The Lawrence University men’s basketball team faces a nonconference opponent this week before returning home for Midwest Conference play. Lawrence travels to Elmhurst College on Wednesday, and the Vikings then return home to Alexander Gymnasium on Saturday for a league game with St. Norbert College.
Category: Men’s Basketball
Lawrence shoots past Rams
The Lawrence University men’s basketball team had four players score in double figures and shot better than 50 percent from the floor en route to a 79-70 Midwest Conference victory over Cornell College on Saturday at Alexander Gymnasium.
Chris Siebert led Lawrence (4-3, 3-2 MWC) with 18 points and a game-high seven assists. Conor Klusendorf played a superlative all-around game for the Vikings with 11 points, six rebounds, six steals, two assists and a block.
Max Burgess and Trace Sonnleitner both went 3-for-5 from 3-point range and had 11 points apiece for Lawrence.
Lawrence shot 54.4 percent from the floor (31-57), and the Vikings were 13 of 28 from 3-point range (46.4 percent).
Joey Guth came off the bench to score a game-high 26 points for Cornell (2-4, 1-2). Reggie Greenwood added 14 points and Nick Bobb had 10 points for the Rams.
After Cornell led by as many as seven points early, Lawrence started to take control of the game late in the first half. The Vikings led 26-25 when they went on an 8-0 run to push the lead to 34-25 with 5:26 left. Burgess and Troy Miller both hit 3-pointers during that stretch and Klusendorf finished the run with a layup.
The Vikings led 40-34 at the half and opened the second half with seven consecutive points. Siebert drained a 3-pointer on the first possession of the half, and Tyler Mazur and Brian Gryszkiewicz both added layups to give Lawrence a 47-34 lead.
Lawrence kept the Rams at arm’s length for the rest of the game. The Vikings led by as many as 17 points, and Cornell never got closer than nine points.
The Rams trimmed the margin to 76-67 with 2:15 left on Guth’s 3-pointer, but Klusendorf answered with a three-point play to push the lead back to 79-67 and seal the victory.
Lawrence returns to action on Wednesday when it travels to Elmhurst College for a nonconference game.
Inside LU Athletics: Mazur a shooting star for Vikings
Let’s see who had a better day on Tuesday, you or Lawrence University student-athlete Tyler Mazur.
Mazur scored 29 points and hit a school-record nine 3-pointers in the Vikings’ basketball game at Carroll University on Tuesday. He also found out on Tuesday he was named to the D3football.com All-West Region team on Tuesday. And, just in case that wasn’t enough, the biology major found out he got straight As during the fall term.
My guess is Mazur is going to win about 99.9 percent of the who-had-the-better-day arguments.
“At the end of the game, I thought I had like seven,” said Mazur, who added the most 3-pointers he had ever made in a game was seven back at Reedsburg High School. “I honestly did not know how many it was. It was an interesting feeling.”
The performance came a bit out of nowhere for Lawrence’s multi-sport phenom. Through the first five games of the season, Mazur had hit on 7 of 20 3-point attempts and was shooting at a respectable 35 percent. Mazur connected on 9 of 11 treys on Tuesday and is now shooting 51.6 percent (16-31) from beyond the arc.
Mazur credits his hot shooting night to a bit of friendly advice from teammate and shooting partner Tom Antosz.
“Tom said, ‘You know what you need to do? You need to not think.’ During warmups, I wasn’t stroking it, and Tom came up and smacked me in the back of the head and said, ‘Stop thinking.’ ”
Mazur did just that.
“If I caught a glimpse of an open shot, I took it,” Mazur said.
Mazur broke the record of eight 3-pointers in a game held by Jason Holinbeck vs. Beloit College (2/9/02) and Joel Dillingham vs. American Indian Bible College (12/11/90).
“Everybody knew he was feeling it, but I didn’t know how many he had,” Lawrence coach Joel DePagter said of Mazur. “He was keeping us in the game a little bit with how on fire he was. When you sit back and look at it after the game, it was pretty impressive. The two shots he missed, he was wide open. The nine he made, he had a guy draped all over him.”
With Mazur’s eye-popping numbers from Tuesday night, teams around the Midwest Conference will certainly be paying more attention to No. 10. With yet another offensive weapon for the Vikings, this could open more things up for Lawrence.
“Mazur just had one of those game. He’s not going to surprise anyone anymore,” DePagter said. “If they stop Tyler, that’s when other guys have to step up. If they stop Chris (Siebert) and (Ryan) DePouw, then Mazur steps up.”
Mazur went straight from football season into the basketball campaign, and he turned in a stellar season for the football squad. A first-team All-Midwest Conference selection, he earned a third-team honor on the all-region squad. Mazur caught 53 passes for 1,139 yards and 13 touchdowns and finished his football career ranked fourth in Lawrence receiving yards (2,253), fifth in catches (130), fifth in touchdown catches (25), fourth in total touchdowns (37) and fifth in points (224).
“I didn’t find out until after the game,” Mazur said of the all-region selection. “It’s a great honor to have. Any kind of rewards are nice to get, and I appreciate all the recognition. I like to go out and play and to have that extra stuff when you’re done is great.”
Is Mazur, who also has run track and played golf for the Vikings, the best athlete on the campus?
“I think you’d be hard pressed to find someone who’s close,” DePagter said. “I don’t know if he would wow people in individual tests, but he has the intangibles to be able to do things you can’t teach. He finds ways to do it. He gets things done in a deceptive way, which makes him more effective.”
Lemirande gets MCHA honor
Logan Lemirande has been named the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association Player of the Week.
Lemirande led the Vikings to a sweep of conference rival Finlandia University this past weekend. Lemirande had two goals and five assists as Lawrence won 6-3 last Friday and 5-2 on Saturday.
The freshman forward from Janesville, Wis., scored a goal and picked up four assists in the victory on Friday. The four assists ties the second-highest game total in Lawrence history. Lemirande then picked up the first short-handed goal of his career and added an assist in the win on Saturday.
Lemirande was involved in eight of Lawrence’s 11 goals during the two-game series and assisted on the game-winning goal in both games. Lemirande was plus-5 on the weekend.
Ram Tough
Lawrence welcomes Cornell College to Alexander Gymnasium on Saturday as the Rams return to the Midwest Conference, and the question is which Cornell men’s basketball team will be here. The Rams defeated preseason conference favorite St. Norbert College last Saturday and then lost to winless Knox College on the road three days later. The Cornell women are unbeaten at 6-0 and included in that was a 63-42 pasting of St. Norbert last Saturday.
Editor’s Note: Inside LU Athletics is a notes package written by Lawrence University Director of Athletic Media Relations Joe Vanden Acker. It will feature teams and individual players, recap weekly awards or highlights and take a look at what’s ahead for the Vikings.
Carroll holds off Vikings despite Mazur’s record-setting performance
WAUKESHA, Wis. — Tyler Mazur hit a Lawrence University record nine 3-pointers, but Carroll University hung on for an 84-81 Midwest Conference victory over the Vikings on Tuesday at Van Male Field House.
The Pioneers (5-1, 2-0 MWC) took the lead back for good with 1:52 left and then got a pair of key layups in the final 1:09 to hold on for the win. Lawrence (3-3, 2-2) got off a 3-point attempt before the buzzer sounded but it was blocked.
Mazur finished with 29 points and hit on 9 of 11 shots from 3-point range. Mazur broke the record of eight 3-pointers held by Jason Holinbeck vs. Beloit College (2/9/02) and Joel Dillingham vs. American Indian Bible College (12/11/90).
Lawrence hit on 16 of 20 3-point attempts, and that is the fourth-highest number of 3-pointers made in a game. It also is the fourth-highest 3-point shooting percentage in a game (80 percent).
Andrew Nottling and Caleb Zeegers led Carroll’s balanced attack with 12 points apiece.
The Vikings trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half, but Lawrence rallied and grabbed the lead less than two minutes into the second half. The game see-sawed from that point, with neither team leading by more than five points the rest of the way.
Lawrence led 77-76 on a pair of Ryan DePouw free throws with 4:04 left. Carroll finally took the lead back at 78-77 on two Rudy Bentley free throws with 2:26 remaining.
Conor Klusendorf, who finished with 19 points, threw down a dunk with 2:06 left to give Lawrence a 79-78 lead. Tyler Watzlawick countered with a layup for Carroll, and Lawrence turned the ball over on its next possession. Carroll then got a layup from Dan Kratz with 1:09 left to grab an 82-79 lead.
Chris Siebert blew through the Carroll defense for a layup that trimmed the margin to 82-81 with 45seconds left. Carroll then ran the shot clock down to nothing and got a layup from Andrew Nottling to go up 84-81 with 10 seconds remaining.
Carroll did a nice job of defending the 3-point line on the final possession, and DePouw’s 3-pointer at the buzzer was blocked.
Lawrence vs. Carroll/Cornell preview
The Lawrence University men’s basketball team faces a pair of Midwest Conference rivals this week. The Vikings travel to Carroll University on Tuesday evening, and Lawrence hosts Cornell College on Saturday evening at 5 p.m.
Lawrence rolls past Prairie Fire
The Lawrence University men’s basketball team pulled away early in the second half and rolled to an 81-66 Midwest Conference victory over the Prairie Fire on Saturday at Alexander Gymnasium.
Davis DeWolfe led Lawrence (3-2, 2-1 MWC) with 19 points, and Conor Klusendorf posted a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Chris Siebert added 12 points and a team-high five assists for the Vikings.
Mitch Murphy paced Knox (0-4, 0-3) with 18 points with 17 of those coming in the first half.
Knox was hot from long range early and the Prairie Fire led by as many as seven points in the first half. Lawrence quickly rallied and led by as many as 10 points in the first half.
The Vikings were up 42-36 at the break and opened the second half with a 14-2 run. DeWolfe scored seven points in that run, including a three-point play to cap the outburst with 14:11 remaining.
Knox trimmed the lead back to 13 at 58-45 on David Jones’ three-point play, but Lawrence stretched the lead after that. The Vikings went on a 13-2 run to lead 71-47 with 7:42 left. Max Burgess started the run with a 3-pointer, Klusendorf added four points and DeWolfe capped the run with a layup to give Lawrence a 24-point edge.
Knox never got closer than 19 points until the final 33 seconds of the game.
Klusendorf, Lawrence’s career blocks leader and the MWC’s blocks leader, also picked up three blocks in the game and DeWolfe added a pair of rejections.
The Vikings were solid at the foul line, hitting on 20 of 24 attempts. Knox, which didn’t shoot a free throw in the first half, finished 7 of 15 from the line.
Lawrence vs. Knox preview
The Lawrence University men’s basketball team returns home to Alexander Gymnasium on Saturday when the Vikings host Knox College in the opening game of a Midwest Conference doubleheader. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.
Ripon rallies to top Vikings
RIPON, Wis. — The Ripon College men’s basketball team outscored Lawrence University 16-6 down the stretch to rally for a 68-65 Midwest Conference victory over the Vikings on Wednesday at the Storzer Center.
Taylor Koth scored 27 points to pace Ripon (2-2, 1-0 MWC).
Davis DeWolfe and Tyler Mazur added 12 points apiece to lead the Vikings (2-2, 1-1 MWC). DeWolfe also added a game-high nine rebounds.
Lawrence trailed by three midway through the second half when the Vikings went on a 10-0 run. Mazur started the outburst with a 3-pointer, and Jamie Nikitas scored the next five points with a layup and a 3-pointer. DeWolfe finished the run with a jumper to put the Vikings up 59-52 with 6:47 left.
Ripon countered by scoring the game’s next six points and the teams traded the lead after that.
Ripon led 62-61 when DeWolfe connected on a jumper and Chris Siebert followed with a pair of free throws to put Lawrence up 65-62 with 1:52 left.
Andy Popp hit a 3-pointer for Ripon to tie the game, and the Vikings turned the ball over with 45 seconds left. Koth went to the basket and was fouled with 19 seconds left. He hit one free throw to give Ripon a 66-65 lead.
Siebert got off a shot in the final seconds for Lawrence, but his contested jumper was off the mark. Koth grabbed the rebound and converted two free throws in the final seconds to seal the win.
Lawrence at Ripon preview
The Lawrence University men’s basketball team heads to rival Ripon College to face the Red Hawks at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Lawrence is looking for a second consecutive road victory in Midwest Conference play while this is the conference opener for the Red Hawks.
DePouw pours in 25 as Vikings edge Illinois College
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — Ryan DePouw poured in a career-high 25 points to lead the Lawrence University men’s basketball team to a 78-76 Midwest Conference victory over Illinois College on Sunday at the Bruner Center.
DePouw hit on 9 of 13 shots from the floor, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range. He added a game-high seven rebounds and picked up five assists, two blocks and a steal.
Chris Siebert added 16 points and Davis DeWolfe had 14 points for Lawrence (2-1, 1-0 MWC). Tyler Mazur, seeing his first significant action since football season ended, came off the bench to chip in with 12 points.
Nathan Kohler led Illinois College (1-3, 0-1) with 19 points, and Isaac Grapperhaus and Brandon Barry added 16 points apiece.
Illinois College led by as many as nine points in the first half, but Lawrence finished the first half on a 14-5 run to tie the score at 35-35 at the break. Mazur hit a pair of 3-pointers in that stretch, and DePouw and Siebert also had one apiece.
Lawrence came out strong to start the second half and led by as many as seven points before Illinois College battled back and took a one-point lead midway through the half.
The Vikings got the lead back on the next possession when Siebert drained a 3-pointer, and Illinois College would never lead again.
Lawrence led by as many as six points after that, but the Blueboys trimmed the margin to 74-72 with 1:18 remaining on Barry’s layup. Mazur got a three-point play for Lawrence to push the lead back to 77-72 with 47 seconds left.
The Vikings would miss the front end of the bonus on its next two possessions, and Kohler then hit a pair of free throws to cut the margin to 77-76 with four seconds left. The Blueboys fouled Siebert with three seconds left, and he made the first free throw to finish the scoring.
Lawrence returns to action on Wednesday when it travels to Ripon College.