Joey Burris (So.-Kiel, Wis.) carried the scoring load with 26 points and the Lakeland College men's basketball team made a second half run to take control and defeat Dominican (Ill.) University 86-73 Saturday afternoon in a Northern Athletics Conference game.
The Muskies won despite a relatively quiet afternoon from Jake Schwarz (Sr.-Sheboygan, Wis.) and a very quiet day from Justin Ward (Jr.-Wisconsin Dells, Wis.), shooting 49.2% (31-of-63) as a team and committing just nine turnovers. Lakeland improved to 11-2 overall and remains undefeated in the NAC at 5-0 in the conference loop.
Burris hit seven of 12 shots from the field, including five three-pointers, and also made all seven of his free throw attempts. He scored 19 points in the first half as Lakeland took the lead midway through and led 46-38 at halftime.
The Muskies would never trail again and firmly gained the upper hand with a 17-3 run, taking a 69-49 lead on a jumper by Schwarz with 9:34 to play. The Stars (4-10 overall, 2-4 NAC) got as close as 11 points in the final four minutes but got no closer the rest of the way.
Schwarz finished with 19 points, making 8-of-18 from the field and finishing five points below his average of 24.6 per game. Ward also scored just six points before fouling out, playing just 15 minutes due to foul trouble as well as a sprained ankle that sidelined him for a time.
Lakeland received a boost from James Oshkeshequoam (Jr.-Shawano, Wis.), who returned from a broken wrist and playing for the first time in more than a month. He scored 16 points off the bench, giving the Muskies a third player in double figures, and also added a game-high three steals.
Brandon Hagenow (Fr.-Sussex, Wis.) added eight points and also posted a career-high nine assists while committing just one turnover running the point.
Anthony Keener scored 18 points to lead Dominican, which shot 43.5% (27-of-62) and committed 15 turnovers. Taylor DeRoo scored 10 points and Logan Harris also added nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
Lakeland plays its final non-conference game of the regular season on Tuesday when it hosts Northland International University at 5 p.m. at Woltzen Gymnasium.