APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University men’s basketball team endured a frigid shooting night and dropped a 79-58 Midwest Conference game to Beloit College on Tuesday at Alexander Gymnasium.
Lawrence (9-12, 6-10 MWC) shot just 34.5 percent for the game, including 20.7 percent in the first half. The Vikings went 4-for-23 (17.4 percent) from beyond the arc, including 1-for-14 in the first half.
Jamie Nikitas led Lawrence with 18 points and picked up five assists, three steals and a pair of rebounds. Mitch Willer added 11 points and a team-best nine rebounds for the Vikings.
Rudy Bentley led Beloit (9-12, 7-9) with 28 points as he hit 8-of-13 shots from the floor, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range. Steve McAfee picked up a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
The Bucs jumped on Lawrence early and built a 19-7 lead less than eight minutes into the game. Beloit went on to lead 39-18 at the half as the Bucs shot 51.7 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes.
Lawrence shot the ball much better in the second half, but the Bucs kept Lawrence at arm’s length. The Vikings cut the lead to 45-28 after a Jeremy Stephani 3-pointer, but Beloit countered with back-to-back triples to push the lead to 51-28.
Lawrence closed to 60-44 after Stephani’s layup with 8:36 left, but Beloit responded with seven consecutive points for a 67-44 edge. Lawrence didn’t get closer than 21 points the rest of the way.