WAVERLY, Iowa – Wartburg men's basketball opened Buzz Levick Tip-Off Tournament play with a decisive 76-52 victory over Monmouth College on Friday, Nov. 19.
Game Summary
The Knights opened the game up with a 17-4 run over the Scots and never looked back.
Drew Olson scored eight of the first 17 for the Knights and recorded a steal on the defensive end early.
With 4:30 left in the first half,
Keagan John hit his second three of the half to put the Knights up 18. The Scots answered a minute later with a three of their own, but Wartburg had another run to end the half capped off by a
Donovon Smith layup to push the lead back to 18.
Both teams traded shots in the opening five minutes of the second half and Wartburg's lead grew to 22 points with 14:48 to play. Wartburg kept playing strong defensively throughout the half and would grow the lead to a high of 31 points.
The Knights dominated this game from start to finish and did not trail at any point. The Orange & Black had advantages in: points off turnovers (20-10), second chance points (13-6), bench points (28-25), and points in the paint (42-20).
On offense the Knights moved the ball well and were led by a balanced attack, with four players totaling over 12 points. The Orange & Black shot 53.57% in the first half and 41.38% in the second half for a total of 47.4% from the field. The Knights hit six threes on the night for a total of 26.1% from beyond the arc and finished with a 61.5% team mark from the free throw line.
Wartburg's defense was able to smother the Scots offense all game holding them to 27% shooting from the field and 25% shooting from three-point range. The Knight's were able to force 14 turnovers that were turned into 20 points on the other end.
Game Leaders
Olson filled up the stat sheet for the Orange & Black, leading the team in scoring with 14 and rebounds, grabbing nine, as well as tied for game-high in assists with six. The senior guard shot 75% from the field tonight, including one of two from three. Olson added one steal and one block on the defensive side of the ball.
Jack Molstead tied for the game high in assists with six and was able to add 13 points from 66.7% shooting from the field and three-point range. The Charles City, Iowa native added two rebounds and one steal for the Knights defensively.
Marshun Williams and John added 13 and 12 points for the Knights offense. Williams finished the game shooting 54.5% and was one of one in free throw attempts in 17 minutes of play. John shot 40% from both the field and beyond the arc, while adding four assists and one block for the Orange & Black.
Next Time Out
The Knights advance to the Buzz Levick Tip-Off Tournament Championship to face Wisconsin Lutheran College on Saturday, Nov. 20 with tip off set for 4 p.m.
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The Wisconsin Lutheran Warriors advanced to the title game after defeating Cornell College 84-71.
The Warriors controlled most of the game, but Cornell was able to keep fighting their way back in. Jacob Stoltz was the high-point man in the matchup with 30 points off a great shooting night with 56.3% shooting from the field and went five of eight from three for 62.5%. WLC finished the game with four players with 10+ points and shot over 50% from the field as a team.
After being defeated in their respective first round games, Monmouth will face-off with Cornell in the consolation game scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 20 at 2 p.m.
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