MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Top-seeded Wisconsin Lutheran College rolled to an 80-49 win over eighth-seeded Lakeland in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament Quarterfinal on Wednesday at Time of Grace Center.
The Warriors (21-5) set the tone early, erasing a brief 5-4 deficit with a 9-0 scoring run in the first quarter for a 13-5 lead with under three minutes to play. WLC carried a 16-9 advantage into the second period despite shooting 35.3 percent from the floor.
The game broke open in the second quarter. Wisconsin Lutheran scored 22 unanswered points and held the Muskies scoreless for nearly 10 minutes of game time for a 38-9 advantage with under two minutes left. The Warriors, who shot 68.4 percent in the period, surged into halftime ahead 45-18. Sophomore
Abby Cole (Fond du Lac, Wis.) scored 11 points on 5-for-5 shooting in the quarter.
The momentum continued after the break. WLC scored 25 points in the third quarter, stretching the lead to as many as 43 while holding LU to nine points for a third consecutive period to take a commanding 70-27 cushion into the final period.
Wisconsin Lutheran opened a game-high 48-point lead early in the fourth quarter. A 14-0 Lakeland run trimmed the deficit below 30 points late, but the outcome was never in doubt as the Warriors closed out the victory.
WLC shot 50.0 percent (32-of-64) from the field for the game. Cole led Wisconsin Lutheran with 19 points and 11 rebounds for her seventh double-double, while freshman
Maddie Ratzow (Oconomowoc, Wis.) added 11 and freshman
Madeline Leffel (Germantown, Wis.) chipped in 10. Cole also paced the team with three steals and was one of four players to record two assists.
The Muskies finished the night shooting 28.6 percent (16-of-56) from the floor. A.T. Bartlett and Lauryn Johnson each scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead LU. Lakeland ends the season with an 11-15 record.
With the win, the Warriors advance to host fourth-seeded Milwaukee School of Engineering (18-6) on Friday at 7 p.m. in a tournament semifinal matchup. WLC defeated MSOE 59-54 in their lone regular-season meeting on January 28 at Time of Grace Center. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
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