Andrew Kline scored a pair of key baskets down the stretch, and the Lawrence University men’s basketball team got a big defensive stop to down Illinois College 77-76 in a Midwest Conference game on Saturday at Alexander Gymnasium.
Chris Siebert paced Lawrence (8-11, 7-8 MWC) with 24 points. Tyler Crisman added 14 points for the Vikings, and Ryan DePouw had 11.
Brandon Berry led Illinois College (4-14, 2-12) with 17 points, and Zeke Light added 14.
In a game that featured 13 lead changes and 10 ties, neither team led by more than four points. The game was tied at 68-68 after Light hit a 3-pointer with 3:56 remaining.
Kline countered for the Vikings by burying a 15-foot jumper to give Lawrence a 70-68 edge. After a Craig Bals free throw trimmed the lead to one with 2:16 left, Kline scored on a layup off a great pass from DePouw to put the Vikings up 72-69 with 1:49 left.
Bals countered with a layup for the Blueboys to cut the lead to 72-71 with 1:27 left. Conor Klusendorf was fouled and hit a pair of free throws for the Vikings with 1:00 left, but Berry’s layup cut the margin to 74-73 with 47 seconds left.
Crisman was then fouled and hit one free throw with 18 seconds left to give Lawrence a 75-73 lead. Light then attempted a 3-pointer with eight seconds left, but it was off the mark and Brian Gryszkiewicz grabbed the rebound for Lawrence.
Gryszkiewicz made both free throws with five seconds left to put Lawrence up 77-73, and Spencer Campbell then hit a 3-pointer for the Blueboys with 1.4 seconds left. The Vikings were able to inbound the ball and run out the clock.
Lawrence returns to action on Feb. 11 when it hosts Beloit College.