With final exams in progress throughout the week, the Benedictine University men's basketball team will have just one game. BenU will welcome Lakeland College to the Dan and Ada Rice Center on Saturday for an 8:00 p.m. matchup.
Benedictine (5-2, 4-1) played three Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference games last week, going 2-1 in those contests. After dropping a contest to Aurora University on Tuesday 76-69, BenU won on the road at Concordia University Chicago on Thursday (73-59) and at Concordia University Wisconsin on Saturday (63-57).
Michael Blaszczyk dropped 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting against CUW, while
John Dodson and
Tim McGinty each averaged 13 points over the three contests.
Saturday: vs. Lakeland (6-1, 3-1), 8:00 p.m.
Benedictine welcomes one of the NACC's best programs to Lisle on Saturday night when Lakeland comes to town. While the Muskies have not won a Regular Season Championship and have just one NACC Tournament Championship (2008), Lakeland has compiled a .716 winning percentage over the last four seasons (78-31) along with a .721 mark in NACC games (49-19). This season has been no different for the Muskies, as the team is off to a 6-1 start, with the team's only loss coming at CUW on Thursday.
Lakeland has traditionally boasted a powerful offense, averaging over 80 points per game in each of the past three seasons. Through seven games, the Muskies are averaging 84.4 points per game, which is exactly what the team averaged a season ago. To complement the offense, Lakeland has also been a strong defensive team this season, ranking fifth in the NACC in points allowed per game (67.4) and third in opponent's field goal percentage (43.1%).
Benedictine holds a 4-6 record against Lakeland since the conference was formed in 2006. Last season, the Eagles split with the Muskies, winning 97-85 in Lisle and falling 98-84 at Lakeland. Blaszczyk averaged 27.5 points in the two contests, while Dodson added 14.5 points and 4.5 rebounds.
