Benedictine Men Pound Wisconsin Lutheran to Win NACC Title

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LISLE, IL - The Benedictine University men's basketball team came out shooting in the second half to storm past co-leader Wisconsin Lutheran and clinch a share of the program's first conference title since 2016-17.

FINAL SCORE
Benedictine 83, Wisconsin Lutheran 55

THE DETAILS
The teams came into play tied atop the conference standings
Wisconsin Lutheran led just once at 3-2 in the first minute of the game
Kyle Graebner knocked down a three and Eric Grygo followed with a layup as Benedictine opened a 7-3 lead
A three-pointer from Kenny Bogus and two buckets Grygo enabled Benedictine to lead 14-5 at the 14:48 mark of the first half
Wisconsin Lutheran pulled within four points on multiple occasions, but a three from Cade Ellingson with 4:50 left in the half put Benedictine up by double digits at 33-23
Keegan Graebner hit a three and two free throws from Bogus allowed Benedictine to take a 14-point lead into the half at 40-26
The visitors pulled within eight early in the second half but Benedictine continued to build the advantage
Grygo opened a 13-0 run with a jumper as Benedictine found themselves in front 66-40 following a triple from Bogus halfway through the second
Benedictine led by as many as 29 points in streaking to the win and a share of the conference title
The victory also secured a first round bye in the NACC Tournament meaning a home semifinal game on February 27
Benedictine is a perfect 11-0 at home this year
The title for the men means the first time since 1997 that both the men and women have won a conference title in the same year

STAT LEADERS
Benedictine shot 51.6 percent for the game including 53.1 percent in the second half
Benedictine held a 40-27 edge on the glass, scored 44 points in the paint and 27 points off turnovers while amassing 21 assists
Bogus led all scorers with 20 points, adding six assists, five rebounds and three blocks
Bogus was also a big reason why Benedictine held the conference's leading scorer 10 points below his average
Grygo finished with 19 points, six rebounds, two assists and a block

UP NEXT
Benedictine (20-4, 16-3 NACC) can win the conference outright with a victory at Concordia Wisconsin on Saturday