LISLE, Ill. – Benedictine University broke open a close game late in the first half as the Lakeland University men's basketball team dropped its Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference opener 93-63 Saturday afternoon.

The Muskies led in the game's early stage but the Eagles shot 55.2% in the first half to pull ahead and win going away. Lakeland fell to 1-4 overall on the season with its third straight loss.

The Eagles (6-1 overall, 2-0 NACC) went on a 16-4 run late in the first half to take a 19-point lead just before halftime. Benedictine led 48-31 at the halftime break, and the Muskies would get no closer than 14 points in the second half.

Lakeland scored the game's first five points and took its final lead when Eddie Burnett (So.-Chicago, Ill.) swished a three-pointer to make it 10-8 early on. The Muskies stayed close through most of the first half and trailed just 22-19 after a jumper by Jequan Pegeese (Jr.-Beloit, Wis.) with 8 minutes, 46 seconds left in the period, but Benedictine started to make its move from there. The Eagles went on a 10-2 run to go ahead 32-21, and after Lakeland closed back within seven the hosts broke it open, scoring 12 straight points late in the half.

Lakeland shot 44.8% for the game, making 26 of 58 shots. The Muskies hit just 3 of 20 from three-point range (15.0%) and also committed 23 turnovers, which the Eagles turned into 27 points.

Eric Jordan (Fr.-Chicago, Ill.) scored nine points off the bench to lead Lakeland. Pegeese and Carlos Campos (Sr.-Janesville, Wis.) added eight points each, and in all 12 different players scored for the Muskies. Isaac Anderson (Sr.-Linden, Wis.) and Sam Kaminski (Sr.-Sheboygan, Wis.) also shared team honors with seven rebounds each, and Zach Hasenstein (Jr.-Sheboygan, Wis.) added seven points and six assists.

Mike Boatright scored 17 points off the bench to lead five players scoring in double figures for Benedictine, which made 16 of 29 shots in the first half and shot 50.8% for the game (32 of 63). Eric Grygo also added 15 points plus a game-high 12 rebounds.

Lakeland is home next time out when it welcomes Concordia University Chicago for a 7 p.m. tip Wednesday at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium.