Warriors Bounce 10th-Ranked Bears For First Win Of Season

More news about: Wisconsin Lutheran

MILWAUKEE (WLCSports.com) – The Wisconsin Lutheran College women's basketball team used a stout defensive effort, holding the visitors to just 34.5 percent shooting, to defeat the 10th-ranked Washington (Mo.) Bears 63-50 Saturday afternoon in the final game of the 2017 Paul F. Knueppel Classic inside the Recreation Complex.

THE BASICS

  • Final Score: Wisconsin Lutheran 63, Washington (Mo.) 50
  • Records: Wisconsin Lutheran (1-1), Washington (Mo.) (1-1)
  • Location: Recreation Complex, Milwaukee, Wis.

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • Caitlin Knueppel (Wauwatosa, Wis.) opened the scoring, burying a triple from the top of the key and Maddie Cruz (New Berlin, Wis.) hit two free throws to put WLC ahead 5-0 early in the first quarter.
  • Coreana Carson (Milwaukee, Wis.) connected on a three-pointer as the shot clock expired to give the Warriors an 8-3 advantage at the under-five minute media timeout.
  • The Bears took their first lead of the game at the 6:25 mark in the second quarter when Rachael Sondag hit a three-pointer to put WashU up 13-12.
  • Jen Dowden (Bonduel, Wis.) struck twice from the free throw line to tie the game at 16-16 with just over four minutes to play in the first half.
  • Tierney Woodward (Poynette, Wis.) connected on a triple as time expired in the first half to give the Warriors a 25-22 lead heading into the locker room.
  • Knueppel gave the Warriors a six-point lead when she struck again from distance to put WLC up 30-24 at the 4:04 mark of the third quarter.
  • The Warriors extended their lead to 11 after Knueppel connected on another triple with just under two minutes remaining in the third quarter.
  • WashU used a 9-0 run to cut the WLC lead to just two points with 8:47 left to play in the contest.
  • Dowden used a four-point swing of her own to put Wisconsin Lutheran back ahead by six points with 6:49 to play.
  • Dowden struck again with five straight points to put the Warriors ahead by seven points with 3:30 remaining after the Bears had closed within two.
  • Knueppel pushed the WLC lead to 10 after a fast break three-pointer off of a pass from Carson with just over three minutes remaining.
  • Carson converted a fast-break layup and then two free throws to put the Warriors ahead by 16, their largest lead of the game, with 1:08 remaining.
  • Cruz and Carson converted from the free throw line in the final 0:45 seconds of the contest to secure the victory for WLC.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

  • Knueppel led the way for the Warriors with a game-high 18 points, including a 4-for-7 performance from beyond the three-point line.
  • Dowden, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, followed with 17 points, seven rebounds, and three assists.
  • Carson chipped in with 13 points, nine rebounds, and three assists.
  • Kelly Tramburg (Fall River, Wis.) pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds and added eight points.
  • The Warriors shot 42.9 percent from the field and knocked down 41.2 percent (7-of-17) of their three-point attempts.
  • WLC out-rebounded the opponents 41-25, including 13 offensive rebounds for six second-chance points.
  • Wisconsin Lutheran forced 15 turnovers, scoring 16 points off of them.
  • The Warriors converted 77.8 percent (14-of-18) of their attempts at the free throw line, including a 4-for-4 effort in the final minute of play.
  • The win was Wisconsin Lutheran's first over a top-25 team since its defeated No. 10 Calvin at the Paul F. Knueppel Classic two seasons ago.

FOR THE FOES

  • Stephanie Botkin paced the Bears with 13 points and five rebounds.
  • Madeline Homoly added 10 points and Sondag chipped in eight points with five rebounds and five assists.
  • The Bears shot 34.5 percent from the field and converted 83.3 percent of their attempts from the free-throw line.
  • WashU forced 22 turnovers in the contest, with nine steals.

UP NEXT

  • The Warriors continue their six-game homestand as they start NACC play Saturday, November 25 when they host Rockford (0-1). Rockford suffered an 85-62 defeat to Eureka Saturday afternoon. The Warriors collected an 81-53 victory over the Regents a season ago, with four players scoring in double figures. Live stats and video for the contest will be available at WLCSports.com.