Men’s Basketball

Category: Men’s Basketball

Inside LU Athletics: Basketball ready for a busy week

The Lawrence University men’s basketball team reported back to campus on Monday, but the Vikings will not have time to ease back into anything.

The Vikings have their first game of the second half of the season on Saturday when they travel to Beloit College, and that contest is part of four games in the next seven days.

“It’s a huge stretch for us,” Lawrence coach Joel DePagter said.

In addition to traveling to Beloit, Lawrence hosts Carroll University on Tuesday, hosts Grinnell College on Friday and hosts Monmouth College on Saturday.

“Anytime you get to get a stretch in your own gym, it has to be the time you hit your stride,” DePagter said. “The difference of one game could be the difference of fourth place and making the conference tournament or ninth place.”

Lawrence enters this stretch with a 2-2 Midwest Conference record and a 3-5 overall mark. The Vikings’ last conference game was a road victory at Monmouth, and DePagter said the team needs to build on that.

“Our last real game against Monmouth we played well down the stretch of that game and we need to remember that,” DePagter said. “That second half against Monmouth we were smart down the stretch and that’s been a staple of this program. The Monmouth game the guys really saw what we needed to do.”

DePagter said the relative youth of this team (three sophomores and a junior in the starting lineup) means the Vikings must be constantly focused on their approach to the game.

“This is one of those clichés, but it’s not about Beloit as much as it is about doing what we need to do on every possession,” DePagter said. “Each two- or three-minute stretch is as crucial for us as it is for everyone. It comes down to who shoots the ball well.”

In Lawrence’s three wins, the Vikings have shot a solid 46.9 percent from the floor, including a sparkling 43 percent on 3-pointers. Perhaps more importantly, the Vikings shot 73.1 percent on free throws in those wins. In the five losses, 40 percent from the floor, 34.1 percent on 3s and 54.5 percent from the line.

“We need to fight off the nights we don’t shoot well,” DePagter said. “We have some great shooters, but if those shots don’t go in, you don’t look good, and if they do go in, you look better than maybe you are.”

The Vikings are also feeling healthy and complete for the first time this season. Senior all-conference guard Tyler Crisman missed the early part of the season due to injury, sophomore transfer Davis DeWolfe was new to the program and football star Tyler Mazur didn’t join the team until mid-November.

DePagter said the coaches are still looking at different on-court combinations, but that will be tougher to do the deeper the Vikings get into conference play.

“The answer to that will be found out in the next week or two,” DePagter said. “With Mazur joining us late and Crisman being hurt, those were two unknowns. All the pieces haven’t been put in place yet, but that has to happen soon.”

Even though the Vikings were picked to finish eighth in the league, there is little doubt Lawrence believes it can reach the four-team conference tournament. The Vikings have played in the tournament in six of the last nine seasons.

“This program needs to get back where it belongs, but you can’t just talk about it,” DePagter said. “Talking about it and doing it are two different things.”

Koula earns all-region pick

Women’s soccer star Mallory Koula has been named to the All-North Region Team by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Koula was a third-team selection.

It’s yet another honor for the senior forward, who capped her Lawrence career by earning Midwest Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors. A three-time All-Midwest Conference selection, this is Koula’s first all-region honor.

Koula finished the season with 20 goals and five assists for 45 points. She set Lawrence career records with 63 goals and 142 points despite playing only three seasons with the Vikings.

Koula broke the NCAA record for the fastest three consecutive goals by a player and a team. She scored three times in a span of only 42 seconds in Lawrence’s 6-1 victory over Beloit College. The individual record was 1:07 and the team mark was 52 seconds.

Mann gets all-state selection

Men’s soccer standout Charlie Mann has been named to the All-Wisconsin Team. Mann, a sophomore defender, was a second-team selection. Mann also was a second-team All-Midwest Conference pick.

Mann finished the season with two goals, both game-winning tallies, and four points. Mann scored the game-winner in a 2-1 victory over Grinnell College and picked up the game-winning goal in a 4-1 victory over Knox College.

Mann also spearheaded a defense that allowed only 1.7 goals per game and posted a shutout against Ripon College.

Editor’s Note: Inside LU Athletics is a notes package written by Lawrence University Sports Information Director 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.

Southeastern shoots past Lawrence

LAKELAND, Fla. — The No. 15 Southeastern University men’s basketball enjoyed a hot shooting night en route to a 95-65 nonconference win over Lawrence University on Monday.

Southeastern (10-5), a NAIA school, shot 53.3 percent from the floor, including 57.9 percent (11-19) on 3-pointers. The Fire also went 20-for-23 from the foul line.

Jacob Hodges came off the bench to pace Southeastern with 24 points.

Davis DeWolfe paced Lawrence (3-5) with 17 points, and Tyler Crisman added 15.

Lawrence was hot early as the Vikings hit their first nine shots from the floor. Lawrence built a 22-10 lead just five minutes into the game. The Fire bounced back by scoring the game’s next 10 points to trim the lead to 22-20.

Chris Carlyle’s 3-pointer gave Southeastern its first lead of the game at 39-36 with 1:32 left in the first half. The Fire outscored Lawrence 10-1 to end the half and led 49-37 at the break.

Southeastern continued to pull away in the second half. The Fire went on a 26-12 run over the first 12 minutes of the second half to lead 75-49.

Lawrence takes a break for the holidays and doesn’t return to action until it travels to Beloit College on Jan. 7. 

Box score

Crisman leads charge as Vikings stop Monmouth

MONMOUTH, Ill. — Tyler Crisman poured in 29 points to lead the Lawrence University men’s basketball team to an 87-74 Midwest Conference victory at Glennie Gymnasium on Friday night.

 Crisman was 10-for-14 from the floor, including 7-for-10 from 3-point range. The 29 points was a season high for Crisman and one point shy of his career high of 30, set at Beloit College on Feb. 12, 2011.

Chris Siebert added 19 points and a game-high five assists for the Vikings (3-4, 2-2 MWC). Conor Klusendorf chipped in with 15 points, and Davis DeWolfe had 10. Both Klusendorf and DeWolfe tied for game-high honors with six rebounds.

Kenny Foster paced Monmouth (1-5, 1-3) with 26 points.

Lawrence led by as many as nine points early in the first half, but Monmouth came back to take a 36-32 lead at the break. Lawrence regained the lead in the first 30 seconds of the second half courtesy of a Siebert 3-pointer and a Klusendorf dunk.

The Vikings slowly built their lead to as many as 12 points before the Scots rallied. Monmouth chipped away at the lead and cut it to 71-70 with 3:03 left.

Siebert answered with a jumper for the Vikings, and Klusendorf followed with a steal and dunk to give the Vikings 75-70 lead. After a miss by the Scots, Klusendorf got a layup to put Lawrence up 77-70 with 1:29 left.

Foster hit a jumper with 1:22 left to cut the lead back to 77-72, and Lawrence turned the ball on its next possession. That’s when the wheels fell off for Monmouth. The Scots were whistled for an offensive foul, and Foster picked up a technical foul.

Lawrence hit six consecutive free throws before Monmouth ever got the ball back to lead 83-72 and seal the victory.

Lawrence returns to action Monday when it travels to Florida to face Southeastern University.

Box score

Prairie Fire hangs on to down Lawrence

The Knox College men’s basketball team rallied in the second half and then held off Lawrence University for a 71-68 Midwest Conference victory on Tuesday night at Alexander Gymnasium.

Tanner Carlson scored 21 poins and Joe Kozak added 20 points and a game-high nine rebounds for Knox (1-5, 1-4 MWC). Ryan DePouw came off the bench to pace Lawrence (2-4, 1-2) with 17 points. Davis DeWolfe added 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Vikings.

Cold shooting from long range doomed the Vikings. Lawrence, which entered the game leading the Midwest Conference in 3-point shooting, was 11 of 38 from beyond the arc. Lawrence also went only 5-for-12 from the foul line. Knox enjoyed a huge advantage at the line by going 20-for-26 on free throws.

Knox was down by as many as seven points early in the second half before the Prairie Fire rallied. Knox went on a 12-1 run to grab a 50-46 lead with 12:28 left.

Knox maintained its edge and led 69-60 with 29 seconds left. Conor Klusendorf hit a 3-pointer for Lawrence, and an offensive foul gave the ball back to the Vikings. DePouw then drained a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left to trim the margin to 69-66.

Kozak was fouled and made one free throw with 11 seconds left to put Knox up 70-66. After a Tyler Crisman layup cut the lead back to 70-68, Kozak was fouled again with four seconds left. He made one free throw for a 71-68 lead, but Crisman’s desperation 3-pointer was off the mark at the buzzer.

Lawrence returns to action on Friday when the Vikings travel to Monmouth College.

Box score

Lake Forest hangs on to edge Vikings

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Lawrence University men’s basketball team missed a potential game-winning jumper in the final seconds, and Lake Forest College hung on for a 66-65 victory on Saturday.

Lawrence (2-3, 1-1 MWC) was led by sophomore guard Chris Siebert, who scored 18 points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds. Tyler Crisman added 14 points for the Vikings, and Conor Klusendorf had 12 points and five boards.

Travis Clark paced Lake Forest (5-1, 3-0) with 18 points and 17 rebounds. Drew Grennell also had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Foresters.

In a game that featured 13 lead changes and five ties, Lawrence trailed 61-55 when the Vikings scored seven consecutive points. Klusendorf hit a pair of free throws, Crisman followed with a layup and Siebert then drilled a 3-pointer to give Lawrence a 62-61 lead with 2:27 left.

James Stack countered with a 3-pointer for the Foresters, and Lake Forest led 64-62. Crisman made one free throw with 54 seconds left but missed the second to allow Lake Forest to lead 64-63.

Clark then put back his own miss to give the Foresters a 66-63 edge. Crisman countered with a layup with 18 seconds left to trim the lead to 66-65.

The Vikings fouled Clark with 15 seconds left and he missed the front end of the bonus. Lawrence rebounded, but Crisman’s jumper with five seconds left was off the mark. Lake Forest grabbed the rebound to seal the win.

The game also marked the most significant action of the season for newcomer Tyler Mazur. The Lawrence football star joined the team after his fall season ended but had played sparingly to this point. Mazur scored nine points, all on 3-pointers, in 11 minutes of action.

Lawrence returns to action on Dec. 13 when it hosts Knox College.

Box score

Siebert leads balanced attack as Vikings top Illinois College

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — Sophomore guard Chris Siebert led a balanced Lawrence University attack as the Vikings downed Illinois College 76-69 in a Midwest Conference men’s basketball game Friday.

Siebert posted a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds to pace Lawrence (2-2, 1-0 MWC). Davis DeWolfe added 16 points and six rebounds, and Conor Klusendorf and Max Burgess had 12 points apiece.

Craig Bals had 18 points, Spencer Campbell added 17 and Brandon Berry had 16 to lead Illinois College (1-3, 0-1).

Lawrence led by as many as 12 points in the first half, but the Vikings had to settle for a 38-33 lead at the half.

The Vikings opened the second half with a flurry by scoring the first seven points after the break. Tyler Crisman, playing in his first game back after an injury, hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Brian Gryzskiewicz added a free throw to give Lawrence a 45-33 lead.

The Blueboys trimmed the lead back to six points at 50-44, but Lawrence regained control by scoring five consecutive points, capped by Burgess’ 3-pointer with 12:19 remaining.

Lawrence built the lead back to 14 points at 63-49 on another 3-pointer by Burgess, but Illinois College managed to trim the advantage back to six points on several occasions.

That’s as close as Illinois College would get as Lawrence hit went 4-for-5 from the foul line in the final 1:28 to seal the victory.

The Vikings return to action on Saturday when they travel to Lake Forest College.

Box score

Vikings fall to Marian

FOND DU LAC, Wis. — The Marian University men’s basketball team rallied early in the second half to take the lead, and the Sabres never gave it back in a 74-65 nonconference win over the Vikings on Wednesday at Sadoff Gymnasium.

Cody Veleke had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds to pace Marian (2-2). Jeff Harris added 19 points and six rebounds for the Sabres.

Chris Siebert led Lawrence (1-2) with 19 points, seven rebounds, three steals and three assists. Ryan DePouw added 13 points for the Vikings, and Davis DeWolfe had 11.

Conor Klusendorf recorded five blocks in the contest to tie the Lawrence record for blocks in a game.

Lawrence led by as many as eight points in the first half, and the Vikings were up 39-33 at the break. Marian outscored the Vikings 19-6 over the first nine minutes of the second half and led 52-45.

The Vikings started to creep back into the game, and Brian Gryszkiewicz scored four consecutive points, the last two coming on a steal and layup, to cut the lead to 54-51. A pair of Siebert free throws then trimmed the margin to 54-53 with 8:18 left.

Marian was able to hang onto the lead but couldn’t stretch it past three points. Max Burgess pulled the Vikings back to even when he hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 62-62 with 4:29 left.

Richard Knar countered with a jumper for Marian, and Mike Keller then hit a pair of free throws to push the lead back to 66-62 with 3:32 left. Burgess hit another 3-pointer to cut the lead back to 66-65 with 2:56 left, but the Vikings went cold after that.

Lawrence had consecutive turnovers and missed its next three shots from the floor. Marian hit six consecutive free throws in the final 1:13 to seal the win.

The difference in the game was at the foul line. Marian was 26-for-31 from the stripe while Lawrence connected on only 13 of 23 from the line.

The Vikings return to action on Dec. 2 when they travel to Illinois College.

Box score