Green Knights Push Regular-Season Win Streak to 27

From Sports Information Director, December 13, 2014 | Men's Basketball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

EAU CLAIRE - St. Norbert College extended its regular-season winning streak to 27 with a 66-55 win over UW-Eau Claire in a non-conference game on Ken Anderson Court at Zorn Arena.

The Green Knights (7-0), ranked No. 20 in the D3hoops.com Top 25, won on the road at a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference school for the second time this season. It is the first time since the 1975-76 season St. Norbert has accomplished that feat.

St. Norbert had to overcome a six-point deficit early in the second half. Kurtis Moody's jumper with 15:47 remaining put the Blugolds up 33-27. Bryan Dalton sliced into the deficit 1:20 later with a conventional three-point play. On St. Norbert's next possession, Mitch Winter canned a 3-pointer to knot the game at 33-33 with 13:59 left.

It was the start of 11 straight points for the Green Knights from the fingertips of Winter, who connected on three trifectas as well as a layup. His spurt allowed St. Norbert to take a 41-38 lead with 11:54 remaining.

Eau Claire (3-7) would trail 43-42 with 8:54 left but Steven Hofacker, playing in his hometown, connected on a conventional three-point play with 8:38 to go for a 46-42 edge. The play ignited a 9-0 run, which finished with a pair of Andrew Schwoerer baskets sandwiched around a Hofacker layup. St. Norbert led 52-42 with 6:30 left and the Blugolds would never get closer than eight points the rest of the way.

St. Norbert would trail in the first half by five points on two occasions, the last at 20-15 with 6:36 left. The Green Knights closed the half on a 10-3 run to take a 25-23 lead into intermission.

D.J. DeValk led St. Norbert with 15 points, while Hofacker added 12 points. Winter finished with 11 points and Austin Elliott 10. The Green Knights, who entered the game as Division III's top shooting team from the floor, shot 44.2 percent (23-for-52).

Tyson Kalien was the only Eau Claire player to reach double figures with 23 points. The Blugolds shot 37 percent (20-for-54) from the floor and were 9-for-28 (32.1 percent) from beyond the three-point arc.