MILWAUKEE, Wis. (naccsports.org) --- Seeding held true to form as all four quarterfinal hosts advanced with victories as the 2024 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Men's Basketball Tournament opened Tuesday evening.
Top-seeded Wisconsin Lutheran College defeated No. 8-seed Aurora University, 85-65, and will host No. 4-seed Rockford University at the Time of Grace Center in Milwaukee in one of Thursday's two semifinal games. The Regents advanced with a 75-72 overtime win over No. 5-seed Concordia University Wisconsin.
The other semifinal sends No. 3-seed Benedictine University to De Pere, Wisconsin, to face No. 2-seed St. Norbert College. The Eagles dispatched No. 6-seed Milwaukee School of Engineering, 69-58, while the Green Knights scored a 76-60 win over No. 7-seed Concordia University Chicago.
2024 NACC Men's Basketball Tournament
Quarterfinals ~ Tuesday, Feb. 20
No. 1 Wisconsin Lutheran def. No. 8 Aurora, 85-65
No. 4 Rockford def. No. 5 Concordia Wisconsin, 75-72 (OT)
No. 3 Benedictine def. No. 6 MSOE, 69-58
No. 2 St. Norbert def. No. 7 Concordia Chicago, 76-60
Semifinals ~ Thursday, Feb. 22
No. 4 Rockford at No. 1 Wisconsin Lutheran, 7 p.m.
No. 3 Benedictine at No. 2 St. Norbert, 7 p.m.
Final ~ Saturday, Feb. 24
Semifinal winners at higher seed, TBD
No. 1 Wisconsin Lutheran def. No. 8 Aurora, 85-65
Ryan Broeckel posted game-highs with 24 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Warriors (22-4), who led by 12 at halftime and as many as 30 in the second half. Jacob Stoltz added 21 for WLC. Noah Butler scored 19 points off the bench to pace the Spartans (11-15), while Michael Osborne added 16 points and Dwayne Jervier Jr. narrowly missed a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds.
No. 4 Rockford def. No. 5 Concordia Wisconsin, 75-72 (OT)
After trailing by nine points early in the second half, Rockford charged back to force overtime as Kevin Diemer drained a 3-pointer with 19 seconds left in regulation. Diemer, who finished with 22 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, hit two more 3-pointers in the extra session to lead the Regents (18-8) to the victory. Rockford's Micah Swanson and CUW's Gabe Pruss tied for game-high honors in scoring with 24 points apiece. In addition to Pruss, Freeman Jackson (15) and Zech Hans (14) also reached double figures for the Falcons (10-16), while Sam Meerstein (12 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists) fell two assists short of a triple-double.
No. 3 Benedictine def. No. 6 MSOE, 69-58
MSOE overcame a six-point halftime deficit to lead by four near the midway point of the second half but could not hold on as Benedictine rallied on its home court. Trailing 48-47 at the 8:44 mark, the Eagles (16-10) closed the game on a 22-10 run that included a stretch of 10 straight BenU points. Nick Howard led four BenU players in double figures with 21 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Ryan Sammons added 18, while Trevor Montiel had 15 and Drew Stokes 10. Carson Cordelli scored a game-high 22 points, while Donovan Carter added 18 for MSOE (12-14).
No. 2 St. Norbert def. No. 7 Concordia Chicago, 76-60
Host St. Norbert used a 16-2 run that spanned both halves to break what had been a close game wide open, then put the game out of reach with a 12-0 run in the second half. Jamison Nickolai led the Green Knights (21-5) with 24 points, 19 in the second half. He shot 6-of-13 from the field with three 3-pointers and was 9 of 12 at the line. Nickolai also pulled down eight boards. Carter Gebler got off to a fast start with 13 first-half points and finished with 16, while Evan Glaser chipped in with 10 points and nine rebounds. Concordia Chicago (13-13) was led by 20 points from Jacob Collicott, while Jordan Matthews added 11.