BELOIT, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Collin Kennedy (Holmen, Wis.) posted a double-double of 27 points and 10 rebounds as the Wisconsin Lutheran College men's basketball team opened its regular season schedule with a 79-67 non-conference road victory over Beloit Wednesday inside Flood Arena. The Warriors never trailed en route to the season-opening win.
Location: Flood Arena, Beloit, Wis.
The Warriors forced two early turnovers and opened the game with a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into action.
Kennedy drained a jumper from the top of the arc and Andrew Bruggink (Brookfield, Wis.) hit a corner triple on a fastbreak to extend the Warriors' lead to 21-10 and force a Beloit timeout with 12:07 left in the first half.
Beloit held WLC to just two points over the course of 4:05 as the hosts trimmed the deficit to 23-21 with 8:13 left in the first half.
The Green and White used a 13-0 run to take a first-half high 14-point lead at 39-25 with 3:12 remaining in the opening half.
Wisconsin Lutheran held a 41-32 lead at halftime after shooting 52.0 percent in the opening 20 minutes of action.
The Warriors' lead was extended to a game-high 18 points after an Bruggink layup for a 56-38 lead at the 13:51 mark of the second half.
Beloit battled back to trim WLC's lead to 65-57 with 7:25 left in regulation.
Over the final 6:54, the Warriors never saw their lead drop below double-digits and made 7-of-10 free throws down the stretch to secure the 79-67 opening night victory.
Kennedy poured in a game-high 27 points on 12-of-18 shooting while adding 10 rebounds. It marked his 30th career double-double.
Mack Knueppel (Jackson, Wis.) followed with 16 points and Colin Biesterfeld (West Bend, Wis.) added 12 points, five rebounds, and a pair of assists.
Bruggink added 10 points off the bench, while Matty Farner (Muskego, Wis.) recorded a team-high 11 boards.
The Warriors shot 46.3 percent (25-of-54) from the floor and made 23 of 30 attempts from the charity stripe.
Darin Empereur led three Buccaneers in double-figures with 17 points, while adding five steals and four rebounds.
Tristan Shoup netted 15 points, and Andrew Walters added a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The Bucs shot 40.3 percent (27-of-67) from the floor in the contest.
The hosts forced 16 turnovers and held a 42-24 advantage on points in the paint.
The Warriors play their home opener Saturday when they host Maranatha (1-1). Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. inside the Recreation Complex. The Sabercats fell 71-68 on the road against Knox Tuesday. Live stats and video will be available at WLCSports.com.