FOND DU LAC, Wis. (SabreAthletics.com) – It was a shooting display for the ages as the top-seeded Marian University men's basketball team went 21-for-31 from the field en route to a 30-point halftime lead and an 83-63 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Quarterfinal win over visiting Wisconsin Lutheran College, this evening, Feb. 22.
The Sabres (20-6) eclipsed the 20-win mark for just the fourth time in program history and first in the 26-year tenure of Head Coach Mark Boyle. They did it with a first-half shooting display that saw the Sabres go 21-for-31 (67.7 percent), including 8-for-14 from downtown, while sprinting into halftime on a 22-2 run. Senior Cody Veleke led all scorers with 23 points, 21 coming in the first half alone. He went a perfect 10-for-10 from the field and 2-of-2 from the foul line, adding seven rebounds, a block and four steals in a dominating effort. Fellow seniors Jeff Harris and Sam Koslowski added 13 and 12 points, respectively. Both players combined for nine assists, while the Sabres dished out 24 helpers on 31 total baskets. The Warriors (10-16) came out strong out of the gates, hitting three straight three's to take a 9-5 lead. DJ Escamilla, who led WLC with 14 points, knocked down a three with 14 minutes left to give his team a 15-12 advantage. However, three minutes later and the Sabres had suddenly turned that into a 10-point lead of their own. Creed led the run with an 18-foot jumper, followed by three-pointers from Veleke, Drew Binversie and Brad Koth with a Carvell Oliver jumper mixed in as well. With the Sabres leading 41-22, Veleke followed up a Harris three with a steal and dunk at the other end, sending the 500-strong in attendance into a frenzy. Alex Stecker and Harris combined for three straight makes from downtown to close out the half with a 52-22 Marian lead. The Warriors managed just 34.5 percent from the field in the game, including just 28 percent (7-for-25) in the first half. They went the final five-plus minutes of the opening period without a field goal. Wisconsin Lutheran outscored Marian by 10 points in the second half, utilizing a 13-for-19 effort at the foul line, along with 11 second-chance points, but the 30-point halftime deficit was too much to overcome. Marian finished the game 31-for-52 from the field (59.6 percent), which was second to their 64.8 percent shooting display in a convincing win over Dominican earlier this year. The Sabres will advance to the semifinal round and host fourth-seeded Aurora University (18-8), who ousted fifth-seeded Benedictine at home today. The Spartans have proven to be the thorn in Marian's side, handing the Sabres two of their three conference losses this year, including one in Fond du Lac back on Feb. 8. Both teams will meet inside Sadoff Gymnasium Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m. Comments are closed.
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Championships (11)
(78-79), (79-80), (80-81), (82-83), (83-84), (87-88), (89-90), (90-91), (98-99), (99-00), (13-14) NCAA Tournaments (2) (00-01), (13-14) Categories
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April 2018
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