Joseph Vanden Acker

Author: Joseph Vanden Acker

Lady Blues pull away early to topple Lawrence

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — The Illinois College women’s basketball team rolled to a huge lead after the first quarter Friday and rolled to a 96-42 Midwest Conference victory over Lawrence University at Sherman Gymnasium.

The Lady Blues (3-2, 2-0 MWC) led 32-7 after one quarter and never looked back. Illinois College was up 51-20 at the half.

Brielle Greenleaf led Illinois College and all scorers with 20 points, and Carly Cameron added 19.

Natalie Kramer paced Lawrence (2-1, 0-1) with eight points, and Olivia Hoesley and Leah Reeves added seven points apiece.

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Vikings pull away late to down Illinois College

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — A scoring run in the final nine minutes Friday helped the Lawrence University men’s basketball team pull away for a 78-70 Midwest Conference victory over Illinois College at Sherman Gymnasium.

The Vikings went on a 14-5 run over a six-minute stretch that expanded their lead to 14 points at 72-58 with 2:55 left. Illinois College never got closer than the final margin after that.

Mitch Willer hit 6-of-7 shots from the floor on his way to leading a balanced Lawrence attack with 14 points and nine rebounds. Jeremy Stephani and Quinn Fisher added 13 points apiece, and Ben Peterson had 11 points for the Vikings (1-2, 1-0 MWC).

Mitchell Patterson led Illinois College (0-3, 0-2) with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The Vikings led 58-52 when Willer’s three-point play started the decisive scoring run. Peterson, who went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, then hit a 3-pointer to push the advantage to 64-52.

Illinois College trimmed the lead back to nine points, but back-to-back layups from Willer and Eric Weiss and a 3-pointer from Fisher increased the edge to 71-58. Willer added a free throw with 2:55 left to give Lawrence a 14-point advantage.

Lawrence went 11-for-24 from 3-point range with Peterson, Stephani and Fisher all hitting a trio of 3-pointers apiece. The Vikings also connected on 17-of-22 free-throw attempts.

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Felan’s late goal lifts Vikings to tie with third-ranked St. Norbert

APPLETON, Wis. — Nick Felan scored late in the third period Friday, and that lifted Lawrence University to a 1-1 overtime tie with No. 3 St. Norbert College in a Northern Collegiate Hockey Association game at the Appleton Family Ice Center.

Felan’s goal with 4:24 left in regulation knotted the game at 1-1. After Josh Koepplinger dug the puck out from the side boards, Felan exchanged passes with Lane King and then beat St. Norbert goaltender T.J. Black to tie the game.

St. Norbert (8-2-1, 5-1-1 NCHA) got the better of the play in the five-minute overtime, but freshman goaltender Evan Cline made five saves to preserve the tie for Lawrence (3-5-1, 3-1-1).

Cline stopped a season-best 49 shots, including a trio of breakaways, and Black made 22 saves for the Green Knights.

St. Norbert got on the board late in the first period after Black turned away a flurry of Lawrence shots. The Green Knights counterattacked and Chris Rygus scored with just 24 seconds left in the period.

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Women’s basketball preview: Lawrence at Illinois College, Knox

APPLETON, Wis. — The unbeaten Lawrence University women’s basketball team opens Midwest Conference play this weekend as the Vikings travel to Illinois for a pair of games. Lawrence heads to Jacksonville, Ill., for a Friday night game at Illinois College, and the Vikings then trek to Galesburg, Ill., for a Saturday afternoon tilt at Knox College.

Preview

The Week Ahead: November 28-December 4

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University hockey team jumps back into Northern Collegiate Hockey Association play this weekend, and the men’s and women’s basketball team begin Midwest Conference play this week.

LU Sports-VikingSwimDive-PMS294SWIMMING

Event: Grinnell Pioneer Classic

When and Where: Friday and Saturday, Dec. 2-3, Grinnell Natatorium.

Webcast: Pioneer Classic

Fast Fact: The Lawrence women are off to a great start this season with a 2-0 mark in dual meets. The Vikings downed Ripon 137-67 and pounded Beloit 157-31. Senior Paige Witter has already picked up Midwest Conference Swimmer of the Week honors this season after her performance in the All-Wisconsin Showcase to start the season.

LU Sports-VikingBasketball-PMS294WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (2-0, 0-0 MWC)

Opponent: Lawrence at Illinois College (2-2, 1-0 MWC)

When and Where: Friday, Dec. 2, 5:30 p.m., Sherman Gymnasium, Jacksonville, Ill.

Webcast: Lawrence at Illinois College

The Series: Illinois College holds a 20–18 edge in a series that started in 1991-92. The Lady Blues have won six straight, and Lawrence’s last victory was a 56-53 victory at Alexander Gymnasium in the 2012-13 season.

Opponent: Lawrence at at Knox (1-2, 0-0 MWC)

When and Where: Saturday, Dec. 3, 1 p.m., Memorial Gymnasium, Galesburg, Ill.

Webcast: Lawrence at Knox

The Series: Lawrence holds a 19-18 advantage in a series that started in the 1989-90 season. The Prairie Fire has won four in a row, and Lawrence’s last victory was a 93-92 win during the 2013-14 season.

Fast Fact: Lawrence has started the season 2-0 for the first time since the 2005-06 season. Lawrence’s 2005-06 team won its first nine games. Junior guard Olivia Hoesley is shooting a solid 47.8 percent from the floor, but Hoesley is hitting a sizzling 66.7 percent of her shots from inside the arc.

LU Sports-VikingBasketball-PMS294MEN’S BASKETBALL (0-2, 0-0 MWC)

Opponent: Lawrence at Illinois College (1-2, 0-1 MWC)

When and Where: Friday, Dec. 2, 7:30 p.m., Sherman Gymnasium, Jacksonville, Ill.

Webcast: Lawrence at Illinois College

The Series: In a series that dates to the 1985-86 season, Lawrence holds a 34-10 advantage over Illinois College. The Vikings have beaten the Blueboys 10 consecutive times and have won 22 of the last 24.

Opponent: Lawrence at at Knox (0-3, 0-0 MWC)

When and Where: Saturday, Dec. 3, 3 p.m., Memorial Gymnasium, Galesburg, Ill.

Webcast: Lawrence at Knox

The Series: In a series that goes all the way back to 1925, Knox holds a 61-58 edge over the Vikings. Lawrence has really closed the gap in the series in recent years. Lawrence has won nine straight over the Prairie Fire and 25 of the last 28 dating back to the 2000-01 season.

Fast Fact: The last time Lawrence started the season 0-2 was the 2010-11 season, and the Vikings broke through for its first win that season against Illinois College. Senior forward Mitch Willer is off to a solid start this season, averaging 11 points while shooting 64.3 percent from the floor. Willer blocked a career-high four shots against UW-Stevens Point this past Saturday.

LU Sports-VikingHockey-PMS301HOCKEY (3-5-0, 3-1-0 NCHA)

Opponent: Lawrence vs. No. 3 St. Norbert (8-2-0, 5-1-0 NCHA)

When and Where: Friday, Dec. 2, 7 p.m., Appleton Family Ice Center; Saturday, Dec. 3, 7 p.m., Cornerstone Community Center, De Pere, Wis.

Webcast: Friday: Lawrence vs. St. Norbert; Saturday: Lawrence at St. Norbert

The Series: St. Norbert holds a 42-4-0 lead in a series that goes back to the 1986-87 season. Three of Lawrence’s wins in the series came against St. Norbert’s club team in the 1987-88 season.

Fast Fact: Lawrence’s youth is showing its muscle early this season. Only three seniors rank among Lawrence’s top 15 scorers through the first eight games. On the defensive end, rookie goaltender Evan Cline picked up his first career shutout in just his second career start and has a .944 save percentage and 1.67 goals against average through his first three games.

Johnnies pull away from Lawrence with big third period

ST. CLOUD, Minn. — The St. John’s University hockey team scored four times in the third period Sunday to pull away for a 6-1 nonconference win over Lawrence University at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.

St. John’s (5-4-1) was clinging to a 2-1 lead through two periods, but the Johnnies scored three times in the first 9:55 of the third to seal the win. St. John’s added a goal in the final minutes for the final margin.

The Johnnies led 2-0 in the second when Lane King scored on the power play for the Vikings (3-5-0) with 5:34 left in the period.

Evan Okeley pushed the lead to 3-1 with a goal just 3:41 into the final period. Sam Valerius then scored his second goal of the game at the 6:25 mark to give St. John’s a 4-1 edge.

Cole Suoto and Matt Colford added power-play tallies to finish the scoring. St. John’s went 4-for-5 on the power play, and the Vikings were 1-for-4.

Andrew Lindgren made 22 saves to pick up the win, and Mattias Soderqvist stopped 40 shots for the Vikings.

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Oles power past Lawrence

NORTHFIELD, Minn. — Drew Otto scored a pair of goals for St. Olaf College, and the Oles went on to a 4-1 nonconference victory over Lawrence University on Saturday.

Otto scored a power-play goal in the first period and added a goal midway through the third period to seal the victory for St. Olaf (2-7-0).

The Oles jumped on Lawrence early as Caleb Callaway scored just 2:17 into the opening period for a 1-0 edge. After Blake Roubos collected a pair of penalties at the 6:12 mark of the first, Otto scored on the man-advantage at 9:43 to give the Oles a 2-0 edge.

Lawrence (3-4-0) slashed the lead in half on Mikkel Joehnk’s goal just 1:12 into the second period as Sean Reynolds and Matt Beranek collected the assists.

After Lawrence’s Jake Roeper was whistled for interference at 8:18 of the second, the Oles quickly cashed in. JT Paine scored just 22 seconds later on the power play to give St. Olaf a 3-1 edge.

The Oles finished 2-for-5 on the power play.

St. Olaf then limited Lawrence to just six shots on goal in the third period to seal the victory.

Eric Hancock made 25 saves to pick up the win, and Evan Cline stopped 30 shots in taking the loss.

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Second-half surge pushes Pointers past Lawrence

APPLETON, Wis. — A surge midway through the second half allowed the UW-Stevens Point men’s basketball team to pull away Saturday and post a 69-50 nonconference win over Lawrence University at Alexander Gymnasium.

Ethan Bublitz recorded a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Pointers (2-2), and Mark Nelson added 10 points and eight boards.

Ben Peterson came off the bench to lead Lawrence (0-2) with 14 points. Peterson went 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. Mitch Willer added 10 points and a team-best eight rebounds to go along with a game-high four blocks for the Vikings.

Lawrence trailed 34-27 at the half, but the Vikings made a run at the Pointers to start the final 20 minutes. Lawrence outscored Stevens Point 15-9 over the first 7:08 of the second half, and Jeremy Stephani’s jumper cut the margin to 43-42.

The Pointers responded by scoring the game’s next 10 points, including back-to-back 3-pointers from Bublitz and Luke Zuiker, to stretch the lead to 53-42 with 10:17 remaining.

Stephani, who finished with seven points, four rebounds and three assists, hit a 3-pointer to stop the run and cut the margin to 53-45. That’s as close as the Vikings would get as the Pointers slowly pulled away.

The final margin was Stevens Point’s biggest lead of the game.

Stevens Point jumped out to a 9-0 to start the game, but Lawrence answered quickly. Pete Winslow and Peterson hit 3-pointers to open the scoring for Lawrence, and that started a 16-5 for the Vikings. Peterson capped the outburst with his third 3-pointer of the first half to give Lawrence a 16-14 lead with 12:06 left in the first.

The game was tied at 20-20 when Stevens Point hit seven of its final 14 shots of the half to pull ahead. Lawrence turned the ball over five times in the final 7:16 of the first half, and Stevens Point led 34-27 at the break.

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