Yellowjackets 88, Finlandia 75
Box Score
Coming off a nail-biting win over Northland College in their season opener on Tuesday night, the UW-Superior men's basketball entered Friday night's second game of the Merrill Thompson Tip-off Classic determined to take command early.
And the Yellowjackets did just that, sprinting out to a 10-2 with 17:29 remaining in the first half, expanding that lead to 48-28 at the intermission and then cruising home the rest of the way for an 88-75 victory over Finlandia at Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium.
With the win, the Yellowjackets (2-0) move on to face Edgewood College in Saturday's championship game while Finlandia (0-1) will take on Lake Superior State in the consolation contest.
UW-Superior took command early, getting two long three-pointers from Ben Aalfs (Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson) and two inside scores from Brendan Bauer (Eleva, Wis./Gilmanton) for a quick 10-2 cushion in the opening 2:30 of play.
The Yellowjackets continued to pull away from there, upping the advantage to 26-8 with 11:46 left in the half before back-to-back three's from Adam Hjelter (Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson) gave UW-Superior a 46-25 lead at the 2:24.
Hjelter would lead the way for the Yellowjackets, scoring 11 points as UW-Superior connected on 64.5 percent (20-of-31) of their shots in the opening 20 minutes.
Finlandia attempted to make a run early in the second half, getting two baskets from Keith Arnold in the first few minutes to bring the Lions within striking distance.
But the Yellowjackets would maintain their advantage throughout the second half, connecting on 14-of-18 shots from the free-throw line to clinch the victory.
Aalfs led a balanced Yellowjacket attack, scoring 16 points while Bauer finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Walter Charlton (Nassau, Bahamas/Teleos Christian) pitched in with 12 points as well while Bronson Bryne also had a strong game for UW-Superior with 11 points.
Finlandia was paced by Chase Leskela with a game-high 23 points. Arnold added 16 points while Darryl Brown had 12.
The Yellowjackets and Eagles will meet for the tournament title at 3:00 p.m. Saturday. The game can be heard live locally on 91.3 FM KUWS, with Matt Johnson on the call. The game can also be viewed live online at www.ifan.tv.