MILWAUKEE - A furious second-half rally and a late basket led to St. Norbert College winning the regular-season championship of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference outright with a 56-54 win over Wisconsin Lutheran College at Time of Grace Center.
Olivia DeCleene's driving baseline layup with 1.9 seconds remaining snapped a 54-54 tie. Following a Wisconsin Lutheran timeout to advance to the frontcourt, the inbounds pass to the basket was long and deflected with time expiring before the Warriors could get possession and attempt a shot.
The victory moved St. Norbert to 21-3 overall and 17-0 in the NACC, clinching the No. 1 seeding for next week's NACC Tournament. The Green Knights also tied a school record for regular-season wins, matching the 2010-11 team, by winning their 13th-straight game.
St. Norbert held an early 10-9 lead on
Natalie Cerrato's 3-pointer with 4:07 left in the first quarter, but that would be the Green Knights' last lead until the fourth quarter. The Warriors went on a 6-2 run to close out the quarter to take a 15-12 lead after 10 minutes. Wisconsin Lutheran pulled away in the second quarter as St. Norbert was just 3-for-12 from the floor in the period, with the host taking a 27-18 halftime lead.
Wisconsin Lutheran (17-7, 14-3) held a 35-27 lead with 3:56 left in the third quarter before St. Norbert began its charge. DeCleene hit a pair of free throws and
Emma Morrisey canned a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 35-32 at the 2:43 mark. The Warriors' Lexy Smit answered with a trey of her own 21 seconds later, but
Chloe Gruszynski's two free throws and a
Kaycee Gierczak hoops brought the Green Knights to within 38-36 with 10 minutes left.
Morrisey then drained a 3-pointer on the first possession of the fourth quarter to give St. Norbert a 39-38 lead. The Green Knights kept the pressure on, taking a pair of four-point leads and then went up 49-44 with 6:01 left on another Morrisey triple. The Warriors would get a pair of free throws but Gruszynski would answer with a hoop at the 3:56 mark for a 51-46 edge with 3:56 to go. Wisconsin Lutheran would then go on a 6-1 run over the next 3:01 to tie the game at 52-52 on Sam Leisemann's basket with 55 seconds left. DeCleene made a pair of free throws with 38 seconds left put St. Norbert up two, but Ella Ten Pas' layup with 31 seconds to go retied the game at 54-54.
Following a timeout, DeCleene drove the right baseline, maneuvered past a Wisconsin Lutheran defensive player, and with the shot clock a second away from expiring, converted an uncontested layup for the eventual game-winning points.
St. Norbert shot 39.2 percent from the floor, making 20 of 51 field-goal attempts. DeCleene posted 21 points with six rebounds, four steals and three assists in 40 minutes. Morrisey scored 12 points, going 4-for-8 from distance, while also playing all 40 minutes.
Wisconsin Lutheran shot 42.9 percent (18-for-42) from the field. Leisemann led the Warriors with 13 points, while Ten Pas added 12 points.
