Doedens’ FT, Jackson’s 15 points lead Men’s Basketball to important road victory

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. - With the game on the line Luke Doedens drained a pair of free throws with 2.0 seconds remaining to give Concordia University Wisconsin a 70-69 victory over rival Lakeland College on Tuesday night during Northern Athletics Conference play inside Woltzen Gym.

Senior Nick Doedens (Germantown, Wis.) nailed a significant 3-pointer from the right wing to give CUW a five-point lead with 32 seconds to play, before Justin Ward scored six straight points to push LC in front by one, 69-68, with 14 seconds remaining in the contest.

On the ensuing possession Luke Doedens drove to the bucket and was fouled in the act of shooting. The 6-foot-5 guard calmly knocked down both of his free throws with 2.0 seconds to left in the game to put the Falcons back in front. The Muskies were unable to get a shot attempt off after a half court pass was bobbled.

Junior Brian Jackson (Carol Stream, Ill.) led the Falcons with a career-high-tying 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. Senior Erik Condia (Orange, Calif.) finished the contest with his first double-double, 11 points and 10 rebounds, of his career.

"They were leaving me open more often than some teams have this season," Jackson said. "I hit the first one and just kept shooting. I played well offensively, but I thought my defensive effort was more important tonight."

Luke Doedens added 13 points, six rebounds and four assists for CUW (11-3, 7-1 NAC). Seniors Mitchell Schneider (New Holstein, Wis.) added 12 points and six rebounds, while Matt Paluchniak (Oostburg, Wis.) dished out a season-high eight assists.

The nation's fifth leading scorer Jake Schwarz was held to nine points on 3-of-12 shooting in large part to Jackson's defensive efforts. He also grabbed seven rebounds for the Muskies.

"He (Jake Schwarz) is one of the best scorers in the nation and I knew it was my job to work hard to limit his touches," Jackson said. "This was a huge win for us. We played well on the defensive end of the floor, which was a key aspect going into tonight's game."

LC ranked eighth in the nation (as of Jan. 15) in scoring at 88.9 points per game and fifth in 3-point field goals made per game (10.4). CUW's defense held the Muskies 20 points under their season average and to seven 3-pointers.

Ward paced all scorers with 28 points on 11-of-19 shooting, to go along with 10 rebounds and five rebounds. Josh Regal recorded 12 points and seven assists for LC (11-4, 5-2 NAC).

The game had 14 lead changes and eight scoring ties, and the second half featured nine lead changes and six scoring ties.

Midway through the second half the Falcons built a nine-point lead, 46-37, after Jackson drained his second of two free throws. However, it didn't take long as the Muskies responded with a 12-3 run during a 2:03 stretch to tie the game with 10:48 remaining in the game.

Over the next four minutes both teams traded field goals before CUW again went on a scoring run that appeared to put the game out of reach. The Falcons twice led by seven points behind a Condia and Schneider layup, respectively, with just over three minutes left in the contest.

CUW outscored LC 15-8 in bench scoring and 34-28 in paint production. On the other hand, the Muskies held a 15-9 lead in points off turnovers and a 17-9 advantage in second chance scoring.

CUW did its job on the defensive end during the opening 20 minutes holding LC to 3-of-12 shooting from downtown, but was unable to control the ball as it normally does. The Falcons committed 13 turnovers and the Muskies converted those miscues into 15 points.

Both teams were even at the intermission, 26-26.

CUW did however score 14 of its first half points in the paint and was led by Luke Doedens six points. LC was led by Ward who scored eight points, to go along with six rebounds.

CUW returns to action on Thursday night when it travels to Edgewood College in Madison, Wis., for a 7 p.m. showdown. It will be the second straight game the Falcons face the first place team in the North Division.