MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The third-ranked Benedictine University men's basketball team clinched a share of a second consecutive Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference title with a road win over Wisconsin Lutheran, also wrapping up the top seed in the conference tournament.

FINAL SCORE
Benedictine 86, Wisconsin Lutheran 62

THE DETAILS
• Wisconsin Lutheran led by six points early as part of a close opening 20 minutes of action
• A pair of free throws from Michael Blaszczyk concluded a 7-0 run to hand Benedictine an 18-16 advantage with 13:19 to go in the first half
• Neither team led by more than four points over the remaining duration of the half
• Blaszczyk scored on a tip-in with just over a minute left to give Benedictine a 38-36 advantage at the break
• Two free throws from Luke Johnson knotted the game at 50-50 with 13:50 left to begin a run of 15-0
• Adam Reynolds capped the explosive stretch with a layup to make the score 63-50 with 8:39 remaining
• Johnson scored five consecutive points late to put the game out of reach as Benedictine went on to lead by as many as 26 points, outscoring the hosts 48-26 in the second

FROM THE COACH
"Congrats to our players for battling tonight," head coach Keith Bunkenburg said. "Wisconsin Lutheran shot the ball very well early, and we had to earn the victory today. While the win clinched a share of the conference title, we want to win it outright in front of our home fans on Tuesday night. We set a goal of winning the conference early in the season and I am proud of what we have done to this point, particularly given that we weren't picked to win the conference."

STAT LEADERS
• Benedictine was able to shoot 57.7 percent in the second half to pull away, finishing the game at 47.5 percent
• Defensively, Benedictine held Wisconsin Lutheran to just 28.6 percent shooting in the second half and 32.4 percent for the game
• At the free throw line, Benedictine finished 20-for-22
• Blaszczyk was one of four players to reach double figures, continuing his pursuit of 1,000 career points with 20 and eight boards
• The top rebounding team in the country, Benedictine held a 46-33 advantage on the glass
• Johnson amassed 13 points with nine rebounds and a pair of blocks
• Reynolds and Tahron Harvey each poured in 12 points

UP NEXT
Benedictine (22-0, 17-0 NACC) can match the single season school record for wins and clinch the first outright NACC title since 2011 when Concordia University Chicago visits on Tuesday night