NEW ULM, Minn. – The Yellowjacket men's basketball team had a big game on its plate Friday, hitting the road to face Martin Luther. With a victory, the 'Jackets would secure home-court advantage Wednesday in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) semifinals.
It surely didn't take UWS long to produce the offense, scoring 15 points and limiting the Knights to just two points within six minutes of tipoff.
From there the Yellowjackets continued to extend their lead, something they never gave up on their way to a 77-64 victory inside the Luther Student Center.
The Yellowjackets (17-7, 9-4 UMAC) have secured the No. 2 seed heading into playoffs, a game they will play in front of their home fans inside Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium.
Game Notes
- J'Vaun Walker (Rosharon, Texas/Manvel) led the Yellowjackets with 20 points Friday. He was 7-12 (58.3 percent) from the field and was a perfect five-for-five from the line.
- Another Yellowjacket who claimed a 100% percentage from the line was Josef Fahrenholtz (Chatfield, Minn./Chatfield). His 14 points and seven rebounds matched teammate Reid Johnson (Chatfield, Minn./Chatfield).
- Finishing the contest 75 percent from field goal range was Andrew Kunelius (Caledonia, Minn./Caledonia), nailing six of eight shots from inside the arc. He also contributed four defensive rebounds throughout the game.
- UWS scored 22 points from players off the bench, compared to Martin Luther's seven.
- The Knights were held to just 24 points inside the paint as the 'Jackets finished with 40.
- Four different Knights were in double-digits in the game, including Trey Lauber (18), Thomas Balge (13), Micah Kieselhorst and Ethan Kjenstad (11).
- Luke Fix grabbed seven rebounds for MLC in just 19 minutes of action on the hardwood.
- The Yellowjackets finished the game shooting 42.9 percent from the field, while the Knights capped their evening with a percentage of 34.9.
The Yellowjackets finish the regular season slate Saturday, facing off against Bethany Lutheran in a rematch of the 2023 UMAC Championship game. The opening tipoff is set for 4:45 p.m. inside North Gymnasium.
