Stevens' Fourth Quarter Surge Pushes Warriors Into NACC Semis

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MILWAUKEE (WLCSports.com) - Senior Janiyah Goner (Milwaukee, Wis.) scored a team-high 18 points and sophomore Margie Stevens (Oneida, Wis.) added 12 fourth-quarter points to lead second-seeded Wisconsin Lutheran College past seventh-seeded Edgewood 65-59 on Tuesday in a NACC Tournament quarterfinal at Time of Grace Center.

The Warriors (19-7), who committed just one second half turnover, shot 52.6 percent in the fourth quarter and outscored the Eagles by nine points to erase a three-point deficit.

A pull-up jumper from senior Kara Troxel (Bonduel, Wis.) gave WLC the first lead of the game before EC responded with a 4-0 spurt to jump ahead with 7:24 remaining in the first quarter. Both teams went back and forth before a three from senior Mack Hogenson (Neenah, Wis.) gave Wisconsin Lutheran an 11-9 advantage with 3:51 left. Edgewood closed out the first quarter on a 9-1 run to take an 18-12 lead after the opening quarter.

The Warriors started the second quarter by scoring six of the first eight points to bring them within two, 20-18, with 8:07 to play. Another 7-2 spurt from the hosts later in the quarter, paced by five points from Goner, put WLC in front 28-27 with 2:16 left until the break. The Eagles scored the final five points of the half, as they carried a 32-28 lead to the locker room.

Both teams went back and forth to begin the third quarter, as EC held a 38-31 advantage, its largest lead of the game. A 5-0 spurt from Wisconsin Lutheran put them within two, 38-36, with just under four minutes left in the quarter. The Warriors couldn't pull any closer, as they trailed EC after three, 43-40.

Both teams continued to exchange points to start the fourth quarter, before an 8-0 WLC run, led by four points from Stevens, put Wisconsin Lutheran in front 52-49 with 5:46 remaining. The teams continued to go back and forth, resulting in two different ties before a layup from junior Jayden Hill (Kenosha, Wis.) put the Warriors ahead 58-56 with just under four minutes to play. Edgewood hit a three to pull within one at 60-59, but Troxel answered back with a three of her own with just 1:08 left to seal the win for WLC.

Goner led Wisconsin Lutheran in scoring with 18 points and a game-high four assists. Stevens finished with 16 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, and eight rebounds. Hill added her third double-double of the season, scoring 11 points, snagging a game-high 13 rebounds, and recording a game-high three steals. Troxel was the fourth double-figure scorer for Wisconsin Lutheran with 11 points. The Warriors, who outscored the Eagles 34-14 in the paint, shot 39.3 percent (24-for-61) from the floor.

Jordan Carlquist scored a game-high 19 points and Vivian Guerrero tallied a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds for EC (14-12), which shot 38.2 percent (21-for-55) from the floor.

WLC next hosts sixth-seeded MSOE (15-11) on Thursday at 7 p.m. in a NACC Tournament semifinal at Time of Grace Center. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com. The Raiders knocked off third-seeded Concordia Wisconsin, 78-73, on Tuesday.