NORTH FOND DU LAC, Wis. (Interstat) — Wisconsin Lutheran used a dominant first quarter and a balanced offense to defeat Marian (Wis.) 74-48 in a women’s NCAA Division III basketball game Wednesday at Lenz Field House. The Warriors improved to 1-1, while the Sabres fell to 0-2 in front of 141 spectators. Wisconsin Lutheran led 30-14 after one quarter, 43-26 at halftime and 59-37 through three quarters before closing out the win. The victory gave Wisconsin Lutheran a split of its first two games of the season and handed Marian its second loss.

Abby Cole led Wisconsin Lutheran with 13 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and one block in 30 minutes. Margie Stevens added 18 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Azaziah Evans-Blake paced Marian (Wis.) with 13 points, five rebounds and one block in 24 minutes. Kenly Frey scored 10 points to go with two rebounds and three assists, Alexis Beger had 11 points and three rebounds, and Emily Eastham finished with seven points, five rebounds and two assists for the Sabres. Madeline Leffel contributed 11 points, three rebounds, four assists and two blocks for the Warriors. Ava Kreger added nine points and four rebounds for Marian, Emma Neyhart chipped in three points and two rebounds in four minutes, and Ashley Waslo scored seven points with three assists.

Wisconsin Lutheran finished with 12 offensive rebounds, 12 assists, four blocks and 17 turnovers. Marian also had 12 offensive rebounds and added eight assists, two blocks and 20 turnovers. The Warriors shot 28 of 59 from the floor, 4 of 11 from 3-point range and 14 of 22 from the free-throw line. Marian was 19 of 64 from the floor, 7 of 32 from beyond the arc and 3 of 7 at the line. Wisconsin Lutheran scored 74 points from 74 possessions, an offensive rating of 99.4, while Marian scored 48 points from 75 possessions, an offensive rating of 63.7.

The decisive stretch came in the opening quarter. After Marian briefly took a 5-4 lead on Evans-Blake’s 3-pointer, Wisconsin Lutheran answered with a sustained run. Cole made layups near the basket, Frey converted a layup and free throws, Stevens hit a 3-pointer and added a layup, and Beger and Leffel also scored as the Warriors built a 30-14 advantage by the end of the period. Wisconsin Lutheran never trailed after Frey’s layup made it 6-5 with 8:04 left in the first quarter. Wisconsin Lutheran extended its lead to 43-26 at halftime and kept control after the break, with Stevens scoring on a tip-in and a layup early in the third quarter before Beger hit a 3-pointer and Cole converted a tip-in and free throw. The Warriors took a 59-37 lead into the fourth quarter and were not threatened the rest of the way. In the fourth, Leffel made two free throws, Stevens hit a 3-pointer, and Neyhart converted a pair of free throws as Wisconsin Lutheran closed the game.

Marian’s best moments came early, but Wisconsin Lutheran’s inside scoring and defensive pressure prevented the Sabres from sustaining momentum. The Warriors controlled the paint and answered each Marian basket with a run of their own, turning the first-quarter surge into a comfortable margin that held for the rest of the game. Wisconsin Lutheran’s bench also contributed late as the Warriors closed out the road victory. Marian scored 14 points in the first quarter, 12 in the second and 11 in each of the final two quarters. Wisconsin Lutheran will next host Wisconsin-Eau Claire, while Marian will host North Central (Minn.) in its next game.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Wisconsin Lutheran 68, Marian (Wis.) 53. Interstat’s ELO system had given Wisconsin Lutheran a 99.5 percent probability to win.