Benedictine University Eagles (10-11 overall, 8-5 NACC)
at Lakeland University Muskies (11-10 overall, 5-8 NACC)
Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023Â Â 2 p.m.
Woltzen Gymnasium
Lakeland/Benedictine MBB Game Notes  PDF
The Lakeland University men's basketball team will aim to finish its season strong with a final stretch beginning with Benedictine University visiting Saturday at 2 p.m. to start a men's/women's basketball doubleheader.Â
Broadcast Information:
Live video & live statistics:Â
http://www.lakelandmuskies.com/muskieslive. Andy Damp is again calling the play-by-play for all Lakeland home basketball games this year.
Series history:Â 45th meeting, series tied 22-22
Lakeland and Benedictine have been meeting on the basketball court since 1949, when the two schools were known as Mission House College and St. Procopius College, respectively. This is the squads' first and only scheduled meeting this season. The teams met twice last season, both matchups coming at Benedictine and both in an eight-day span. The Eagles held on for a 67-62 win at home Feb. 12, 2022, and then blitzed the Muskies 87-63 in the first round of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament a week later. Benedictine has won five straight in the series; Lakeland's last win was a 90-88 victory at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium Dec. 1, 2018. 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 Dominican 86-67 Thursday
The Muskies struggled on the road in River Forest, Ill., in a non-conference game arranged between the two NACC foes after Lakeland's previously scheduled game at Concordia Chicago earlier in the week was canceled. Dominican scored the first five points of the game and never trailed, building a double-digit lead late in the first half and then blowing the game open early in the second half. The Muskies shot 36.2% for the game and also were outrebounded 52-39 by the Stars.
Isaiah Hammond scored 12 points and
Christian Knox added 11.
Benedictine last time out: Defeated Edgewood 81-65 Tuesday
The Eagles cooled off Edgewood's Eagles on the strength of a dominant first half and red-hot shooting throughout. Benedictine shot 55.6% while holding Edgewood to 23.3% shooting over the first 20 minutes, building a 23-point lead at one point and leading 39-19 at halftime. The host Eagles were even better from the field in the second half, making 18 of 27 shots to finish the game at a steamy 61.1% from the floor, easily the team's best shooting performance of the season. Freshman Andrew Stokes scored 26 points, making 11 of 13 shots and all four of his free throws. Marvin Agwomoh added 14 points and Trevor Montiel added nine points and 13 rebounds.
Benedictine has had an up-and-down season that has included four two-game winning streaks and two three-game losing skids. The Eagles are shooting for their first three-game winning streak and at 8-5 in the NACC are in position to clinch a spot in the six-team NACC Tournament, possibly as early as Saturday with a win.
The Muskies' NACC tourney path... is an uphill battle. With three games to play, Lakeland sits in ninth in the conference standings. The Muskies would have to pass three teams to get inside the top six teams that will qualify for the postseason, and their finishing stretch comes with a trip to defending NACC champion Marian on Tuesday. The upside is Lakeland is only one game out of the sixth spot in the loss column, with Aurora at 7-7 in conference play.
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