JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — Sophomore guard Chris Siebert led a balanced Lawrence University attack as the Vikings downed Illinois College 76-69 in a Midwest Conference men’s basketball game Friday.
Siebert posted a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds to pace Lawrence (2-2, 1-0 MWC). Davis DeWolfe added 16 points and six rebounds, and Conor Klusendorf and Max Burgess had 12 points apiece.
Craig Bals had 18 points, Spencer Campbell added 17 and Brandon Berry had 16 to lead Illinois College (1-3, 0-1).
Lawrence led by as many as 12 points in the first half, but the Vikings had to settle for a 38-33 lead at the half.
The Vikings opened the second half with a flurry by scoring the first seven points after the break. Tyler Crisman, playing in his first game back after an injury, hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Brian Gryzskiewicz added a free throw to give Lawrence a 45-33 lead.
The Blueboys trimmed the lead back to six points at 50-44, but Lawrence regained control by scoring five consecutive points, capped by Burgess’ 3-pointer with 12:19 remaining.
Lawrence built the lead back to 14 points at 63-49 on another 3-pointer by Burgess, but Illinois College managed to trim the advantage back to six points on several occasions.
That’s as close as Illinois College would get as Lawrence hit went 4-for-5 from the foul line in the final 1:28 to seal the victory.
The Vikings return to action on Saturday when they travel to Lake Forest College.