by FOND DU LAC, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Sophomore Margie Stevens (Oneida, Wis.) posted her first double-double of the season to lead Wisconsin Lutheran College to a 74-59 wire-to-wire Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference win over Marian on Wednesday at Sadoff Gymnasium.
The Warriors (9-7, 6-1 NACC), who have won 31 straight games over the Sabres, outscored the hosts 21-0 in second chance points after owning a 16-5 rebounding margin on the offensive glass.
WLC jumped out to an 8-2 lead over MU at the 6:01 mark after opening the game without a field goal for the first two-and-a-half minutes. Freshman Abby Cole (Fond du Lac, Wis.) completed a three-point play to give Wisconsin Lutheran a 16-5 advantage, its largest lead of the first quarter with under three minutes remaining. Stevens tallied seven of the first 13 points for the Warriors, who doubled up Marian 20-10 after the first period.
WLC opened the second quarter with an 8-1 run, as Cole converted another three-point play and senior Kara Troxel (Bonduel, Wis.) buried a three-pointer for a 28-11 advantage, the largest of the period. Wisconsin Lutheran maintained a double-digit lead for the entire quarter, however the Sabres cut their deficit to 10 points on three separate occasions, including 36-26 at halftime.
The Warriors started the second half on a 10-2 scoring run to open an 18-point lead at 46-28 midway through. Senior Mack Hogenson (Neenah, Wis.) knocked down three-pointers on back-to-back possessions late in the quarter for a 16-point cushion, before MU netted four straight for a 54-42 score heading to the fourth.
A pair of free throws in the first minute of the fourth quarter had Marian within 10 points, but a 16-3 run by WLC over the next five-plus minutes pushed its lead to a game-high 23 points at 70-47. Stevens fueled the biggest run of the game with 10 points of her own. Troxel, who added eight points in the final period, hit her third three of the game with 2:41 left before the Sabres were able to bring the final margin down to 15 in the final moments.
Stevens, who recorded her second career double-double, led all players with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and a game-high tying two blocks. Troxel finished with a career-high 15 points, while Hogenson added a season-high tying 12 points in just seven minutes. Cole collected nine points and junior Jayden Hill (Kenosha, Wis.) tallied seven rebounds, six points, and four assists. Wisconsin Lutheran finished the game shooting 39.1 percent (25-for-64) from the floor.
Lexi Brakebush scored 14 points for MU (3-13, 1-6 NACC), which shot 39.2 percent (20-for-51) for the game.
