Lakeland University Muskies (4-2 overall, 3-1 NACC North)
at Wisconsin Lutheran College Warriors (3-0 overall, 3-0 NACC North)
Friday, Feb. 12, 2021Â Â 7 p.m.
Recreation Complex
Milwaukee, Wis.
Lakeland/Wis. Lutheran MBB Game Notes  PDF
The Lakeland University and Wisconsin Lutheran College men's basketball teams will meet for a battle for first place in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference North Division when the play Friday night at 7 p.m. at WLC's Recreation Complex in Milwaukee.
Fan attendance policy: Per
WLC's Indoor Sports Spectator Policy, visiting teams are allowed two guests per player/coach. A guest list for each game is submitted by the visiting team before the game. No changes will be allowed after the guest list has been submitted.
Broadcast Information:Â Live audio and video from WLC are available to follow along with Friday night atÂ
https://boxcast.tv/view/mens-basketball-vs-lakeland-988924. Live statistics for Friday night are also available at:
https://wlcsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/boxscores/20210212_9jcs.xml.Live video and statistics will also be available from WLC for Saturday's games, visit
wlcsports.com for updated links.
Series history: 72nd meeting, Lakeland leads 40-31
Lakeland holds the all-time series lead but Wisconsin Lutheran has won six of the last eight meetings, including last season when the Warriors handily beat Lakeland 113-86 on Jan. 29, 2020 at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium. WLC shot 68.8% from the field in the second half and outscored the Muskies 43-20 in the final 12 minutes to pull away from the Muskies. The Lakeland win over the Warriors came in an 89-66 win at Lutheran on Jan. 31, 2018, with Pat McDonald scoring 22 points and adding 11 assists.
Lakeland last time out: Defeated MSOE 85-80 in overtime last Saturday
The Muskies survived a tying three-point shot at the end of regulation to complete the two-game sweep of the Raiders and win their third straight game.
Trenton Nickel scored 20 points to lead five players scoring in double figures. Lakeland shot 39.4% and was outrebounded 47-36 but made 22 of 24 from the free throw line (91.7%) and turned 22 MSOE turnovers into 34 points.
Wisconsin Lutheran last time out: Defeated MSOE 77-65 Monday
The Warriors also are coming off a victory against the Raiders, theirs coming on the road at MSOE. Freshman Jacob Stoltz scored a game-high 21 points to help WLC to its third straight to open the season. Wisconsin Lutheran took a 40-37 lead into half even after the Raiders shot 55.6% in the first 20 minutes, and the Warriors started the second half on a 10-2 run and never looked back. Alex VanCrete also added 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds for WLC.
About the Warriors: Wisconsin Lutheran is off to a 3-0 start, despite the team having little practice time due to being affected by COVID-19 quarantines for a spell in January. The Warriors also swept a pair of games from Marian last weekend on the road, and the win over MSOE came in their third game in four days.
WLC shared the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference regular season championship with Benedictine last season, finishing 19-7 overall and 16-4 in conference. The Warriors were the second seed in the conference tournament but were upset by eventual tournament champions Concordia Wisconsin in the semifinals. Three starters departed from that team, including conference player of the year Andrew Bruggink. Head coach Aaron Aanonsen, who was named Coach of the Year for his efforts last season, is in his fourth year at the school. He also is a familiar face to Lakeland as he served as the Muskies' head coach from 2008-17. Current Lakeland coach
Sam Schroeder was an assistant under Aanonsen for six years, while assistant coaches
Kurt Jansen and
Joshuan McNeal played under Aanonsen.
A Nickel saved is an award earned: Senior
Trenton Nickel earned Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career Tuesday. Nickel averaged 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.5 steals in the two-game sweep of MSOE. He also shot 52.0% from the field, including 50.0% from three-point range, and a perfect 100.0% from the free throw line. Nickel leads the Muskies in points per game, steals, and free throw percentage this season.
