Chris Siebert poured in 26 points to lead the Lawrence University men’s basketball team to a 72-64 nonconference victory over Wisconsin Lutheran College on Friday at Alexander Gymnasium.
Siebert was 10-for-16 from the floor, including 4-for-7 from 3-point range on his way to his career high in points. Siebert also grabbed six rebounds, had four assists, two blocks and two steals.
Davis DeWolfe added 13 points and Conor Klusendorf and Ryan DePouw added 12 points apiece for Lawrence (1-1). Klusendorf also had a team-high nine rebounds.
Alex Merbach had a double-double for Wisconsin Lutheran (1-1) with 28 points and 11 rebounds. Nate Bauer added 14 points for the Warriors.
Lawrence built a 13-point lead in the first half, but Wisconsin Lutheran scored 13 consecutive points to tie the game at 29-29 with 2:42 left in the opening half. Lawrence then scored the half’s final nine points, including a three-point play from Andrew Kline in the closing seconds, to lead 38-29 at the break.
Lawrence led by as many as 13 points in the second half on two occasions, but Wisconsin Lutheran would not let the Vikings pull away. The Warriors cut the lead to six points at 63-57 with 3:39 left.
DePouw answered with a 3-pointer to push the lead back to 66-57, and after a pair of missed 3-pointers, the Warriors fouled DePouw. He hit a pair of free throws with 58 seconds left to give the Vikings a 68-58 lead.
After a free throw by the Warriors, DeWolfe got a fastbreak layup with 35 seconds left to give Lawrence a 70-59 lead and seal the victory.
Lawrence returns to action on Nov. 23 when it travels to Marian University.