extended its lead in the third quarter. After BenU trimmed the deficit to nine at 38-29 midway through the frame, the Warriors responded with a 9-0 run to regain control. Junior
Margie Stevens (Oneida, Wis.) scored six points in the quarter as WLC carried a 47-31 lead into the fourth.
The fourth quarter belonged to the home team as well. Wisconsin Lutheran shot a game-high 54.5 percent in the period and steadily widened the gap, eventually building its largest lead of the afternoon at 29 points with 3:10 remaining before closing out the 24-point victory.
Cole led all scorers with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Frey added 14 points, while Stevens contributed 11 to give the Warriors three double-figure scorers. Hill pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds to go along with four steals, and Cole and Stevens dished out two assists. WLC forced 23 Benedictine turnovers and turned them into 28 points.
For the Eagles, Hailey Bachmann paced the team with eight points, and Abby Drendel led on the glass with six rebounds.
Top-seeded Wisconsin Lutheran will host eighth-seeded Lakeland (11-14, 9-9 NACC) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in a NACC Tournament Quarterfinal at Time of Grace Center. The Warriors swept the regular season series from the Muskies by an average margin of 30.5 points. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
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