MILWAUKEE – The Lakeland University men's basketball team gave a resilient effort on the road against the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference leaders but came up short in an 82-72 loss to Milwaukee School of Engineering Saturday evening.
The Muskies fought back from a 16-point deficit to get within a basket on multiple occasions but could never kick the door open. MSOE clinched a sweep of the season series and improved its sterling record to 14-1 overall and 9-1 in the NACC, while Lakeland dropped to 6-9 overall and 4-6 in conference.
The Muskies lost their seventh straight but showed some positive signs, including winning the rebounding battle 39-38 and also shooting a respectable 45.2% (28 of 62), nearly five percentage points above their season average.
Lakeland also continued to fight despite falling behind 23-8 less than nine minutes into the game and by as much as 16 on three occasions late in the first half. The Muskies put together a 19-4 run bookending halftime to get within 38-37 on a layup by
Pat McDonald (
Sr.-Port Washington, Wis.) with 18 minutes 12 seconds to play in the game, and the teams would trade baskets for the next 2 1/2 minutes as McDonald's lay-in again made it 44-43.
MSOE would stretch the lead back out and led by 12 as late as 64-52 with 6:13 left in the game, but Lakeland came back again. A three-point play by
Garrett Duffin (
Sr.-Princeton, Ill.) brought the Muskies back within two at 64-62 with 4:14 left, but the Raiders' Gabe Wear responded with a three-pointer and Lakeland never got closer than five the rest of the way.
McDonald scored 20 points, making 8 of 11 from the field and 3 of 4 from three-point range and added a team-high seven rebounds.
Zach Hasenstein (
So.-Sheboygan, Wis.) and
Eric Nygaard (
Sr.-Plymouth, Wis.) led balance through the rest of the lineup with 10 points each, while Duffin also added eight points and five boards.
Matthew Kirmse led MSOE with 15 points, one of five scoring in double figures. Jake Gebert also added a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Raiders, who shot 29 of 63 (46.0%) and committed just seven turnovers.
Lakeland is back home on Tuesday when it welcomes rival Concordia University Wisconsin for a 7 p.m. tip at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium.
