WAVERLY, Iowa – Wartburg men's basketball is set to hit the road for a non-conference matchup with Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minn. on Saturday, Dec. 4 with tip-off set for 2 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 4 – 2 p.m. – Mankato, Minn. – North Gym
Wartburg Knights (6-1, 2-0 A-R-C) at Bethany Lutheran Vikings (3-3, 0-0)
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Last Time Out
Wartburg defeated Luther College 73-57 on Wednesday, Dec. 1 inside Levick Arena to move to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in American Rivers Conference play.
The Knights jumped on the Norse early, getting out to a 12-0 start behind 10 quick points from
Jack Molstead. The Norse answered with three-pointers that led to an 18-6 run of their own to tie the game at 18 all with 7:26 left in the first half. The Knights were able to pull away to a five-point lead with under four minutes and a
Keagan John three-ball made it a 15-point lead to close out the first half.
The Knights controlled the pace early in the second half and grew the lead to a game-high 19 points with just over 16 minutes left in the game. Luther would not go away quietly as its timely three-point shooting brought the Norse back in the game. A late 7-0 Luther run brought the game back within seven points. With 6 minutes to play, Molstead hit back-to-back threes the following possessions and then hit two late free throws to help seal the victory.
Wartburg shot 52.8% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc as a team, while holding Luther's offense to 36.8% from the field and 36.7% from three. Luther attempted over double the three-pointers of Wartburg with 30 to 12. The Orange & Black also held a slight edge in rebounding, grabbing 37 compared to Luther's 33.
Team Leaders
Molstead and
Drew Olson are leading the Knights in scoring through seven games, with 16 and 15.9 points per game.
Molstead recorded a career-high 27 points in his last contest shooting 8/12 (75%) from the field and 5/6 (83.3%) from three-point range. On the season, the junior guard is shooting 49.4% from the field and 46.7% from beyond the arc. Molstead is also leading the team in assists with just under six per game. The Charles City, Iowa native has also added 5.3 rebounds per game for the Knights.
Olson is scoring efficiently through the first seven games with a field goal percentage of 58.6% and a three-point shooting mark of 53.8%. The senior guard is also adding 5.4 assists per game to Wartburg's offense. On the defensive side of the ball, Olson is leading the Knights in both rebounds and steals per game with six and 3.6 per game respectively.
The Orange & Black have three players with three blocks recorded so far this season in John,
Trent Allard, and
Codey Hicks.
Marshun Williams leads the Knights bench scoring with 9.7 per game along with 3.3 rebounds per game. Williams is also shooting a team-high (min. 5 attempts) 80% from the free throw line.
Bethany Lutheran
Bethany Lutheran College men's basketball has started the season with a 3-3 record. In its last competition, the Vikings were defeated at home by Gustavus Adolphus College 66-62.
The Vikings are averaging 76.5 points per game as a team on 42.8% shooting from the field and are allowing 75.7 points per game on 40.8% field goal shooting. Compared to Wartburg, who is averaging 80.3 points per game while shooting 52.6% from the field and only allowing 69.6 points per game on 38.1% shooting from the field.
Brian Smith is averaging 21.7 points per game for Bethany Lutheran but has not played in the last three contests. The next leading scorer for the Vikings is Hunter Nielsen with 13.3 points per game while shooting 59.6% from the field. Nielsen has also added seven rebounds per game and 10 total blocks this season.
Jacob Milinkovich is leading Bethany Lutheran in rebounding with 8.2 per game and adds over nine points per game on the offensive side. He also leads the team with 14 total steals through the first six games.
Series History
Wartburg leads the all-time series between these schools seven wins to two. The Knights have won the last five meetings, with the last one being a 98-95 thriller in Mankato, Minn. during the 2016-17 season.
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