The Lakeland University men's basketball team had its coldest shooting performance of the season and it caught up to the Muskies in the second half of a 90-76 loss to Aurora University Saturday afternoon in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference game.

Lakeland (5-3 overall, 3-3 NACC) shot a season-low 36.1% for the game, including a 31.4% mark in the second half. Aurora countered with efficient offense in the final 20 minutes and slowly pulled away of a one-point game at halftime to defeat the Muskies for the seventh consecutive time in the series between the schools.

The visiting Spartans (4-3 overall, 3-2 NACC) shot 57.1% in the second half, making 16 of 28 from the field. Max Vickers was a load inside, scoring 17 of his 22 points in the final 20 minutes and helped Aurora to a 51-25 advantage in points in the paint.

The Muskies held a 43-42 halftime lead after a back-and-forth first 20 minutes that saw five ties and seven lead changes, going ahead for the final time in the game after Trenton Nickel (Fr.-Kiel, Wis.) hit a three-pointer with three seconds left in the first half. Vickers hit a short jumper to open the second half, though, and the Spartans never trailed again.

Aurora took the lead for good with an 11-2 spurt, going ahead 60-51 on a layup by Marcus Myers with 14:02 left. Lakeland was able to rally from a nine-point deficit in the first half and got back as close as four points in the second when Nickel hit a three-pointer on the fast break to make it 62-58, but the Spartans scored the next eight points and were never seriously threatened again.

The Muskies made just 11 of 35 shots in the second half and 26 of 72 for the game. Lakeland did connect on 12 three-pointers, finishing with at least 10 triples for the fifth time in eight games, but it took 33 attempts and shot 36.4% from deep, including just 5 of 16 in the second half.

Carlos Campos (So.-Janesville, Wis.) scored 19 points and Shakur Jinad (So.-Chicago, Ill.) and Pat McDonald (Jr.-Port Washington, Wis.) both added 16 points each. Jinad also added eight rebounds and Zach Hasenstein (Fr.-Sheboygan, Wis.) also pitched in nine points, five assists and three steals.

Myers also scored 20 points for Aurora, Ty Carlson added 17 and Matt Dunn finished with six points, eight rebounds, nine assists and three blocked shots. The Spartans made 52.4% of their shots for the game, hitting 33 of 63 from the field as well as 18 of 24 free throws (75.0%).

The Muskies take to the road for their next game when they travel to face Silver Lake College in Manitowoc on Tuesday at 7 p.m.