by MILWAUKEE – Sophomore Margie Stevens (Oneida, Wis.) recorded her third double-double of the season and second-seeded Wisconsin Lutheran College closed the game on a 9-0 run to advance to the NACC Tournament Final following a 54-45 semifinal win over sixth-seeded Milwaukee School of Engineering on Thursday at Time of Grace Center.
The Warriors (20-7), who forced 21 turnovers and held the Raiders to just three free throw attempts, move onto the NACC Tournament Final for the 15th time in the conference’s 19-year history.
A slow start from both teams resulted in a 6-2 MSOE lead with 4:27 remaining in the first quarter. A three from Stevens brought WLC within two before Milwaukee School of Engineering scored the final four points for a 13-7 lead after the opening quarter. Wisconsin Lutheran made just two of its 16 shot attempts in the period.
The Raiders scored the first basket of the second quarter to take their largest lead of the game, before the Warriors answered with 6-0 spurt, as they trailed 15-13 with 6:42 left in the quarter. Both teams went back and forth until five straight points from senior Lexy Smit (Brandon, Wis.) helped spark a 10-2 WLC run which gave them a 25-24 advantage heading into halftime.
Wisconsin Lutheran opened the third quarter with five straight points for a 30-24 lead with 6:41 remaining. MSOE answered back to tie the score twice, including 34-34 at the 2:51 mark. A three from senior Janiyah Goner (Milwaukee, Wis.) and free throws from senior Kara Troxel (Bonduel, Wis.) and Smit helped the Warriors carry a 39-36 lead into the fourth quarter.
Milwaukee School of Engineering pulled within a point at 40-39 with 6:57 left in the fourth quarter, but a 5-0 spurt, capped off by a Troxel three, put WLC up 45-39 with just under six minutes to play. A pair of threes by the Raiders knotted the contest at 45-45 with 3:19 to play. Wisconsin Lutheran had four different players combine to finish the game on a 9-0 scoring run to advance to the NACC Tournament title game for the fifth straight year.
Stevens led all players with 19 points and 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. Goner finished with 11 points, three rebounds, and two assists. Troxel and Smit chipped in nine and eight points, respectively. Junior Jayden Hill (Kenosha, Wis.) added six points, eight rebounds, and six steals. The Warriors shot 30.8 percent (16-for-52) from the floor.
Mahima Chokshi scored 15 points to lead the Raiders (15-12), who shot 40.4 percent (19-for-47) percent from the floor.
Second-seeded WLC travels to De Pere on Saturday for the NACC Tournament Final against top-seeded St. Norbert (22-4). Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
