LISLE, Ill. – Benedictine University shot 54.5% from the field, taking full advantage of the comfort of home as the Lakeland University men's basketball team bowed out of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament with an 87-63 loss in a first round game Saturday night at the Rice Center.

The No. 7 seed Eagles never trailed in defeating the 10th-seeded Muskies to advance to a quarterfinal game against second-seeded Concordia University Wisconsin Tuesday night. Lakeland saw its season end with a 10-14 record including a second loss on the road at Benedictine in eight days.

The Muskies were stuck playing from behind from the time Marvin Agwomoh scored to get the Eagles (12-12 overall) on the board 12 seconds into the game. Benedictine took control after a close first five minutes, scoring 14 straight points to take a 26-11 lead just past the midpoint of the first half.

The Eagles held a double-digit lead the rest of the way and were ahead 44-30 at halftime. Benedictine then scored the first five points after intermission and Lakeland got no closer than 15 points the rest of the way, the last time on two free throws by Kai Buliox (So.-Milwaukee, Wis.) cutting the deficit to 54-39 with 15:10 left in the game.

The Muskies shot 40.4% (21 of 52), including 8 of 22 from three-point range (36.4%). Buliox scored 14 points and Jequan Pegeese (Sr.-Beloit, Wis.) added 12 points for the only players to score in double figures. Buliox also paced the team with seven rebounds and four assists.

Agwomoh and Trevor Mantiel both scored 16 points each to lead Benedictine, which made 36 of 66 shots, posted a 54-18 advantage in points in the paint and also outrebounded Lakeland 37-25.

The game was the final one for five Lakeland seniors, including Pegeese, Phillip Curtis IV (Detroit, Mich.), Greg Barber (Miami, Fla.), Caleb Matthias (Crete, Ill.) and Matt Sechman (Chicago, Ill.).

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