DE PERE - In an early-season matchup between expected Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference contenders, St. Norbert College held off Milwaukee School of Engineering to prevail 72-59 at Mulva Family Fitness & Sports Center.

The Green Knights (5-2, 3-0 NACC) are just one of two remaining unbeaten teams in the 13-team loop, joining Concordia University Chicago, after knocking off the senior-laden Raiders (4-4, 2-1). MSOE entered the contest averaging 84.1 points per game but was held 25 points below its season average.

MSOE scored on its first four offensive possessions but the Green Knights connected on a pair of 3-pointers by Connor Pytleski and Ryan Cox in the early going to hang with the early flurry. Pytleski canned another trey with 15:16 remaining in the first half for an 11-9 lead and St. Norbert, despite several pushes from the visitor, never trailed the rest of the way.

St. Norbert held a single-digit lead throughout the first half, with MSOE trailing 27-24 with 6:04 left before halftime. Will Stuckey splashed a 3-pointer and Cole Uhlenbrauck followed with one of his own for a 33-24 edge with 4:28 to go. The Raiders answered with a pair of baskets to make it 33-28, but the Green Knights held them scoreless for the last 3:23 to close the half on a 5-0 run to lead 38-28 at halftime.

The Green Knights opened up their largest lead of the game to that point with a 47-36 advantage with 13:26 to go. The Raiders cut the deficit back into single digits and cut it to 55-51 before Cam Lathos (pictured) canned a 3-pointer late in the possession to bump things back it back to a seven-point lead. Mason Freiburger finished a putback on the next possession and a pair of Stuckey free throws at 5:41 put the Green Knights ahead 62-51. The Raiders would connect on a 3-pointer to cut it to 62-54 with 5:25 to go, but neither team scored for the next 2:35 until Lathos took a nifty feed from Freiburger and Pytleski had a steal and runout layup at 2:29 to lead 66-54 and effectively decide the outcome.

St. Norbert shot 48.1 percent (26-for-54) from the floor and was 9-for-24 (37.5 percent) from beyond the three-point arc. Pytleski posted a career-high 20 points, while Stuckey added 17 points and seven rebounds. Lathos finished with a career-high 14 points. The Green Knights outrebounded the Raiders 37-27, with Cox pulling down a game-high eight.

MSOE shot 40.8 percent (20-for-49) from the floor. Mason Dopirak finished with 25 points, with 20 in the second half. Chase Cummings added 10 points.