Norse Drop Home Opener to St. Olaf
Nov. 19, 2007
Trailing 26-24 at halftime, the Oles of St. Olaf College outscored Luther 30-17 in the second frame en route to a 54-43 victory this evening here in the Regents Center.
The Oles blistered the nets in the second half, while the Norse shooting eyes were frigid. The Oles connected on 58% of their attempts in the last 20 minutes of play, while Luther shot 18%. The Norse were 16-of-70 for the evening, that included a 4-for-22 performance from behind the three-point line.
The highlight of the evening was the play of Zac Ruckebeil. Ruckebeil led the squad in scoring with eight points and collected a game high 20 rebounds. The Norse collectively had 25 offensive boards. Ruckebeil had 12 of this team total. His 20 rebounds was five shy of the school record set by Luther Hall of Famer Mike Bockenstedt who tallied 25 twice during his career.
St. Olaf (1-1) was led by Bobby Hunter with 16 points and Chad Norberg with 15. Point guard Steve Banick dished out a game high six assists.
The loss was Luther's first of the season and levels its overall record to 1-1. The Norse will return to action this weekend when they will travel to Nebraska Wesleyan University for the Snyder Classic. The Norse will continue play against schools from the MIAC, squaring off against St. Mary's University on Nov. 23 and Concordia-Moorhead on the 24th. Both games will begin at 5:30 p.m.
