MILWAUKEE, Wis. (naccsports.org) --- Seeds held to form as top-seeded Wisconsin Lutheran College and second-seeded St. Norbert College posted semifinal victories Friday night in the 2023 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Men's Basketball Tournament.

Wisconsin Lutheran defeated fourth-seeded Benedictine, 98-73, while St. Norbert held off third-seeded Marian. The Warriors will host the final at 2 p.m. Sunday with the winner advancing to the 2023 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship as the NACC's automatic qualifier.

No. 1 Wisconsin Lutheran 98, No. 4 Benedictine 73 - (Box Score)
MILWAUKEE (WLCSports.com) - All five starters scored in double figures and Wisconsin Lutheran College made 14 three-pointers en route to a 98-73 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament Semifinal win over fourth-seeded Benedictine on Friday at the Time of Grace Center.

The Warriors (19-7), who came away with their largest margin of victory ever over the Eagles (12-14), advance to Sunday's NACC Tournament Championship game where they will host second-seeded St. Norbert (18-7) at 2 p.m.

WLC exchanged leads with BenU twice, including two ties, within the first three minutes of the game. Back-to-back three-pointers from juniors Jacob Stoltz (Kewaskum, Wis.) and Jacob Hefle (Germantown, Wis.) put Wisconsin Lutheran in front 14-9 at the 15:52 mark of the first half. Stoltz capped a 7-0 scoring run with a three-point play for a 21-12 lead with 12:37 remaining. The Warriors' lead reached 10 points for the first time on a Hefle triple with 10:56 left, but Benedictine netted four in a row to trail by just six at 26-20.

A 15-2 scoring run from WLC pushed its first-half lead to 23 points with 3:10 left until halftime after a pair of free throws from junior Ryan Broeckel (Chilton, Wis.). Wisconsin Lutheran went into the locker room holding a 15-point advantage over the Eagles after shooting 51.4 percent from the floor.

Five straight points combined from Hefle and junior  Grayson Goetz (Aurora, Ill.) to start the second half pushed the Warriors' lead to 20 points for the first time in the contest. A 5-0 scoring spurt gave WLC a 65-40 lead three-and-a-half minutes into final period. BenU trimmed its deficit under 20 points three times throughout the second half, coming no closer than 18. Leading 82-63 with 6:36 remaining, Wisconsin Lutheran rattled off an 8-0 scoring run capped by a breakaway dunk from Broeckel for its largest lead of the game.

Broeckel and Goetz scored 19 points apiece to lead the Warriors. Stoltz finished with 17 points, Hefle followed with 16, and senior Simeon Strauss (Chicago, Ill.) added 12. Broeckel added six rebounds and four steals, while Stoltz dished out five assists.

WLC shot 47.9 percent (34-for-71) from the floor, including 42.4 percent from beyond the arc with 14 three-point makes. Wisconsin Lutheran also went 16-for-18 from the charity stripe and committed just seven turnovers.

Marvin Agwonah scored a game-high 22 points to pace three players in double figures for Benedictine, which shot 42.5 percent (31-for-73) for the game.

No. 2 St. Norbert 75, No. 3 Marian 65 - (Box Score)
DE PERE, Wis. (athletics.snc.edu) - St. Norbert College advanced to the championship game of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament with a 75-65 win over Marian University in a semifinal game at a rollicking Mulva Family Fitness & Sports Center.

The Green Knights (18-7) will face Wisconsin Lutheran College in the NACC Tournament championship game at 2 p.m. Sunday in Milwaukee. The two teams split their two regular-season meetings this season, with each squad winning on the opponent's home court.

St. Norbert and Marian went back-and-forth in the early going before the Sabres opened up a 9-5 lead. The Green Knights countered with a 3-pointer from Aidan Harrington and a Jamison Nickolai dunk for a 10-9 edge. Marian hit a pair of free throws to briefly retake the lead, but the Green Knights then went on an 8-0 run to take control. Brandt Wilson got the run started with a layup, followed by a hoop and two free throws by Evan Glaser. Aidan Harrington's jumper put St. Norbert ahead 18-11 midway through the first half.

The Green Knights eventually opened up a lead of 14 points twice in the final 10 minutes of the first half, the last time at 42-28 with 1:04 left after Garrett Grzesk and Carter Gebler connected on back-to-back 3-pointers. St. Norbert led 42-31 at halftime.

Grzesk splashed a 3-pointer to open the second half, but Marian then went on a quick 13-2 run to get to within 47-44 with 15:13 remaining. The Green Knights responded by holding the Sabres scoreless over the next 5:12, going on a 6-0 run on four points from Glaser and two from Wilson for a 53-44 lead. Marian came again, going on a 9-2 run to get within 55-53 with 8:20 to play. Gebler connected on a 3-pointer with 7:57 left that started a 12-1 St. Norbert run that effectively determined the outcome. Jamison Nickolai's putback capped the run for a 67-54 lead with 3:42 to go.

St. Norbert shot 54.3 percent from the floor, canning 25 of 46 field-goal attempts. The Green Knights were also 8-for-16 from beyond the three-point arc and held a 38-22 rebounding advantage. Gebler poured in 20 points, while Glaser added 18 and Nickolai 11.

Marian shot 40.7 percent (22-for-54) from the floor, and hoisted 35 three-point field-goal attempts, making 12 (34.3 percent). Tyler Gouin and David Britton led the Sabres with 16 points apiece.