MONMOUTH, Ill. — Jon Mays poured in a career-high 27 points, and the Lawrence University men’s basketball team topped Monmouth College 75-67 in a Midwest Conference game Saturday at Glennie Gymnasium.
Mays was 12-for-19 from the floor, including 3-for-7 from 3-point range, to pace the Vikings (7-6, 6-2 MWC). Chris Siebert added 17 points, seven rebounds and a game-high seven assists.
Tyler Crisman chipped in with 13 points and six assists for the Vikings. Lawrence’s Erik Borresen pulled down 18 rebounds, matching the career high he set Friday night at Grinnell College.
Corey Gruber led Monmouth (3-10, 2-7) with 18 points, and Bryce Donaldson added 17 points.
Lawrence led by as many as eight points early in the first half, but Monmouth rallied to take a three-point lead at one point. Lawrence closed the first half with five consecutive points, including a 3-pointer from Siebert with five seconds left, to take a 43-38 lead at the break.
It was a tight second half and Monmouth grabbed its final lead of the game at 66-63 on back-to-back baskets from Gruber and Michael DeDecker with 6:19 remaining.
Lawrence then scored the game’s next 10 points with Siebert leading the way.
Siebert answered with a layup to cut the lead to 66-65, and then he buried a 3-pointer with 5:06 left that gave Lawrence the lead for good at 68-66. After a missed 3-pointer by DeDecker and Gruber, Brian Gryskiewicz scored on a layup to give Lawrence a 70-66 lead with 4:00 left.
A Monmouth turnover and another missed 3-pointer was followed by Crisman’s layup that gave the Vikings a 72-66 edge. After three consecutive missed jumpers, the Scots were forced to foul.
The Vikings then hit three free throws, including two by Siebert, in the final 40 seconds to seal the win.