Joseph Vanden Acker

Author: Joseph Vanden Acker

Grinnell turns back Lawrence rally

GRINNELL, Iowa — The Grinnell College women’s basketball team turned back a second-half rally from Lawrence University on Saturday and went on to a 63-48 Midwest Conference victory at Darby Gymnasium.

Alissa Hirsh led Grinnell (4-6, 3-3 MWC) with 18 points, and Alex Neckopulos had a double-double for the Pioneers with 10 points and 15 rebounds.

Danelle Buck led Lawrence (0-9, 0-5) with 12 points, and Andrea Wilkinson added 10 points and a team-best eight rebounds.

Grinnell built a 15-point lead in the first half, but the Vikings chipped away by outscoring the Pioneers 16-10 over the final 9:31 of the first half.

The Pioneers led 35-26 at the break, but Lawrence scored the first seven points of the second half to trim the margin to 35-33. Elizabeth Arco had a three-point play, and Buck scored back-to-back baskets, the second with 15:52 left, to cut the lead to two.

Grinnell responded with a 10-0 run of its own to retake control of the game. Sophia Gatton’s 3-pointer with 13:25 left gave the Pioneers a 45-33 advantage, but the Vikings fought back.

The Vikings countered by going on an 11-5 run, with the final six points coming on consecutive baskets from Wilkinson, to cut the lead to 50-44 with 9:24 left.

It was still a six-point game after Fanita Robins’ layup for the Vikings cut the margin to 54-48 with 3:06 left. Grinnell then scored the game’s final nine points to seal the victory.

Box score

Viterbo starts fast, runs past Vikings

WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. — The Viterbo University men’s basketball team jumped out to a 15-point lead in the first 10 minutes and never looked back en route to a 74-55 nonconference win over Lawrence University on Thursday at the Just A Game Field House.

Viterbo (8-7) led by as many as 22 points in the first half, and the Vikings (4-5) weren’t able to get any closer than 16 points in the second half.

David Shepard scored 19 of his game-high 21 points in the first half to pace Viterbo. Pete Drummond added 15 points and went 4-for-5 from 3-point range for the V-Hawks.

Trace Sonnleitner scored 14 points to pace the Vikings, who played without star guard Jamie Nikitas due to injury. Freshman Jeremy Stephani started in Nikitas’ place and added 12 points, four assists and four rebounds.

Andrew Borresen, Ryan DePouw and Troy Miller added seven points apiece for the Vikings, and Borresen had a team-best eight rebounds.

Viterbo shot 56.3 percent in the first half with Shepard scoring in the post, and Drummond knocking down a trio of 3-pointers.

Lawrence struggled to knock down open shots as the Vikings connected on only 5-of-25 shots from beyond the 3-point line.

Lawrence now takes a break for the holidays and returns to action Jan. 3 when it travels to Grinnell College.

Box score

Lawrence rally comes up short against Grand View

WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. — The Lawrence University men’s basketball team nearly came all the way back from a 20-point deficit before falling 71-63 to Grand View University in a nonconference game on Wednesday at Just A Game Field House.

Lawrence (4-4), which trailed 44-24 late in the first half, cut the lead to two points on two occasions in the second half before Grand View (5-5) pulled away.

Jeremy Stephani came off the bench to lead Lawrence with 18 points. A freshman guard, Stephani hit 6-of-9 shots from the floor, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range. Trace Sonnleitner added 12 points for the Vikings, and Jamie Nikitas had a game-high 13 rebounds to go with eight points and four assists.

Jjuan Hadnot led Grand View with 16 points, including 14 in the first half. Grand View big men Alex Welsch and Nick Lyon had 12 points apiece on a combined 12-for-15 shooting from the floor.

Grand View was red-hot in the first half, connecting on 61.8 percent of its shots from the floor. Grand View led by double digits at 14-3 just 5:07 into the contest. Grand View built the lead to 44-24 with 3:04 left in the opening half.

Lawrence scored eight of the half’s final 10 points, getting 3-pointers from Stephani and Sonnleitner and a layup from Connor Weas, to cut the lead to 46-34 at the half.

Lawrence trailed 58-45 in the second half, but the Vikings went on a 13-2 run, capped by Nikitas’ layup, to cut the lead to 60-58 with 6:20 left.

Nathan Washington answered with a 3-pointer for Grand View, but the Vikings got the margin back to 65-63 on Weas’ 3-pointer with 3:09 remaining.

Grand View answered with a layup from Welsch and a 3-pointer from Rodney Williams, his only points of the second half, to stretch the lead to 70-63 and seal the win.

Lawrence takes on Viterbo University on Thursday as part of the Wisconsin Dells Classic.

Box score

Record-breaking performance nets Cardinal MWC Swimmer of the Week honor

Hayley Cardinal
Hayley Cardinal

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University swimming star Hayley Cardinal has been named the Midwest Conference Swimmer of the Week in the wake of a record-setting performance.

Cardinal (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East), a junior, broke three Lawrence records and posted NCAA “B” cuts in two events to lead the Vikings to a 129-105 victory over UW-Oshkosh on Dec. 12.

Cardinal won the 100-yard breaststroke and broke her own school record with a time of 1:04.44. Cardinal also grabbed first in the 200 breaststroke and broke her own school record with a time of 2:21.82.

Cardinal posted NCAA “B” cuts in both events. She now owns the ninth-fastest time in the nation in the 100 breaststroke and has Division III’s 12th-fastest time in the 200 breaststroke.

Cardinal also took first in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:12.50 to break her own school record. She also swam on Lawrence’s winning 200 medley relay team, which took first in 1:56.63.

The Vikings return to action on Jan. 9 when they compete at the University of Chicago Invitational.

 

 

Men’s basketball preview: Lawrence at Wisconsin Dells Classic

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University men’s basketball team plays a pair of nonconference games at the Wisconsin Dells Classic on Wednesday and Thursday. The Vikings face two NAIA schools from the Midwest Collegiate Conference. Lawrence takes on Grand View University at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday and then faces Viterbo University at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Preview

Lawrence falls to Banana Slugs at Santa Cruz Classic

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — The UC Santa Cruz women’s basketball team held Lawrence University to only 13 first-half points and went on to a 57-35 nonconference win on Sunday at the Santa Cruz Classic.

Leah Parrish scored 13 points, and Sara Crane grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds to lead the Banana Slugs (8-3).

Freshman forward Danelle Buck paced Lawrence (0-8) with 10 points.

Lawrence was limited to only two points in the first 5:53 of the contest as Santa Cruz jumped out to an 11-2 advantage. Lawrence didn’t hit double digits for the game until Jeannine Schulz’s jumper with 2:35 remaining in the first half.

Santa Cruz led by as many as 24 points in the first half and held a 35-13 advantage at the break.

Lawrence cut the margin to 37-20 on Buck’s layup with 14:29 remaining, but that’s as close as the Vikings would get.

Box score

No. 13 Blugolds start fast, roll to win over Lawrence

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — The No. 13 UW-Eau Claire hockey team scored six times in the first period and went on to an 11-2 nonconference victory over Lawrence University on Saturday at Hobbs Ice Center.

Brandon Wahlin had a hat trick and Ross Andersen and Ethan Nauman scored two goals apiece for Eau Claire (7-3-2). Ryan Rumble and Sean Reynolds both scored for the Vikings (5-7-1).

Rumble scored just 24 seconds into the game to give Lawrence a 1-0 lead. Wahlin tied the game at the 5:29 mark, and the Blugolds scored five more times over the next 10:52 to go up 6-1.

Eau Claire scored early in the second period, but Reynolds scored for Lawrence at the 4:35 mark to cut the margin to 7-2. The Blugolds then scored two more times in the next two minutes to put the game away.

Jay Deo made 22 saves to get the win for Eau Claire. Mattias Soderqvist made 37 saves for the Vikings.

Box score

Poets pull away in second half to down Lawrence

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — The Whittier College women’s basketball team pulled away midway through the second half and went on to a 68-54 nonconference victory over Lawrence University on Saturday at the UC Santa Cruz Classic.

Priscilla Rodriguez scored 14 points and Ana Youngblood grabbed 12 rebounds to pace the Poets (3-3).

Freshman forward Danelle Buck picked up her first career double-double for Lawrence (0-7) with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Fanita Robins came off the bench to add 12 points for the Vikings.

It was a see-saw first half, and Lawrence pulled out to a 19-12 advantage. The Poets came back with a 17-3 run to take a 29-22 lead, but Lawrence answered back. The Vikings finished the first half on a 12-4 run, and Buck’s jumper at the buzzer tied the game at 34-34 at the break.

The Poets scored the first seven points of the second half to grab a 41-34 edge with 16:09 remaining. After a Buck layup, Whittier got a layup from Erica Houston and back-to-back 3-pointers from Dannika Navales-Lugt to take a 49-36 lead with 11:12 left.

A layup from Kassidy Rinehart and a pair of free throws from Natalie Kramer cut Whittier’s lead to 49-40 with 10:02 left. That’s as close as the Vikings would get, and Whittier would go on to lead by as many as 16 points.

Lawrence wraps up play at the Santa Cruz Classic by playing the host school on Sunday.

Box score

No. 21 Pointers hold off Lawrence

APPLETON, Wis. — The No. 21 UW-Stevens Point men’s basketball team held off Lawrence University 60-49 in a nonconference battle on Saturday at Alexander Gymnasium.

Lawrence battled back from double-digit deficits in each half, but the Pointers rallied each time to post their fourth consecutive victory.

Jordan Lutz led four UW-Stevens Point players in double figures with 15 points. Stephen Pelkofer and Alex Richard added 14 points apiece for Stevens Point (7-2).

Jamie Nikitas paced the Vikings (4-3) with 14 points and seven rebounds, and Jeremy Stephani came off the bench to add nine points.

The Vikings were ice cold to start the game, and Stevens Point led by double figures at 11-1 with 12:54 left in the first half. Lawrence, which shot just 32.5 percent for the game, trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half, but the Vikings rallied late. Nikitas buried a 3-pointer and Mitch Willer added a layup to trim the margin to 26-19 at the half.

Stevens Point built the lead back to 38-28 on Lutz’s 3-pointer with 11:38 left in the game, but Lawrence responded again. Nikitas and Connor Weas hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Stephani converted a free throw to cut the margin to 38-35 with 9:53 remaining.

The Vikings began attacking the basket and got their next seven points from the foul line. Stevens Point absorbed every punch and started to pull away. Three consecutive layups, two from Richard and another from Pelkofer, built the advantage to 51-39 with 3:12 left.

Sonnleitner countered with a pair of free throws for the Vikings, but Austin Ryf followed with a 3-pointer on the next possession for the Pointers to help seal the victory.

Stevens Point then made 4-of-5 free throws in the final 40 seconds to put the game away.

Box score

Cardinal breaks trio of records to lead Vikings over UW-Oshkosh

Hayley Cardinal
Hayley Cardinal

OSHKOSH, Wis. — Hayley Cardinal broke a trio of school records en route to three event victories on Friday to lead the Lawrence University women’s swim team to a nonconference victory over UW-Oshkosh at Albee Hall.

The Lawrence women won 129-105, and the Titans defeated the Lawrence men 115.5-53.5.

Cardinal won the 100-yard breaststroke and broke her own school record with a time of 1:04.44. Cardinal also grabbed first in the 200 breaststroke and broke her own school record with a time of 2:21.82.

Cardinal posted NCAA “B” cuts in both events. She now owns the ninth-fastest time in the nation in the 100 breaststroke and has Division III’s 12th-fastest time in the 200 breaststroke.

Cardinal also took first in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:12.50 to also break her own school record.

Taylor Winter and Paige Witter both won a pair of events for the Vikings. Winter took firsts in the 500 freestyle and 1,650 freestyle, and Witter won the 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle. Eryn Blagg won the 100 freestyle, and the Vikings won the 200 freestyle relay and 200 medley relay.

On the men’s side, Travis Charlow paced the Vikings with wins in both the 100 and 200 freestyle.

Women’s results

Men’s results