(ST. NORBERT COMMUNICATION) DE PERE – St. Norbert College opened Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play with a 79-67 win over Lakeland University at Mulva Family Fitness & Sports Center.
The Green Knights (3-0, 1-0 NACC) shot almost 65 percent (18-for-28, 64.3 percent) from the floor in the second half to pull away from a five-point halftime lead.
Lakeland went on a 7-0 run to take an 18-17 lead with 8:07 left in the first half. St. Norbert took a 24-20 lead with 6:16 to go before a Muskies’ 3-pointer cut the margin back to one. The Green Knights then went on a 7-0 run of their own to take control, getting a pair of baskets from Brandt Wilson and a trey from Jamison Nickolai for a 31-23 edge with 3:27 left. St. Norbert led 34-29 at halftime.
St. Norbert opened the second half on a 12-5 run to build a double-digit lead at 46-34, finished by Garrett Grzesk’s 3-pointer with 16:59 to go. Lakeland would get its deficit down to six at 52-46 with 12:43 left, but the Green Knights went on a 6-0 run on baskets by Connor Pytleski, Grzesk and Nickolai to push the lead to 58-46 with 11:27 to go. St. Norbert would hold a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
St. Norbert shot 51.7 percent (31-for-60) from the floor and was 27-for-43 (62.8 percent) from inside the perimeter. The Green Knights also held a 38-30 rebounding margin. Nickolai had 16 points and eight rebounds, while Wilson had 15 points and nine rebounds. Grzesk (pictured) finished with 15 points and five assists, while Pytleski chipped in eight points and seven rebounds off the bench. Charlie Geske also chipped in eight points and three rebounds in 10 minutes in a reserve role.
Lakeland shot 41.1 percent (23-for-56) from the floor. Tim Ward led the Muskies with 24 points and 12 rebounds.
Women
EAU CLAIRE – A change of scenery in the Chippewa Valley did St. Norbert College some good, as the Green Knights fought to a 68-62 win over UW-Eau Claire in a non-conference game at Sonnentag Event Center.
The Green Knights (4-1) picked up only their second win in 16 games at Eau Claire, but the game was the first for St. Norbert in the Blugolds’ brand new arena.
Eau Claire led most of the first quarter, leading 13-11 after the first 10 minutes. St. Norbert took a second-quarter lead when Avery Bierowski’s jumper was true for a 16-15 edge at the 8:46 mark. The Green Knights would hold the lead the rest of the quarter, leading by as many as six points before settling on a 25-24 halftime lead.
The Blugolds would battle back, taking a 36-32 lead with 3:55 left in the third quarter. St. Norbert responded with a key run, going on a 14-3 spurt the rest of the period. Casey Jepson hit a 3-pointer and then converted a rare four-point play on consecutive possessions for a 39-36 lead with 2:56 left. Eau Claire cut it to 40-39 but Charley Mullen’s basket gave St. Norbert some breathing room. Taylor Thiry converted a basket and Bierowski hit a pair of free throws for a 46-39 lead after three quarters.
St. Norbert looked like it would run away with it when it took a 58-46 lead on a conventional three-point play by Jepson with 4:33 to go, but Eau Claire would make a last-ditch rally. The Blugolds went on a 7-0 run over the next 1:02 to get to within five points. St. Norbert would keep its lead to at least two possessions until Eau Claire made it a three-point game at 65-62 with 23 seconds left, but the Green Knights made 3 of 4 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
The Green Knights shot 41.5 percent (22-for-53) from the floor and were a creditable 18-for-21 (85.7 percent) at the free throw line. St. Norbert also committed just nine fouls in the game. Thiry had a game-high 20 points with nine rebounds. Jepson had 18 points, while Bierowski (pictured) had 10 points and five rebounds.
Eau Claire shot 37.5 percent (24-for-64) and hoisted 30 three-point field goal attempts, making eight (26.7 percent). Kyla Overskei had 17 points, while Reanna Hutchinson added 16 points for the Blugolds.
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