MILWAUKEE – The Wisconsin Lutheran College men's basketball team trailed third-ranked Benedictine by only two points at halftime before the Eagles pulled away for an 86-62 victory on Saturday afternoon in front of a large Winterfest crowd at the Recreation Complex.

THE BASICS

• Final Score: No. 3 Benedictine 86, Wisconsin Lutheran 62
• Records: Wisconsin Lutheran (10-11, 8-8 NACC), No. 3 Benedictine (22-0, 17-0 NACC)
• Location: Recreation Complex, Milwaukee, Wis. | Attendance: 404

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Warriors started hot out of the gate, jumping out to a 7-3 lead early in the first half.
• Collin Kennedy's (Holmen, Wis./Luther) three-pointer gave WLC its largest lead of the afternoon at 13-7 with 16:30 remaining.
• Wisconsin Lutheran made its first four three-point shots of the game.
• Michael Blaszczyk scored seven straight points for Benedictine to pull the Eagles in front 18-16.
• Kennedy answered again with six straight points of his own to tie the game at 25-25.
• The game was back-and-forth for the rest of the half. WLC kept the game close and trailed 38-36 at halftime.
• BenU shot 40.0 percent (14-for-35) from the field in the opening half, compared to the Warriors' 36.4 percent (12-for-33). Wisconsin Lutheran shot 40.0 percent from distance (6-for-15).
• Kennedy led the Warriors at the break with 11 points, while Chase Nowak (Milwaukee, Wis./St. Francis) added 10.
• WLC started the second half with four straight made three pointers and led 48-44 with 15:25 remaining in the contest.
• Kennedy's lay-up with 14:05 remaining gave the Warriors their last lead of the game at 50-48.
• The Eagles rattled off a 15-0 run to take control of the game and led 63-50 as WLC went over five minutes without a made basket.
• Benedictine had its largest lead in the game of 26 points with :28 seconds remaining in the contest.
• BenU shot a sizzling 57.7 percent in the second half, while WLC was a chilly 28.6 percent.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Nowak paced three Warriors in double-figures with a career-high 21 points in the contest, going 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. Kennedy added 20 points, while Jake Jarnigo chipped in 11.
• Jim Marose (Waukesha, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran) pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
• WLC ended the contest shooting 32.4 percent (22-for-68) and 40.7 percent (11-for-27) from distance, but Benedictine shot 47.5 percent (29-for-61) from the field, and 90.9 percent (20-for-22) from the free-throw line.
• Wisconsin Lutheran made a season-high 11 three-pointers.
• BenU controlled points in the paint (38-14) and bench points (22-5).
• The Eagles, who have won eight straight over the Warriors, had four starters reach double-figures led by Blaszczyk's 20 points and eight rebounds.

UP NEXT

• Wisconsin Lutheran returns to action on Tuesday when it travels to NACC rival Concordia Wisconsin (12-9, 10-6 NACC) for a 7 p.m. tip-off. The Falcons defeated Marian 73-72 on Wednesday. WLC won the first matchup in Milwaukee on January 14, 84-82. Live stats and video will be available for the contest at WLCSports.com.