Men’s Basketball to battle Lakeland in NAC Tournament Semifinals

MEQUON, Wis. – A chance to play for the Northern Athletics Conference Tournament championship is on the line Tuesday night for Concordia University Wisconsin's men's basketball team as it travels to take on top-seeded Lakeland College at 7 p.m.

The Falcons and Muskies split two regular season games this year. CUW won the most recent meeting, 79-69, January 23 at the R. John Buuck Field House. Senior Mark Pace (Milwaukee, Wis.) scored 16 points and senior Steve Zielinski (Brown Deer, Wis.) posted a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds in the victory. LC won the first meeting between the two on December 5, 86-81.

CUW (18-8) advanced to the semifinals by defeating MSOE, 66-56, Saturday afternoon. The Falcons erased a 13-point halftime deficit as they outscored the Raiders 44-21 over the final 20 minutes. Pace scored 14 points and pulled down eight rebounds in Saturday's victory.

LC (21-5) earned a spot in Tuesday's game with a 95-67 thrashing of No. 8 Marian University. Jake Schwarz's double-double paced the Muskies as the senior forward poured in 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

The winner of the CUW-LC game will face off against the winner of the other semifinal game Tuesday that features No. 2 Aurora University and No. 3 Dominican University. The championship game will be at the highest remaining seed and is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start Saturday.