Men’s Basketball

Category: Men’s Basketball

Balanced attack leads Vikings past Marian

Five Lawrence University players scored in double figures as the Vikings downed Marian University 83-76 in a nonconference game Wednesday at Alexander Gymnasium.

Conor Klusendorf paced Lawrence (1-1) with 17 points, and he added seven rebounds four assists, four blocks and a steal. Chris Siebert, who drained a huge 3-pointer in the final minute, added 16 points and a game-high eight assists.

Davis DeWolfe picked up 14 points and six rebounds for the Vikings. Max Burgess was a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor, including 3-for-3 from 3-point range, and finished with 13 points. Ryan DePouw added 10 points for Lawrence.

Cody Veleke led Marian (1-2) and all scorers with 23 points, and Sam Koslowski added 20 points for the Sabres.

Lawrence led by 13 at 50-37 early in the second half, but the Sabres went on a 9-0 run to trim the margin to 50-46 with 15:34 remaining. The Vikings pushed the lead back to 62-50 on a Burgess 3-pointer with 9:52 left.

The Vikings led 69-57 after a pair of DeWolfe free throws with 7:45 remaining, but Marian cut the lead to 72-69 after a Mike Keller three-point play with 3:32 left.

Veleke then made a pair of free throws with 3:10 remaining to trim the lead to 73-71, but Trace Sonnleitner buried a 3-pointer to push the lead back to 76-71 with 2:50 left.

The teams traded missed free throws before Keller’s layup cut the margin to 76-73. With the Vikings working the clock, Siebert went one-on-one on the perimeter and drained a 3-pointer with 39 seconds left to push Lawrence’s lead to 79-73.

The Sabres missed a 3-pointer, and Lawrence then hit 4 of 6 free throws in the final 27 seconds to seal the win.

Lawrence returns to action on Sunday when it travels to Illinois College to open Midwest Conference play.

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Pointers edge Lawrence 72-64

The No. 15 UW-Stevens Point men’s basketball team pulled away early in the second half and then shut down a late Lawrence University rally for a 72-64 nonconference victory on Thursday at Alexander Gymnasium.

All-American Tyler Tillema, Trevor Hass and Clayton Heuer scored 14 points apiece to lead the Pointers (1-0).

Davis DeWolfe scored 23 points and hit 8 of 10 shots from the floor to pace Lawrence (0-1). Freshman Jamie Nikitas came off the bench and added 11 points and Chris Siebert had 10.

Lawrence pulled out to a 10-point lead at 21-11 with 10:04 left in the first half, but the Pointers dominated the rest of the first half. Stevens Point went on an 18-2 run to finish the half and led 29-23 at the break.

The Pointers then scored the first five points of the second half to pull ahead 36-23 with 18:11 remaining. Lawrence finally got its offense back in gear, but the Pointers would steadily build their lead to as many as 18 points midway through the second half.

Sparked by Nikitas, Lawrence went on a 7-0 run to trim the lead to 53-42 on a pair of Siebert free throws with 8:13 left. Lawrence kept chipping away and cut the lead to 58-51 when Nikitas hit a 3-pointer with 2:54 remaining.

DeWolfe then scored the next six points for the Vikings to cut the margin to 62-57 with 1:25 left. The Vikings had a chance to cut further into the margin, but Nikitas missed a pair of free throws with 48 seconds left.

Stevens Point then hit 10 consecutive free throws in the final 46 seconds to seal the victory.

Lawrence returns to action next Wednesday when it hosts Marian University.

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Inside LU Athletics: Lawrence cagers have lofty expectations

Joel DePagter doesn’t expect perfection from the Lawrence University men’s basketball team, but that is exactly what his players are shooting for.

The Lawrence head coach knows that winning every game in a season that starts Thursday when the Vikings host UW-Stevens Point is just about impossible. DePagter then quickly points out that his team’s leaders, swingman Chris Siebert, forward Conor Klusendorf and guard Brian Gryskiewicz, don’t think about anything other than winning.

“It’s a long season and we’re going to have some bumps in the road, but Conor, Brian and Chris don’t expect to lose any games and that’s a great mindset to have,” DePagter said. “For us to be great, we need those guys to do whatever it takes to win and not just score points.”

This team’s strength lies with its guards, depth and experience. It all starts with Siebert, an all-Midwest Conference selection last season and one of the league’s most versatile performers.

“To do great things, Chris Siebert has to have a great year,” DePagter said. “That doesn’t mean Chris needs to score 30 points a game, but he needs to lead the team, get rebounds and he’s doing those things in practice right now.”

Siebert led the team in scoring last season at 16.6 points per game and assists at 4.0 per contest. The junior from Baraboo also added 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per contest to his versatile floor game.

Gryskiewicz, also a junior, brings a gritty determination, and DePagter said he has had a great first month of practice. Klusendorf, one of only two seniors on the squad, brings an athletic impact to the frontcourt with dunks on offense and blocks on defense.

“We have an experienced group back,” DePagter said. “We lost an all-conference player (Tyler Crisman), but collectively we’re a more mature, seasoned group. Guys work on things in the off-season, but experience is one thing you can’t work on.”

Lawrence also returns the sizable presence of junior Davis DeWolfe in the paint. The 6-foot-7 junior from Green Bay averaged 10.4 points and a team-high 5.7 rebounds per game last year. The other starter figures to be sophomore guard Ryan DePouw, who showed flashes of brilliance in his sixth man role last season.

“Our starting five is a pretty balanced group,” DePagter said. “We have some guys who can shoot it. We have some toughness with our point guard. We’re a bigger, more physical team than we were last year.”

The Vikings also boast more depth and size off the bench than they’ve had in recent seasons. The Vikings can bring instant offense when junior guard Max Burgess checks in, and junior Tom Antosz also has valuable experience. Lawrence also has freshmen guards Jamie Nikitas and Troy Miller battling for playing time.

“Max is as good a shooter as you will ever see and he has experience,” DePagter said. “He has played key minutes in big games and proven he can play on the big stage.”

The Vikings also got an addition to the squad on Monday when junior swingman Tyler Mazur rejoined the team. Mazur, who just completed a 1,000-yard receiving season with the football team, averaged 4.7 points and shot 42.5 percent on 3-pointers last year.

The Vikings add to the athleticism up front with 6-5 junior Chase Nelson and a trio of freshmen, led by Appleton native Trace Sonnleitner and including Connor Weas and Zach Ricchiuto.

“Trace plays harder than most freshman play. To have another local player is exciting and it allows people to see him continue his career,” said DePagter, citing local players like Rob Nenahlo, Jason Holinbeck and Andy Hurley, who all starred for the Vikings in the last decade.

“Our talent level from top to bottom is improved from the past couple of years. Not only do we have numbers, we have quality in those numbers.”

The Vikings will get a huge test Thursday when they open with the Pointers, ranked 15th in the d3hoops.com preseason top 25.

“Goals don’t change, have never changed since I came back in 1999 to be the assistant,” DePagter said. “What changes is how likely it is to reach those goals. Being so young overall of the past few years we knew it was going to be challenging.”

Milestone for Mazur

Standout wide receiver Tyler Mazur had another huge game in the season finale against Ripon last Saturday. Mazur had six catches for 222 yards and three touchdowns. It was the third 200-yard receiving game of Mazur’s career and the second in three weeks for the Reedsburg, Wis., native.

Mazur finished the season with 53 catches for 1,139 yards and became the first Lawrence player to post 1,000 receiving yards in a season since Zach Michael did it back in 2003. Mazur finished his career with 2,253 receiving yards despite being a wide receiver for only two seasons.

Mazur finished his career ranked fourth in receiving yards, fifth in catches (130), fifth in touchdown catches (25), fourth in total touchdowns (37) and fifth in points (224).

Hartman finishes in style 

Senior running back Ben Hartman finished his football career with perhaps his finest day for Lawrence. The Portage, Wis., native ran 14 times for a career-high 125 yards and two touchdowns in the season finale against Ripon. Hartman finished the season with 104 carries for 597 yards for a hefty 5.7-yard average.

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.

Siebert, Crisman earn All-MWC basketball honors

Lawrence University men’s basketball standouts Chris Siebert and Tyler Crisman have been named to the All-Midwest Conference team in a vote by league coaches.

Siebert (Baraboo, Wis./Baraboo) was selected for the second team, and Crisman (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way East) received honorable mention.

This was the first all-conference selection for Seibert, a sophomore guard. Siebert averaged 16.4 points per game and that ranked sixth in conference play. Siebert was fourth in the conference at 4.2 assists per game, and he also averaged 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals per contest.

Siebert shot 90.4 percent from the foul line and that led the conference. He also ranked seventh in 3-point shooting at 41.7 percent.

On the season, Siebert averaged 16.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Siebert shot 43 percent from the floor, including 41.6 percent on 3-pointers, and 88 percent from the foul line.

Crisman, a senior guard, received honorable mention for the second consecutive season. Crisman finished seventh in the conference in scoring at 16.2 points per game.

One of the league’s top 3-point shooters, Crisman was third in the conference at 2.8 3-pointers per game and ranked ninth in 3-point shooting at 40.2 percent. Crisman also averaged 2.5 assists, 2.0 rebounds and had a 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio.

On the season, Crisman averaged 16.1 points, 2.6 assists and 1.9 rebounds per game. Crisman shot 45.3 percent from the floor, including 39.7 percent on 3-pointers.

This marks the 18th consecutive season Lawrence has had at least one player chosen for the all-conference team.

 

St. Norbert pulls away late to top Vikings

The St. Norbert College men’s basketball team pulled away late and went on to an 80-65 Midwest Conference victory over Lawrence University on Saturday at Alexander Gymnasium.

Andrew Schwoerer led a balanced St. Norbert attack with 17 points. Brandon Gries added 16 points, and Garrett Thorn had a game-high 11 rebounds for the Green Knights (15-8, 12-6 MWC).

Senior Tyler Crisman, playing in his final game for the Vikings, led Lawrence (9-13, 8-10) with 21 points. Tyler Mazur came off the bench for the Vikings and hit 6 of 9 shots from 3-point range on his way to 18 points.

Lawrence, which led 39-37 at the half, trailed 54-52 after a pair of Davis DeWolfe free throws with 9:30 remaining. The Green Knights then scored the game’s next seven points, capped by a jumper from Gries, to grab a 61-52 lead with 6:32 left.

Lawrence got a layup from Crisman to stop the run, but St. Norbert kept the Vikings at arm’s length the rest of the game. St. Norbert led by no more than 11 points until the final minute, but Lawrence couldn’t get any closer than eight the rest of the way.

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Crisman, Mazur lead Lawrence past Red Hawks

RIPON, Wis. — The Lawrence University men’s basketball team pulled away late and posted a 77-69 Midwest Conference victory over Ripon College on Wednesday night at the Storzer Center.

Tyler Crisman scored 21 points to lead Lawrence (9-12, 8-9 MWC) and all scorers. Tyler Mazur came off the bench to pour in a career-high 17 points for the Vikings, who swept the season series from the Red Hawks.

Taylor Koth and Aris Wurtz both had double-doubles for Ripon (14-8, 10-7). Koth had 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Wurtz added 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Lawrence led by as many as seven points in the first half, and Ripon was up by as many as six points before the break.

The Vikings led 49-48 when they went on a 10-4 run midway through the second half, capped by Mazur’s 3-pointer, to grab a 59-52 edge with 8:44 left. Mazur was 5-for-8 from beyond the arc on the night.

After a Nic Schaalma free throw trimmed the margin to 59-53, Lawrence got back-to-back jumpers from Brian Gryszkiewicz and Chris Siebert and a 3-pointer from Mazur to go up 66-55.

Koth’s three-point play cut the margin back to 66-58, but Lawrence put the clamps on the Red Hawks over the next four minutes. In a stretch of 3:59, all Ripon got was two free throws as the Vikings stretched the lead to 73-60. Siebert scored five points in that stretch, including a pair of free throws with 2:20 left that gave Lawrence its biggest lead of the night at 13 points.

Ripon battled back with seven consecutive points, capped by Tyler Ketz’s 3-pointer with 1:14 left, to cut the margin to 73-67. Andrew Kline’s layup off a feed from Gryszkiewicz pushed the lead back to 75-67, and Ripon went cold after that.

The Red Hawks missed their next three shots from the floor, and Mazur sealed the win with a pair of free throws with just 14 seconds remaining.

Lawrence wraps up its season on Saturday when it hosts St. Norbert College. 

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Lawrence rally falls short against Bucs

The Lawrence University men’s basketball team rallied from a 16-point deficit in the second half, but Beloit College hung on for a 76-72 Midwest Conference victory on Saturday at Alexander Gymnasium.

James Lazarcik had a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds to pace Beloit (9-12, 8-8 MWC). Michael Horton also had a double-double for the Bucs with 14 points and 11 assists.

Tyler Crisman poured in 29 points to lead Lawrence (8-12, 7-9). Tyler Mazur came off the bench to add 11 points for the Vikings, and Chris Siebert had 10.

Beloit led 34-29 at the half, but the Bucs came out and pushed that lead to 47-35 with 16:35 remaining. Lawrence trimmed the lead back to eight points, but the Bucs went on a 10-2 run to take a 61-45 advantage with 9:50 remaining.

Lawrence got back into the game by going on a 13-3 run of its own. Ryan DePouw, Max Burgess and Mazur all hit 3-pointers in that run, and Mazur and Conor Klusendorf both had dunks during the outburst that cut the lead to 64-58.

Tyler Butke stopped the run with a jumper for Beloit, but Lawrence got two more 3-pointers from Mazur, including one that cut Beloit’s lead to 70-68 with 3:03 left.

Beloit got a layup from Lazarcik to push the lead back to 72-68, and Crisman was then fouled with 2:20 left. He hit one free throw, but Ahmad Shamsid-Deen then scored for 74-69 Beloit lead.

Crisman then converted a three-point play to cut the lead back to 74-72 with 1:03 remaining. Brian Gryszkiewicz then forced a Beloit turnover, and Crisman was fouled with 31 seconds left. He missed the front end of the bonus, and Butke grabbed the rebound.

The Vikings were forced to foul Horton, who converted a pair of free throws with 23 seconds left to give Beloit a 76-72 lead. After a missed 3-pointer by the Vikings, Beloit grabbed the rebound to seal the win.

Lawrence returns to action on Wednesday when it travels to Ripon College.

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