DECORAH, Iowa – Nebraska Wesleyan fell to Luther College, 86-57, in an A-R-C showdown Saturday afternoon. The loss moves the Prairie Wolves to 1-17 on the season and 0-9 in American Rivers Conference play, while the Norse improve to 13-5 overall and 6-3 in league action.

How It Happened

Nebraska Wesleyan opened the game with a steal by Maddie Demke, that led to a Carney Black three pointer, which put NWU ahead 3-0. The Norse answered with a dominating 19-0 run over the next six minutes to go up 19-3 with just under three minutes to play in the first quarter. The two teams traded baskets over the final portion of the quarter which ended with Luther ahead 22-8. 

Down but not out, Nebraska Wesleyan found their groove early in the second quarter with a 7-0 run that cut Luther's lead in half. However, Luther answered back with a 12-2 run to go up by 17 with 5:59 to play in the first half. The Norse would maintain their advantage over the final five minutes and carried a 42-28 lead into the break. A bright spot for NWU in the first half was freshman Brynn Sebek, who finished with 12 points and two assists.

Luther burst out of the locker room with a 13-2 run to begin the second half. Down 55-30, Nebraska Wesleyan refused to quit, mounting a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 19. The two teams then traded baskets over the ensuing two minutes before a Maddie Demke lay up brought NWU to within 18. However, the Norse fought right back and closed the quarter on a 6-0 run.

Facing a 24 point fourth quarter deficit, NWU got to work with a pair of lay ups from Rhya Cano and Tessa Skelton, which made the score 66-46. The Prairie Wolves were unable to get any closer as Luther pulled away for an 86-57 win.

Key Performers

• Brynn Sebek led NWU with 18 points and added two assists and one steal
• Carney Black recorded 11 points and a team-high six rebounds, while tacking on two assists.
• Alison Davis finished with a strong six point, five rebound performance.

Box Score Highlights

• Field Goal Percentage: NWU 35.0%, LC 48.5%
• Three-Point Percentage: NWU 30.0% (6-30), LC 29.6% (8-27)
• Rebounds: NWU 31, LC 47
• Turnovers: NWU 15, LC 10

• Saturday marked Nebraska Wesleyan's sixth straight loss to Luther. The Prairie Wolves last defeated the Norse on January 22nd, 2022.
• Nebraska Wesleyan falls to 0-9 all time at Luther.
• Brynn Sebek posted a career high 18 points in the loss.
• Nebraska Wesleyan recorded 30 or more rebounds for the 13th time this season.
• The Black and Gold finished with a .300 three point percentage which marks the fifth time NWU has shot .300 or better from beyond the arc this season.
• NWU has given up 80 or more points in seven games.

Up Next
The Prairie Wolves will travel to Dubuque, Iowa on Wednesday, January 29, to play the University of Dubuque at 5:30 PM.

The 2024-25 Men's and Women's basketball seasons are presented by TeamMates Mentoring. For more information, visit TeamMates Mentoring.