MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Lutheran College women's basketball team held Edgewood to just 22 percent (13-for-59) shooting en route to claiming a 53-36 Northern Athletics Conference win Saturday afternoon at the Todd Wehr Edgedome.
The Eagles scored the first basket of the game, but the Warriors took a 4-2 lead with 18:01 remaining and never relinquished their lead the rest of the way. WLC built a first-half best 18-point lead at 28-10 with 1:58 remaining in the opening half and led 30-15 at halftime.
Wisconsin Lutheran was effective from the floor in the first half as it connected on 50 percent (13-for-26) of its first-half shots. WLC also fared well on the defensive end by holding the Eagles to only 16.7 percent (5-for-26) shooting.
Shavon Dillon (Milwaukee, Wis./Hope School) and Rachel Johnson (Milwaukee, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran) did most of their damage in the first half as the two combined for 24 of the Warriors' 30 first-half points. Dillon led the charge with 14 while Johnson added 10.
The Warriors out-scored the Eagles 23-21 in the second half, but they were never challenged as they maintained a double-digit lead throughout the entire second half. Edgewood cut the deficit to 11 a couple times, but the Warriors built a game-high 20-point lead with 4:18 remaining in the game.
Wisconsin Lutheran made 40.4 percent (23-for-57) of its shots on the afternoon and made things difficult for EC as the hosts connected on just 22 percent of their field goals. A big factor was due to WLC out-scoring Edgewood in the paint, 36-10.
Dillon and Johnson finished with a game-high 16 points each for Wisconsin Lutheran, while Johnson and Katelyn Kuehl (Fond du Lac, Wis./Winnebago Lutheran) grabbed a game-high eight rebounds.
Edgewood (9-14, 8-9 NAC) was led by Mariah Hill's eight points off the bench.
Wisconsin Lutheran (19-4, 16-1 NAC) plays its final conference game of the regular season on Thursday night when it hosts Maranatha (13-9, 7-9 NAC) at the Recreation Complex. Tip-off between the Warriors and Crusaders is set for 7 p.m. Fans unable to attend the game can follow the action via live audio, stats and video at wlcsports.com.