Green Knights Pull Away From UW-Superior

From Asst. AD/Athletics Communications, December 29, 2019 | Men's Basketball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

DE PERE - St. Norbert College methodically wore down UW-Superior on the first night of the Nicolet National Bank Holiday Tournament, posting a 79-49 win over the Yellowjackets at Mulva Family Fitness & Sports Center.

The Green Knights (6-2) will face UW-Stout at 7 p.m. Monday in the championship game of the tournament, while Superior will face Edgewood College in the consolation game at 5 p.m. St. Norbert is looking for its first Nicolet National Bank Holiday Tournament for the first time since 2016.

St. Norbert held a 36-27 lead until Joe Ciriacks started a big 16-2 run with a 3-pointer with 15:09 remaining. Superior countered with a pair of Vid Milenkovic free trows, but St. Norbert scored the next 13 points to put the game away. Ciriacks followed the free throws with another triple and a basket for a 44-29 edge with 13:!1 left. Michael Payant had a basket and later had a 3-pointer, and Jacob Bolwerk's layup with 11:01 to go put the Green Knights ahead 52-29.

The Green Knights opened up a 30-point lead with 5:25 left, and the Yellowjackets didn't get closer than 26 points the rest of the way.

Superior (6-5) got off to a solid start, leading 17-11 six minutes into the game. St. Norbert answered with an 8-0 run, getting a 3-pointer from Ciriacks, a hoop from Payant, a free throw from Jared Murphy and a basket by Bolwerk at the 10:50 mark for a 19-17 lead. Superior answered with a hoop to tie it 19-19 with 9:13 left, and a basket by Connor Curtis and 3-pointers from Wade Geenen and Payant put St. Norbert ahead 27-18 with 7:17 left in the half. The 16-0 St. Norbert run continued, with 3-pointers by Ciriacks and Murphy giving St. Norbert a 35-19 lead with 3:06 left before halftime. St. Norbert led 36-23 at the break.

St. Norbert shot 50.9 percent (28-for-55) from the floor and was 10-for-18 (55.6 percent) from beyond the three-point arc. A total of 11 players cracked the scoring column for St. Norbert, with Ciriacks posting a team-high 15 points. Payant was the only other Green Knight in double figures with 10 points, while also adding six rebounds and three assists.

Superior shot 28.1 percent (16-for-57) from the floor, including 8-for-36 (22.2 percent) in the second half. Milenkovic led the Yellowjackets with 20 points and 11 rebounds.