by MILWAUKEE (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College nearly erased a 14-point deficit in the second half, but came up short against 23rd-ranked Trine, 60-49, on Saturday in a matchup of two NCAA Tournament teams from last year in the season opener at Time of Grace Center.
The Thunder scored the first seven points of the contest before a layup from senior Lexy Smit (Brandon, Wis.) got the Warriors on the board. TU, which netted 14 of its 17 points in the paint, extended its first quarter lead to 12 points before carrying a 17-7 advantage into the second quarter.
A three-pointer from sophomore Margie Stevens (Oneida, Wis.) cut WLC’s deficit to seven in the opening minutes of the second quarter, before Trine tallied seven of the next eight points to take a 24-11 lead with 6:16 left in the half. Wisconsin Lutheran responded with a 12-2 run of its own behind eight points from senior Mack Hogenson (Neenah, Wis.) to get within three with two minutes left. The Thunder took a 29-23 lead into the locker room after a trio of points from the charity stripe.
TU came out hot to start the second half, opening with a 9-2 run to regain a double-digit lead with six minutes left in the third quarter. WLC, which trailed by a game-high 14 points twice in the period, was able to work the deficit back to single digits behind 11 points from freshman Abby Cole (Fond du Lac, Wis.) in the quarter. Wisconsin Lutheran trailed 45-37 heading into the fourth.
Following a slow start to the fourth quarter, a trio of layups from Stevens cut Trine’s lead to just three at 48-45 with four minutes remaining. Unfortunately, that was all the closer the Warriors would get, as the Thunder netted the next six points to close out the final minutes on a 12-4 run.
Stevens and Cole scored 17 points apiece, while grabbing nine and seven rebounds, respectively, to lead WLC. Hogenson chipped in eight points. Wisconsin Lutheran shot 33.3 percent (19-for-57) for the game, but outscored TU 14-4 in second chance points.
Sidney Wagner scored a game-high 20 points for Trine (1-0), which shot 41.7 percent (20-for-48) on the day.
