MILWAUKEE, Wis. — The Wisconsin Lutheran College men’s basketball team held off Lawrence University 76-68 in a nonconference game Wednesday in the season opener at the Recreation Complex.
The Warriors went on a 13-4 run over a five-minute stretch to take a 67-58 lead with less than three minutes left. Lawrence hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final two minutes to get within four points twice but could get no closer.
Collin Kennedy and Tanner Schieve scored 17 points apiece to pace Wisconsin Lutheran. Kennedy also had a game-high 11 rebounds.
Jeremy Stephani led Lawrence with 16 points, and Mitch Willer added 12 points, three rebounds and three blocks. Evan McLaughlin added 10 points for the Vikings, who hit just 8-of-35 shots (22.9 percent) from beyond the arc.
A pair of Willer free throws cut Wisconsin Lutheran’s lead to 55-54 with 7:50 remaining. The Warriors then went on the decisive run, hitting six consecutive free throws during that stretch, to stretch the lead to nine with 2:47 left.
The Vikings battled back as Pete Winslow hit a 3-pointer to trim the lead to 68-63. Rookie Quinn Fisher hit another 3-pointer for Lawrence to cut the lead to 70-66 with 45 seconds left.
The Warriors then hit six consecutive free throws in the final 31 seconds to seal the win. Wisconsin Lutheran went 28-for-35 from the foul line in the game. Lawrence went 12-for-15.
In the opening half, Wisconsin Lutheran built a 29-20 lead with less than four minutes left before Lawrence rallied. Connor Weas scored four points and Fisher hit a 3-pointer to spark an 11-2 run that allowed Lawrence to forge a 31-31 tie at the break.