MILWAUKEE – The Wisconsin Lutheran College women's basketball team wrapped up its regular season conference slate with a 90-61 Senior Night victory over Maranatha on Thursday at the Recreation Complex.
After falling behind 4-0 early, the Warriors quickly scored the next five points to take a 5-4 lead with 18:29 remaining in the first half and never relinquished the lead the rest of the way. Wisconsin Lutheran used those five points to spark a 14-0 run, highlighted by six Alyssa Allister (Lake Mills, Wis./Lakeside Lutheran) points.
WLC continued to build on its lead and led by a first-half best 22 points on a few different occasions before taking a 46-24 advantage into halftime.
The Warriors shot the ball extremely well in the first 20 minutes as they connected on 54.3 percent (19-for-35) of their shots, including 6-for-11 from three-point range. Maranatha also shot the ball well, making 45.5 percent (10-for-22) of its first-half shots, but was plagued by 15 first-half turnovers.
Allister paced Wisconsin Lutheran with nine points on 3-for-5 shooting from three-point range. Katelyn Kuehl (Fond du Lac, Wis./Winnebago Lutheran) added eight first-half points. The Crusaders' Kristin Morrison led all scorers with 11 points.
Wisconsin Lutheran came out after halftime and continued its strong play as it opened the second half on a 10-0 run to quickly build its lead to 56-24 with 17:46 remaining in the game. WLC got that lead to as high as 33 points with 14:50 remaining in the half.
Maranatha cut the lead down to 19 points on a few occasions, but never really threatened the Warriors in the second half as the hosts cruised to the 29-point win.
For the game, Wisconsin Lutheran shot 50.7 percent (36-for-71) and connected on 54.5 percent (12-for-22) from three-point range. Maranatha made 40.7 percent (22-for-54) of its shots. The Warriors forced 21 turnovers, but also turned the ball over 18 times.
Allister finished with a season-best 17 points to lead Wisconsin Lutheran, making five shots from behind the arc. Senior Rachel Johnson (Milwaukee, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran), one of three seniors honored before the game for Senior Night, scored 13 points and grabbed a team-best eight rebounds. Kuehl also reached double figures with 10 points. Senior Jenna Neuberger (Muskego, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran) finished with five points and four rebounds, while senior Alli Page (Oconomowoc, Wis./Luther Preparatory) scored two points.
Laci Peterson led the visiting Crusaders (13-11, 7-11 NAC) in scoring and rebounding as she posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Torey DeLozier and Morrison added 14 and 13 points, respectively.
Wisconsin Lutheran (20-4, 17-1 NAC) will next host Dominican (17-7, 13-4 NAC) in a NAC Challenge game on Saturday afternoon at the Recreation Complex. Tip-off between the Warriors and Stars is set for 2 p.m. Fans unable to attend the game can follow the action live via audio, stats and video at wlcsports.com.