PLYMOUTH, Wis. – Wisconsin Lutheran College rode red-hot shooting in the first half to an early lead and defeated the Lakeland University women's basketball team 70-49 Tuesday night at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium.

The Warriors showed the form that has them one of four remaining undefeated teams in NCAA Division III and ranking high in the national polls, including 14th in the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll. WLC improved improve to 16-0 overall and 12-0 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference, while Lakeland dropped to 9-9 overall and is now 5-6 in conference play.

Lakeland was victimized for the second time in its last three home games by a team finding its shooting stroke on the Muskies' home court. Edgewood College shot a season-best 56.9% in rolling past the Muskies Jan. 22, and this time Wisconsin Lutheran was almost as hot, at least for a half.

Shooting just 39.0% on the season coming in, the Warriors hit 50% of their field goals (15 of 30) in the first half. Included in that was WLC making 5 of 8 from three-point range, well above the team's season average of 26.4% from long range coming in.

Warriors senior guard Jenna Mace was especially a thorn in Lakeland's side from the start. She scored Lutheran's first nine points of the game to key a 9-1 start for the guests, and in all she scored 18 points in the first half and finished with a season-high 23 points.

The Muskies briefly recovered from a slow start to get within two at 13-11 late in the first quarter on a short jumper by Kacey Gardner (Sr.-Evergreen Park, Ill.), but WLC hit the gas from there and would go on a 20-2 run over the next six minutes. Ally Gough hit back-to-back threes late in the first quarter as the Warriors took a 23-11 lead after one period, Mace and Kalies Birkholz both added triples early in the second and two free throws from Kaitlin Shadoski gave Lutheran a 35-13 led with 6 minutes, 28 seconds left in the first half.

Wisconsin Lutheran would carry a 43-21 lead into halftime and would lead by as many as 28 in the third quarter, but Lakeland actually held its own in the second half, even outscoring the Warriors 28-27. WLC cooled off in the final 20 minutes, hitting just 9 of 37 shots in the second half (24.3%) and finished the game shooting 35.8% (24 of 67), and the Muskies got as close as 18 points in the final minute on a layup by Nicole Sachman (Jr.-Niles, Mich.). 

Hayley Walding (Sr.-Bradenton, Fla.) led the Muskies with 10 points and Alexa Yost (So.-Menasha, Wis.) added nine points, all in the third quarter. Gardner and Morgan Zenon (Sr.-Twin Lakes, Wis.) added seven points each and
Sydney Walker (So.-Flint, Mich.) led Lakeland with five rebounds off the bench.

The Muskies struggled shooting against Wisconsin Lutheran's strong defense, hitting 30.9% (17 of 55). Lakeland made 11 of 16 free throws (68.8%) but also was on the wrong end of a 15-7 turnover differential.

Lakeland continues a busy late-season schedule on Thursday when it travels to face Concordia University Chicago at 7 p.m. in River Forest, Ill., in a makeup of a game postponed Jan. 11.