Lakeland steals NAC Tournament semifinal contest over Men’s Basketball

MEQUON, Wis. - It was another overtime thriller between Lakeland College and Concordia University Wisconsin inside the R. John Buuck Field House, but it was the Muskies who stole an 85-83 men's basketball extra period contest on Thursday night during the Northern Athletics Conference Tournament semifinals.

The fans were loud and the intensity was high on the court between the two conference rivals. The game was close throughout as there were 22 lead changes and 11 scoring ties, and CUW had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation but an open 3-pointer was off the mark.

CUW twice held a four-point advantage in the first two minutes of overtime before LC answered with superb free throw shooting, making 9-of-10 down the stretch. The Muskies shifted the momentum in their favor with a 9-3 scoring run over the final 2:49 of the ballgame.

Junior Steve Zielinski (Brown Deer, Wis.) had a career night, scoring 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including an 8-for-9 performance at the free throw line. He also hauled in a team-high six rebounds for the Falcons (21-6).

Senior Mitchell Schneider (New Holstein, Wis.) ended the game with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including three 3-pointers. He also recorded a team-high six rebounds and a game-high-tying four steals. Senior Luke Doedens (Cedarburg, Wis.) and junior Brian Jackson (Carol Stream, Ill.) each scored 11 points apiece, respectively.

Josh Regal led all scorers with 25 points, including a perfect 14-of-14 at the free throw line. He also finished with nine rebounds, a game-high eight assists and a game-high-tying four steals. James Oshkeshequoam added 17 points on five 3-pointers, while Jake Schwarz scored 16 points. Justin Ward recorded the games only double-double, 14 points and 12 rebounds, for the Muskies (21-6).

CUW received 38 points from its bench and held a 34-24 advantage in paint scoring. LC, however, grabbed 12 offensive rebounds and scored 18 points on second chance opportunities. The Muskies forced the Falcons into 19 turnovers and converted those miscues into 25 points.

The defeat snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Falcons, as they ended their season with a 21-6 record. It was the second-straight 20 win season for CUW and the second time in program history it won 20 more games in back-to-back seasons.