PLYMOUTH, Wis. – Concordia University Wisconsin shot 53.5% from the field and the Lakeland University men's basketball team was unable to keep up in a 94-68 loss Wednesday night at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium.
A close game for a half disintegrated in the final 20 minutes for the cold-shooting Muskies, who shot 34.7% for the game and fell to 7-7 overall and 3-4 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. The result was a rare lopsided score in the typically close rivalry, which Concordia now leads 68-61 after 129 meetings.
The Falcons (6-7 overall, 5-3 NACC) shot well all game but especially in the second half when they made 24 of 43 shots (55.8%). CUW also owned the boards in the final 20 minutes, outrebounding Lakeland 29-14 in the second half and finishing the game with a 50-37 rebounding advantage.
The Falcons built the lead steadily, first with a 10-2 run capped by a layup by Jared Jurss making it 56-44 with 15 minutes, 6 seconds left in the game. The lead hovered around ten points for the next five minutes until a 7-0 run including a Gabe Pruss layup put Concordia ahead 72-53 with 7:53 left. The Muskies would get no closer than 15 the rest of the way and CUW would extend the lead to as much as 28 points in the final minutes.
The second half deluge was a surprise after the teams were even for most of the first 20 minutes. The first half included six ties and eight lead changes, with neither team leading by more than five. Lakeland also held a considerable rebounding advantage early against the taller Falcons, outhustling the guests on the glass and finishing the half ahead in the rebounding battle.
Concordia's largest lead came at 27-22 when Freeman Jackson hit a jumper with 7:27 remaining in the half, but Lakeland surged right back with nine straight points on three-pointers by
Jequan Pegeese (
Sr.-Beloit, Wis.),
Cam Jaeger (
So.-Kiel, Wis.) and
Travis Kohlmann (
Fr.-Kiel, Wis.) to take its largest lead of the half at 31-27. The teams were tied as late as 33-33, but the Falcons took a 39-35 lead into the break when Garrett Hoffmann drained a corner three-pointer just before the buzzer.
The Muskies made 25 of 72 shots including 7 of 27 from three-point range (25.9%).
Earl Lewis (
Jr.-Madison, Wis.) scored 18 points off the bench, one off his season high, Jaeger added 17 points and Pegeese finished with 13.
Matt Sechman (
Sr.-Chicago, Ill.) also finished with a team-high nine rebounds and Kohlmann and
Greg Barber (
Sr.-Miami, Fla.) both added four steals each.
Jordan Johnson finished with 26 points and 14 rebounds, making 12 of 17 shots from the field for the Falcons, who finished making 38 of 71 field goals including 9 of 22 from long distance (40.9%). Brandon Keller added 13 points and nine rebounds, Hoffmann scored 13 point and Jurss added 12 points and a game-high seven assists.
The Muskies go on the road for their next game Saturday at Aurora University.
