Joseph Vanden Acker

Author: Joseph Vanden Acker

Big second quarter propels Widener over Lawrence

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A big second quarter was the difference Saturday for the Widener College women’s basketball team as the Pride defeated Lawrence University 71-52 at the St. Pete Classic.

Widener (4-6) outscored the Vikings (2-5) by 14 points in the second quarter to build a 40-26 lead at the half in the game at Eckerd College. Lawrence cut the margin to 10 points in the third quarter but couldn’t get any closer.

Leah Reeves scored a career-high 24 points and shot 10-for-18 from the floor to lead the Vikings. Reeves’ previous best was nine points earlier this season in a win over Marian. Olivia Hoesley added 16 points and seven rebounds for Lawrence.

Rookie guard Shonell Benjamin pulled down a season-high 14 rebounds, and Natalie Kramer handed out six assists to go with seven points for the Vikings.

Devan Rimmer had a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds to pace Widener.

The teams were tied at 15-15 after the first quarter, and a Hoesley layup and Kramer free throw trimmed Widener’s lead to 25-24 with 3:46 left in the second quarter. The Pride then went on a 15-2 run as Allison Gallagher scored five points to spark Widener to the 40-26 lead at the half.

Lawrence cut the lead to 44-34 on Kramer’s 3-pointer in the third quarter, but Widener responded. The Pride scored 10 of the game’s next 11 points to grab a 54-35 advantage. Lawrence didn’t get closer than 14 points the rest of the way.

The Vikings return to action on Sunday then Lawrence takes on Randolph College.

Box score

Men’s basketball game at MSOE postponed

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University men’s basketball game scheduled for Saturday at the Milwaukee School of Engineering has been postponed.

East and southeast Wisconsin are expected to receive up to a foot of snow as a winter storm rolls through the area Friday and Saturday.

No make-up date has been set.

Lawrence returns to action on Dec. 29 when the Vikings face UW-Whitewater at the Just A Game Field House in Wisconsin Dells, Wis. Lawrence then faces UW-Stout in Wisconsin Dells on Dec. 30.

Lawrence swimmers split at Fun in the Sun Classic

VENICE, Fla. — The Lawrence University swim teams split their dual meet Tuesday with Urbana University at the Fun in the Sun Classic.

The Lawrence women topped Urbana 71-41, and the Blue Knights downed the Lawrence men 62.33-38.67.

Leading the way for the Lawrence women were event winners Danielle Millin and Emmi Zheng. Millin grabbed first in the 50-yard backstroke in 30.58 seconds, and Zheng was the top finisher in the 50 breaststroke in 33.33 seconds.

The women’s 200 medley relay team of Millin, Zheng, Paige Witter and Eryn Blagg also took first in 1:59.09.

On the men’s side, the top finishers for the Vikings were Travis Charlow and Christian Bell, who finished in a three-way tie for first place with Urbana’s Phi Bryce in the 50 freestyle in 24.10 seconds.

Results

Koepplinger, Soderqvist sweep NCHA weekly awards

Josh Koepplinger
Josh Koepplinger
Mattias Soderqvist
Mattias Soderqvist

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University’s Josh Koepplinger and Mattias Soderqvist swept the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association weekly awards in the wake of a big win.

Koeppliner (Saginaw, Mich.), a sophomore forward, was named the Offensive Player of the Week and senior goaltender Mattias Soderqvist (Stockholm, Sweden) was chosen as Defensive Player of the Week. In Lawrence’s only action of the week, the Vikings downed No. 6 Augsburg College 5-3.

Koepplinger scored two goals, including the game-winner, to pace the Lawrence attack. Koepplinger scored the game’s opening goal midway through the first period, but the Vikings needed another goal from him in the third to retake the lead.

After Augsburg rallied to tie the game at 3-3 with seven minutes left in the third period, Koepplinger scored just 30 seconds later to collect the game-winning goal. Koepplinger, who won an NCHA weekly award for the first time in his career, has three goals this season and is tied for the team lead with nine points.

Soderqvist earned the sixth NCHA Defensive Player of the Week award of his career. He stopped a season-high 42 shots and came up big when the Vikings needed him most.

Soderqvist stopped 18 of 19 shots in the final period, and that included a spectacular save with 10 seconds remaining and the game tied at 4-4. Soderqvist redirected that puck to teammate Blake Roubos, who scored an empty-net goal and gave Soderqvist the second assist of his career.

After getting off to a difficult start this season, Soderqvist has improved to 2-3-0 and lowered his goals against average to 4.99 while raising his save percentage to .860.

The win over the sixth-ranked Auggies was Lawrence’s first over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 15 St. Scholastica on Jan. 25, 2014.

Lawrence ended the first half of the season with a 4-6-1 record, including a 3-2-1 mark in the NCHA. The Vikings take several weeks off during the holidays and return to action on Jan. 6 at Concordia (Wis.).

Vikings fall in OT to high-scoring Grinnell

APPLETON, Wis. — The Grinnell College men’s basketball team hit four consecutive shots in overtime Saturday to take control and held on for a 133-125 Midwest Conference victory over Lawrence University at Alexander Gymnasium.

Julian Marx and Vinny Curta scored 30 points apiece for Grinnell (7-2, 4-0 MWC) as six Pioneers scored in double figures.

Mitch Willer went 15-for-17 from the floor on his way to 30 points for the Vikings (2-4, 2-2). Willer picked up a double-double as he grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds and added four blocks.

Pete Winslow was 9-for-9 from the floor as he compiled a double-double with 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Vikings. Jeremy Stephani added 19 points,  six assists and five rebounds, and freshman guard Abhishek Venkatesh picked up 16 points, six assists and three steals. Lawrence’s other rookie guard, Quinn Fisher, had a game-high 10 assists to go with six points.

Lawrence shot 69.9 percent (51-73) from the floor but poor foul shooting and too many turnovers against Grinnell’s pressure defense was the difference. The Vikings went 19-for-38 from the stripe and committed 33 turnovers.

The game was tied at 114-114 early in the overtime when Marx hit a jumper and back-to-back 3-pointers followed by Curta’s three-point play to give Grinnell a 125-115 lead.

Lawrence countered with a three-point play from Winslow and a 3-pointer from Ben Peterson to trim the lead to 127-121. Venkatesh then stole the ball from Marx on the ensuing possession and converted a layup to trim the margin with 127-123 with 46 seconds left.

The Pioneers then sealed the victory at the foul line as Curta went 7-for-9 from the stripe in the final 44 seconds.

Both teams had a chance to win it in regulation after Winslow’s jumper tied it at 113-113 with 47 seconds left.

Grinnell’s Ky-Sean Johnson stepped on the sideline with 32 ticks remaining to give the ball to Lawrence, but the Vikings turned it right back over to the Pioneers with 24 seconds left.

Johnson missed a 3-pointer with three seconds left, and Jacob Eckstrand’s short jumper was off the mark at the buzzer.

Box score

Benjamin’s double-double not enough in loss to Pioneers

APPLETON, Wis. — Kayla Morrissey’s double-double led the Grinnell College women’s basketball team to a 65-44 Midwest Conference victory over Lawrence University on Saturday at Alexander Gymnasium.

Lawrence freshman Shonell Benjamin posted her first career double-double with season highs of 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Vikings (2-4, 0-4 MWC).

The Pioneers got the advantage in the second quarter and then stretched the lead in the third period. Lawrence wasn’t able to mount a comeback in the second half.

The Vikings hung with Grinnell (5-3, 3-1) early as Lawrence finished the first quarter on an 8-2 run that tied the game at 10-10 after one. After Benjamin’s three-point play to start the second, Lawrence grabbed a 13-12 advantage.

Grinnell took control in the final five minutes of the second quarter as 3-pointers from Ariel Keller, Sophia Gatton and Daria Guzzo staked the Pioneers to a 30-21 lead at the half.

Grinnell steadily increased the advantage in the third quarter and led by as many as 19 points before settling for a 50-32 lead after three. The Pioneers would lead by as many as 24 points in the final quarter.

Foul trouble plagued Lawrence lone player with size, Leah Reeves. She managed eight points on 4-of-5 shooting to go with four rebounds in just 14 minutes before fouling out. The Vikings also were ice cold from beyond the arc, hitting just 1-of-16 from long range.

Box score

Big third period rallies Vikings past No. 6 Augsburg

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University hockey team scored four times in the third period Friday to rally past No. 6 Augsburg College 5-3 in a nonconference game at the Appleton Family Ice Center.

Blake Roubos and Josh Koepplinger scored two goals apiece to pace Lawrence (4-6-1), and Mattias Soderqvist stopped 42 shots for the Vikings.

Lawrence trailed the Auggies (8-2-1) 2-1 entering the third period, but Roubos quickly tied it. He jumped on a turnover deep in the Augsburg zone and beat goalie Nick Schmit, who had 30 saves, to tie the game at 2-2 just 2:29 into the period.

The Vikings quickly grabbed a 3-2 advantage when freshman Jake Drinkard scored his first collegiate goal off assists from Roubos and Carson Knop at the 5:45 mark.

Augsburg tied it on Max Pernhem’s goal with seven minutes remaining, but the tie didn’t last long. Koepplinger also jumped on a loose puck in the Augsburg end and beat Schmit just 30 seconds later to put the Vikings up 4-3.

Augsburg pulled Schmit with just over a minute remaining, and Corbin Chapman appeared poised to tie it when Soderqvist made a spectacular save with 10 seconds left.

Roubos grabbed the deflection off Soderqvist’s pad and scored an empty-net goal with five seconds remaining to seal the victory.

Koepplinger started the scoring midway through the first period with his second goal of the season off assists from Brad Mueller and Matt Montemurro. The Vikings led 1-0 after one period, but the Auggies got a pair of power-play goals in the second to lead 2-1 after two.

Augsburg finished 2-for-9 on the power play, and the Vikings were 0-for-7.

Box score

Slow start dooms Vikings in loss to No. 8 St. Norbert

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Lawrence University men’s basketball team got off to a slow start Wednesday, and No. 8 St. Norbert College raced to big early lead and went on to a 76-45 Midwest Conference victory at the Kress Events Center.

Lawrence (2-3, 2-1 MWC) scored just 12 first-half points while shooting 26.1 percent from the floor. The Green Knights (4-1, 3-0) led 16-6 less than nine minutes into the game and stretched the advantage to 29-12 at the half.

D.J. DeValk led St. Norbert with 12 points, and Taylor Penn added 11 points off the bench.

Jeremy Stephani paced the Vikings and all scorers with 13 points. Mitch Willer added 12 points and game-high eight rebounds before fouling out.

The Green Knights enjoyed a huge advantage at the foul line as Lawrence was whistled for 21 fouls compared to 10 for St. Norbert. The Green Knights went 22-for-29 at the foul line. Lawrence was 2-for-5.

Box score