Another Cold Shooting Night Leads to SNC Defeat, Denied MWC Title Share

From Sports Information Director, February 21, 2009 | Men's Basketball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

DE PERE - St. Norbert College missed out on a share of a Midwest Conference title with a 64-51 loss to Carroll University at Schuldes Sports Center.

The Green Knights (18-5, 12-4 MWC) dropped four of their last six games of the season after a 16-1 start. St. Norbert will face Grinnell College at Grinnell in the first game of the Midwest Conference Tournament on Feb. 27. Carroll (16-7, 12-4 MWC) will face Lawrence in the other semifinal.

St. Norbert suffered another ice-cold shooting night, making just 32.1 percent of its shots - going 17-for-53. The Green Knights tied the game at 46-46 with 7:38 left to play, but couldn't get over the hump. Carroll went on a 7-0 run from there, capped off by a John Hoch 3-pointer with 5:14 left for a 53-46 Pioneers lead. Dave Wipperfurth would can a 3 for St. Norbert with 4:51 to go to cut the deficit to 53-49, but the Green Knights would get no closer.

St. Norbert held its only lead of the game at 8-7, and back-to-back 3-pointers by Kyle Jones pushed Carroll out to a 13-8 lead. The Green Knights trailed by as many as nine points in the first half at 28-19, but battled back to a 30-26 halftime deficit.

Hoch and Jones led Carroll with 18 points apiece, while Eric Thompson added 12 points. The Pioneers shot 52.2 percent (24-for-46) from the floor and made 8 of 20 3-pointers. Carroll also held a 33-29 rebounding advantage.

St. Norbert was led by 14 points from John Taylor. Tom Katzfey, in his first game back after undergoing hernia surgery on Jan. 29, scored 11 points in 25 minutes. Wipperfurth added 10 points.