The Lawrence University men’s basketball team reported back to campus on Monday, but the Vikings will not have time to ease back into anything.
The Vikings have their first game of the second half of the season on Saturday when they travel to Beloit College, and that contest is part of four games in the next seven days.
“It’s a huge stretch for us,” Lawrence coach Joel DePagter said.
In addition to traveling to Beloit, Lawrence hosts Carroll University on Tuesday, hosts Grinnell College on Friday and hosts Monmouth College on Saturday.
“Anytime you get to get a stretch in your own gym, it has to be the time you hit your stride,” DePagter said. “The difference of one game could be the difference of fourth place and making the conference tournament or ninth place.”
Lawrence enters this stretch with a 2-2 Midwest Conference record and a 3-5 overall mark. The Vikings’ last conference game was a road victory at Monmouth, and DePagter said the team needs to build on that.
“Our last real game against Monmouth we played well down the stretch of that game and we need to remember that,” DePagter said. “That second half against Monmouth we were smart down the stretch and that’s been a staple of this program. The Monmouth game the guys really saw what we needed to do.”
DePagter said the relative youth of this team (three sophomores and a junior in the starting lineup) means the Vikings must be constantly focused on their approach to the game.
“This is one of those clichés, but it’s not about Beloit as much as it is about doing what we need to do on every possession,” DePagter said. “Each two- or three-minute stretch is as crucial for us as it is for everyone. It comes down to who shoots the ball well.”
In Lawrence’s three wins, the Vikings have shot a solid 46.9 percent from the floor, including a sparkling 43 percent on 3-pointers. Perhaps more importantly, the Vikings shot 73.1 percent on free throws in those wins. In the five losses, 40 percent from the floor, 34.1 percent on 3s and 54.5 percent from the line.
“We need to fight off the nights we don’t shoot well,” DePagter said. “We have some great shooters, but if those shots don’t go in, you don’t look good, and if they do go in, you look better than maybe you are.”
The Vikings are also feeling healthy and complete for the first time this season. Senior all-conference guard Tyler Crisman missed the early part of the season due to injury, sophomore transfer Davis DeWolfe was new to the program and football star Tyler Mazur didn’t join the team until mid-November.
DePagter said the coaches are still looking at different on-court combinations, but that will be tougher to do the deeper the Vikings get into conference play.
“The answer to that will be found out in the next week or two,” DePagter said. “With Mazur joining us late and Crisman being hurt, those were two unknowns. All the pieces haven’t been put in place yet, but that has to happen soon.”
Even though the Vikings were picked to finish eighth in the league, there is little doubt Lawrence believes it can reach the four-team conference tournament. The Vikings have played in the tournament in six of the last nine seasons.
“This program needs to get back where it belongs, but you can’t just talk about it,” DePagter said. “Talking about it and doing it are two different things.”
Koula earns all-region pick
Women’s soccer star Mallory Koula has been named to the All-North Region Team by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Koula was a third-team selection.
It’s yet another honor for the senior forward, who capped her Lawrence career by earning Midwest Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors. A three-time All-Midwest Conference selection, this is Koula’s first all-region honor.
Koula finished the season with 20 goals and five assists for 45 points. She set Lawrence career records with 63 goals and 142 points despite playing only three seasons with the Vikings.
Koula broke the NCAA record for the fastest three consecutive goals by a player and a team. She scored three times in a span of only 42 seconds in Lawrence’s 6-1 victory over Beloit College. The individual record was 1:07 and the team mark was 52 seconds.
Mann gets all-state selection
Men’s soccer standout Charlie Mann has been named to the All-Wisconsin Team. Mann, a sophomore defender, was a second-team selection. Mann also was a second-team All-Midwest Conference pick.
Mann finished the season with two goals, both game-winning tallies, and four points. Mann scored the game-winner in a 2-1 victory over Grinnell College and picked up the game-winning goal in a 4-1 victory over Knox College.
Mann also spearheaded a defense that allowed only 1.7 goals per game and posted a shutout against Ripon College.
Editor’s Note: Inside LU Athletics is a notes package written by Lawrence University Sports Information Director Joe Vanden Acker. It will feature teams and individual players, recap weekly awards or highlights and take a look at what’s ahead for the Vikings.