APPLETON, Wis. — The No. 14 St. Norbert College men’s basketball team rallied from a 15-point deficit in the second half Wednesday and then hung on for a 62-59 Midwest Conference victory over Lawrence University at Alexander Gymnasium.
Lawrence star Jamie Nikitas scored a game-high 24 points and broke the school’s season scoring record in the process. Nikitas now has 504 points this season and eclipsed the record of 494 set by John Dekker in 2009-10. Nikitas added a team-best five rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Ben Peterson chipped in with 10 points for the Vikings (8-11, 5-9 MWC), and Jeremy Stephani added eight.
Terrence Garner and D.J. DeValk scored 17 points apiece to pace St. Norbert (17-2, 14-0), and Garner had a game-high nine rebounds.
Lawrence grabbed its biggest lead of the game at 43-28 on Mitch Willer’s layup with 17:50 left in the game. Over the next nine minutes, St. Norbert outscored the Vikings 24-4 to grab a 52-47 advantage with 8:57 left. Garner scored seven points in that stretch and DeValk added five.
The Vikings bounced back as Peterson scored seven consecutive points to turn a 53-49 deficit into a 56-53 lead with 6:09 left. Lawrence then went cold, missing four consecutive 3-pointer, as St. Norbert edged out to a 60-56 lead with 1:05 remaining.
Peterson then hit another 3-pointer with 58 seconds left to trim the margin to 60-59. After DeValk missed a jumper with 28 seconds left, the Green Knights grabbed the rebound but Stephani stole it to give the Vikings a chance.
Peterson missed a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left, but the Vikings got the offensive rebound. Nikitas then missed a 3-pointer with seven seconds left, and Ben Bobinski grabbed the rebound for the Green Knights.
Bobinski was fouled and the Vikings were whistled for a technical foul. St. Norbert converted just two of the four free throws for a 62-59 lead, but Nikitas’ half-court desperation 3-pointer was off the mark at the buzzer.
Lawrence was hot from long range in the first half as the Vikings hit 7-of-12 shots from beyond the arc. St. Norbert led 20-19, but the Vikings went on a 17-5 run over the final 5:31 of the first half.
Connor Weas hit a pair of 3-pointers, Stephani made a 3-pointer and converted a three-point play and Nikitas buried a 3-pointer for the Vikings during that stretch. Lawrence led 36-25 at the half.