(ST. NORBERT COMMUNICATIONS) DE PERE – St. Norbert College prevailed in a back-and-forth Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference game against Milwaukee School of Engineering, pulling away with a 82-80 win at Mulva Family Fitness and Sports Center.
The Green Knights (15-6, 11-3 NACC) won their fifth straight game, with a vital run late in the first half proving to be vital in St. Norbert’s success.
After starting on a 5-0 run curtesy of Brandt Wilson (pictured), St. Norbert would maintain its lead for most of the first half. The Green Knights went ahead by as many as 10 points before the Raiders fought their way back to take their first lead at 23-22 with 7:26 remaining in the first half.
Following a tug-of-war for the next several minutes, the Green Knights would end the half on a 13-2 run, with Jamison Nickolai scoring seven points in the last two minutes of the half to take a 41-36 lead into the break.
St. Norbert again pushed its lead to double digits in the opening 10 minutes of the first half, but a 9-0 run by MSOE with five minutes remaining tied the game at 68.
Garrett Grzesk, who had a game-winning shot against Dominican University last Saturday, pulled another clutch shot out of his pocket with a turnaround 3-point jump shot with 46 seconds left to give St. Norbert a five-point advantage with 1:23 left. The Raiders got within two points several times in the final minute, but free-throws from Grzesk and Nickolai sealed yet another late win for the Green Knights.
St. Norbert shot 46.8 percent from the floor (29-for-62). Grzesk led the Green Knights with 22 points, going 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Nickolai and Wilson fell one rebound short of a double-double, scoring 16 and 15 points respectively. Cole Uhlenbrauck also went 4-of-6 from three, finishing with 14 points.
St. Norbert outrebounded MSOE 34-31.
The Raiders shot 46.4 from the floor (26-for-56). Donovan Carter led the Raiders with 22 points
Women’s basketball
MSOE 53, St. Norbert 47
MILWAUKEE – St. Norbert College fell to its first defeat in conference play this season, dropping a 53-47 contest to Milwaukee School of Engineering in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference game at the Kern Center.
The Green Knights (15-4, 10-1 NACC) kept MSOE in check through the first two quarters, but a large swing of momentum from the Raiders in the third quarter sunk St. Norbert.
After a quick 4-0 start from the Raiders, Casey Jepson and Macey Mercer made back-to-back 3-pointers in the middle of a 10-0 St. Norbert run. The Raiders retook the lead with one second left in the quarter, hitting a three to take a 13-10 lead.
The Green Knights played excellent defense in the second quarter, allowing just five points and one field goal. A Taylor Thiry layup gave the Green Knights a 24-18 halftime advantage.
MSOE came out of the break with a renewed source of energy and retook the lead following three 3-pointers coming out of halftime. Despite a 41-34 deficit after the third quarter, the Green Knights once again were able to keep the Raiders quiet for part of the fourth quarter and would get to within two points with 1:40 remaining. However, five free throws from MSOE in the final minute gave the Green Knights a first conference loss of the season.
St. Norbert shot 35.2 percent from the floor (19-for-54). Thiry led the Green Knights with 10 points. The Green Knights outrebounded the Raiders 40-34.
MSOE shot 32.7 percent from the floor (16-for-49). Lana Kerley led the Raiders with 22 points
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