Box Score PLYMOUTH, Wis. – Freshman
Xavier Allen (
Milwaukee, Wis.) scored 20 points in his collegiate debut but the Lakeland University men's basketball team was defeated by Beloit College 74-64 Friday night at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium.
The Muskies cut a 12-point second half deficit down to three late but went cold at the wrong time with just one field goal in over six minutes down the stretch. The Buccaneers made the plays late and won the season opener for both teams.
A young Lakeland team with just two seniors relied heavily on newcomers, led by Allen making 7 of 12 field goals.
Carter Koch (
So.-Oconto, Wis.) also scored 17 points and
Tyce Bollers (
So.-Strasburg, Colo.) added eight points as first-year Muskies scored 51 of the team's 64 points.
Lakeland led by six points midway through the first half when
Ben Zdzieblowski (
Fr.-Menasha, Wis.) made the second of two free throws for a 20-14 lead. The teams were tied seven times and swapped the lead on six occasions in the first half, but the Buccaneers went on a 9-0 run just before the break, leading 34-30 at halftime after Allen made two free throws with four seconds left in the half.
Beloit would score the first five points of the second half, though, extending its run to 14-2 over a three-minute stretch bookending halftime. The Muskies would never get the lead back, falling behind by as much as 12 at 55-43 before clawing back into the game with an 11-2 run. Koch scored nine points in that burst, and his layup with 6:45 left drew Lakeland within 57-54.
The Buccaneers answered with the next seven points, though, to regain control. The Muskies missed four consecutive shots and also missed a pair of free throws, and Anthony Carter's three-pointer with 4:13 left provided a big blow, making 64-54 with 4:13 left. Lakeland never got closer than seven points again.
The Muskies shot 42.1%, making 24 of 57 shots, and struggled at the free throw line hitting just 11 of 22 foul shots.
Parker Braun (
Sr.-Brillion, Wis.) paced the team with nine rebounds and
R.J. Hines Jr. (
Sr.-Gainesville, Fla.) added three assists.
Beloit received a big game from sophomore Owen Geiger, who scored a career-high 27 points. Geiger made 10 of 15 field goals and 5 of 6 from the free throw line and also added eight rebounds. Carter also scored 14 points. The Buccaneers shot 55.1% (27 of 49) and also received 34 points from their bench.
Lakeland is on the road for its next game Tuesday at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago for a 7 p.m. tip.
