STORM LAKE, Iowa – The Luther College men's basketball team is still on the hunt for its first American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) win of the 2022-23 season. Despite another strong defensive second half, in which the Norse outscored their opponent Buena Vista University, Luther was unable to complete the comeback, falling by a final score of 64-52. With the loss, the Norse overall record now stands at 1-8 and the team is 0-3 in A-R-C play.
BY THE NUMBERS
The Norse once again played a strong defensive first half, as they held the Beavers to a sub .350 shooting percentage, including a .294 clip from three-point range. However, Luther's offense struggled to gain traction, as the team was forced to play without starting center Ben Gill (Sydney, Australia / Newington College) for the second consecutive game. Still, the Norse managed to keep pace with Buena Vista through the early stages of the first half, as big baskets from Aidan Bailey (Dripping Springs, Texas / Dripping Springs) and Randall Days (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Widefield) kept Luther within striking distance of the Beavers lead. A cold spurt spelled doom for Luther, though, as Buena Vista scored 11 points off Norse turnovers to take a 34-20 lead into the locker room at half.
Still, Luther was not deterred, as the team actually outscored the Beavers in the second half of the ball game. In fact, the Norse scored more second chance points and had more players score off the bench than Buena Vista, as 11 of Luther's 32 second half points were scored off the bench. However, the Norse were never quite able to catch the Beavers. Any time they came close, Buena Vista would go on another small scoring run, extending its lead back to double digits. In the closing minutes, though, a three-pointer by Matt Rhoden (Joinville, Brazil / Juan Diego Catholic) gave Luther some life and pulled the team seemingly within striking distance of the Beavers lead. However, the Norse couldn't make up the 14 point halftime deficit, as they fell by a final score of 64-52.
TOP NORSE
- Mat Rohden (Joinville, Brazil / Juan Diego Catholic) led the team in scoring for the third consecutive game, closing with 13 points on 4-8 shooting. The sophomore also tallied his first double-double of the season, as he added 11 rebounds in the loss.
UP NEXT
Luther will return to nonconference play next week, as the team is set to face Cornell on the road on Friday, December 16. Tip off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Mount Vernon, Iowa.
