MILWAUKEE — The problems, said UW-La Crosse men’s basketball coach Ken Koelbl, were plentiful.

Koelbl said there were several factors that contributed to
UW-L’s 80-78 nonconference loss Saturday to Wisconsin Lutheran.

The Eagles (1-1) watched a

13-point lead evaporate over the final 4 minutes, 46 seconds of the game.

They watched Wisconsin Lutheran’s Ben Ziesemer drain the game-winning 3-pointer with 11 seconds left.

UW-L had taken a 78-77 lead when Jordan Rumpel hit one of two free throws with 17 seconds left.

Koelbl wasn’t happy to watch any of what transpired.

“Our games are 40 minutes long, so we have to play for 40 minutes. We didn’t do that tonight,” Koelbl said. “We got tentative on offense and got back on our heels on defense.

“We’ve got to be tougher mentally. We gave one away.”

Andy Merklein led the Eagles with 16 points. Danny Behm led Wisconsin Lutheran (1-2) with

27 points.

Advertisement