MOUNT VERNON, Iowa — The Lawrence University men’s basketball team trailed by double digits in the second half but rallied to within two points before dropping a 75-69 Midwest Conference decision at Cornell College on Wednesday.
Joey Guth led Cornell (4-2, 2-1 MWC) with 18 points and was one of four Rams in double figures.
Ryan DePouw and Jamie Nikitas scored 17 points apiece to lead Lawrence (2-3, 1-1). Chris Siebert had an off-night shooting but finished with 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Vikings. Chase Nelson added 11 points, seven rebounds and three steals for Lawrence.
The Rams led by as many as 13 points in the first half and were still up by 10 with 15 minutes left in the contest. The Vikings began slicing into the lead and got as close as two points before falling behind 69-60 with 2:48 left.
Lawrence went on a 7-1 run, getting a layup from DePouw, a 3-pointer from Tyler Mazur and a layup from Nikitas to cut the lead to 70-67 with 44 seconds left.
After Reggie Greenwood made one free throw, Nikitas countered with a layup to cut the lead to 71-69 with 29 seconds left. Tabari Carter then made four consecutive free throws, sandwiched around a Lawrence turnover, to seal the victory.