DECORAH, Iowa – It finally happened. After weeks of being just an offensive drought or defensive stand away from victory, the Luther College men's basketball team put it all together Saturday afternoon. In front of a boisterous home crowd, the Norse earned their first American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) win of the 2022-23 season, defeating Nebraska Wesleyan 79-65. With the victory, Luther's overall record improves to 4-13, and the team is 1-8 in A-R-C play. 

GOT THE YIPS?
The first half was a doozy in Regents Center, as the Norse and Prairie Wolves drew to a 29-29 tie after 20 minutes of play. Luther as a team shot .444 percent from the floor in the opening half, scoring 12 of its 29 first half points in the paint. Additionally, the Norse scored 11 points off turnovers while the bench led all scorers with 17 points, 12 of which came from the hand of Aidan Bailey (Dripping Springs, Texas / Dripping Springs). Mikkel Schutte (Houston, Minn. / Houston) and Ben Gill (Sydney, Australia / Newington College) added six points a piece, while Matthew Franzen (Decorah, Iowa / Decorah) and Mitchell Schmieder (Wellman, Iowa / Iowa Mennonite) scored Luther's remaining points in the first half. 

While the first half was a defensive battle, the second was anything but. The Norse and Nebraska Wesleyan scored a combined 86 combined points in the second half after scoring just 58 combined points in the first. In the early stages, though, it looked like the Prairie Wolves would run away with a victory, as they went on a 6-0 scoring run to take a 43-37 lead with 12:15 remaining in regulation. A three-pointer by Tim Mewborn (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Widefield) pulled the Norse back within a possession before three free throws by Bailey tied it at 43-43 with 11:06 left in the game. 

Luther and Nebraska Wesleyan would trade one point leads for the ensuing three minutes before the Prairie Wolves seemed to take control of the game at 51-47. However, every time Nebraska Wesleyan looked to pull away, the Norse would answer, first with a layup from Gill then with a three-pointer from Franzen. Three times, Gill and Franzen pulled Luther within striking distance of the Prairie Wolves before Andrew Lazinbat (San Antonio, Texas / Brandies) fully turned the tide for the Norse. After another three by Franzen pulled Luther within a possession at 65-62, Nebraska Wesleyan's defense left Lazinabt open at the top of the key and dared him to make the basket. He did, draining the three to make it 65-65 with 2:59 left in regulation. 

From that point on, only the Norse would tally points, as Luther ended the game on a 14-0 run to claim its 79-65 victory. Gill officially hit the go-ahead layup one minute after Lazinbat's game-tying basket before treys from Daniel Webster (Plano, Texas / St. Ignatius) and Franzen gave the Norse an eight point cushion with 1:12 to go. That eight point lead would have been enough, but Lazinbat and Webster were a perfect 6-6 at the line down the stretch, as Webster secured the 79-65 win with two free throws in the closing seconds. 

TOP NORSE

• Three different Luther student-athletes scored 15 points Saturday evening, including Daniel Webster (Plano, Texas / St. Ignatius), Matthew Franzen (Decorah, Iowa / Decorah) and Aidan Bailey (Dripping Springs, Texas / Dripping Springs). Webster led the team in both points and rebounds, closing with 15 points on 4-7 shooting, including a 3-4 clip from three-point range, to go along with five rebounds. Bailey also ended the game with 15 points after leading the team with 12 in the first half, shooting 5-7 from the floor and 2-4 from three point range, with four rebounds. 
• Franzen had a career day on the court for the Norse. In addition to scoring a career-high 15 points, Franzen was a perfect 5-5 from the field, and all five shots were made from three-point land. With the impressive performance, Franzen moves to second all-time in single-game three-point shooting thanks to his perfect 1.000 field goal percentage. He also now ranks top-10 all-time in single-game three-point field goals made after Saturday's contest. 
• Gill closed the game with 14 points and five rebounds, while Andrew Lazinbat (San Antonia, Texas / Brandeis) led the way with six assists and one steal. 

OF NOTE
Luther's win Saturday afternoon counts as the first over Nebraska Wesleyan since the Prairie Wolves joined the A-R-C in 2016-17. The last time the Norse defeated Nebraska Wesleyan was in 1971-72, when Luther defeated the Prairie Wolves 64-55 in nonconference play. 

UP NEXT
Luther will stay home for its next handful of games, as the Norse are set to host Coe College on Wednesday, January 25. Tip off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Decorah, Iowa.