Benedictine University Eagles (6-4 overall, 3-1 NACC)
at Lakeland University Muskies (4-7 overall, 2-2 NACC)
Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023 5 p.m.
Woltzen Gymnasium
Lakeland/Benedictine Game Notes PDF
The Lakeland University men's basketball team returns from a break over Christmas for its final home game of 2023 when it hosts Benedictine University Thursday at 5 p.m. at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium.
With their non-conference schedule completed, the Muskies return to Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference competition for the duration of the season. Lakeland's final 14 regular season games will be conference contests, with the goal of finishing in the top eight in the NACC to a spot in the conference tournament.
Broadcast Information:
Live video & live statistics:
http://www.lakelandmuskies.com/muskieslive. Cameron Ezeir, a graduate of Syracuse University and a sports reporter at WFRV-TV 5 in Green Bay, is our guest broadcaster tonight with Voice of the Muskies Andy Damp away with family for the holidays this week.
Series history: 46th meeting, Lakeland leads 23-22
Lakeland and Benedictine have been meeting since 1949, when the schools were known as Mission House and St. Procopius colleges, respectively. The teams met once earlier in 2023, with the Muskies outlasting the Eagles 99-88 at home back on Feb. 11. Lakeland outscored Benedictine 63-54 in the second half and had six players score in double figures in a game that had 49 fouls and 68 free throws shot. Benedictine had won five straight in the series before that, the most recent a 87-63 victory in the first round of the 2022 NACC Tournament. The first meeting ever between the schools came over 70 years ago on March 2, 1949, when Mission House defeated St. Procopius 56-48 in Lisle, Ill.
Lakeland last time out: Lost at Carroll 87-66 Dec. 20
The Muskies have been idle since last week Wednesday when they capped a quick sprint of three games in five days with a loss to the Pioneers on the road. Lakeland started well, making 8 of its first 14 shots, but Carroll broke open a close game with an 18-3 run just before halftime and maintained a double-digit lead the entire second half. The Muskies lost their third straight and for the fifth time in six games.
Isaiah Hammond scored 17 points,
Cam Jaeger tallied 13 and
Asanjai Hunter and
Brayden Kennedy added 10 points apiece.
Benedictine last time out: Lost to No. 20 Widener (Pa.) 77-64 last Thursday
The Eagles finished two days in Miami Shores, Fla., with a loss in the consolation game of the Cruizin Classic. Benedictine led early but fell to a Widener team ranked 20th in the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll. Drew Stokes scored 19 points and Cullen Cosme and Nick Howard added 12 points each, but the Eagles shot a season-low 29.4% in falling for the second straight day, after dropping a 94-92 overtime decision to Saint Vincent (Pa.) in their first game of the tourney.
About the Eagles: Benedictine enters with a 6-4 record overall against a tough schedule that has included a win over defending College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin champion Wheaton plus its other two losses to undefeated Dubuque (Iowa) and defending NACC regular season champion Wisconsin Lutheran. The Eagles are 3-1 in conference, but their three wins have come by a combined 13 points, including three-point wins over Dominican and Marian teams that have a combined 3-18 record. Benedictine finished 12-14 overall last year and 9-7 in the NACC, advancing to the conference tourney semifinals before falling to Wisconsin Lutheran.
