APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University men’s basketball team wraps up its season with a pair of games this week. The Vikings will honor seniors Jamie Nikitas and Troy Miller when Lawrence hosts Carroll University on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Alexander Gymnasium. Lawrence then finishes the regular season with a 1 p.m. game on Saturday at Monmouth College.
Category: Men’s Basketball
Ice-cold Vikings fall to Beloit
APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University men’s basketball team endured a frigid shooting night and dropped a 79-58 Midwest Conference game to Beloit College on Tuesday at Alexander Gymnasium.
Lawrence (9-12, 6-10 MWC) shot just 34.5 percent for the game, including 20.7 percent in the first half. The Vikings went 4-for-23 (17.4 percent) from beyond the arc, including 1-for-14 in the first half.
Jamie Nikitas led Lawrence with 18 points and picked up five assists, three steals and a pair of rebounds. Mitch Willer added 11 points and a team-best nine rebounds for the Vikings.
Rudy Bentley led Beloit (9-12, 7-9) with 28 points as he hit 8-of-13 shots from the floor, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range. Steve McAfee picked up a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
The Bucs jumped on Lawrence early and built a 19-7 lead less than eight minutes into the game. Beloit went on to lead 39-18 at the half as the Bucs shot 51.7 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes.
Lawrence shot the ball much better in the second half, but the Bucs kept Lawrence at arm’s length. The Vikings cut the lead to 45-28 after a Jeremy Stephani 3-pointer, but Beloit countered with back-to-back triples to push the lead to 51-28.
Lawrence closed to 60-44 after Stephani’s layup with 8:36 left, but Beloit responded with seven consecutive points for a 67-44 edge. Lawrence didn’t get closer than 21 points the rest of the way.
Men’s basketball preview: Lawrence vs. Beloit
APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University men’s basketball team looks to make it two wins a row when the Vikings host Beloit College on Tuesday at Alexander Gymnasium. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. The Vikings are coming off an 88-76 win at Illinois College this past Saturday, and Beloit is looking to bounce back from a 72-56 setback to St. Norbert College.
Second-half surge pushes Vikings past Illinois College
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — A surge midway through the second half Saturday led the Lawrence University men’s basketball team to an 88-76 Midwest Conference victory over Illinois College at Sherman Gymnasium.
The Vikings went on an 11-0 run to turn a two-point deficit into a nine-point lead with just under eight minutes remaining. Illinois College didn’t get closer than six points after that.
Jamie Nikitas led Lawrence (9-11, 6-9 MWC) with 20 points and seven rebounds. He also picked up three assists and three steals. Jeremy Stephani added 16 points and Connor Weas matched his career high with 15 points for the Vikings. Troy Miller added 11 points and a game-high five assists for Lawrence.
Nikitas passed Lawrence Hall of Famer Doug Fyfe (1,342) for fifth place on the career scoring list with 1,353 points. Nikitas is just eight points away from surpassing Chris Siebert (1,360) for fourth place.
Mitchell Patterson led the Blueboys (7-13, 4-11) with a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Illinois College led 63-61 when Weas buried a 3-pointer with 10:18 remaining in the game as part of a four-point play. Following an Illinois College miss, Weas followed with another 3-pointer to put the Vikings up 68-63. Weas scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half, going 4-for-4 from the floor, including 3-for-3 from 3-point range, in the final 20 minutes.
After the Blueboys had a turnover and another miss, Mitch Willer picked up a layup for a 70-63 lead. Illinois College then turned it over, and Nikitas hit a jumper for a 72-63 lead with 7:38 left.
Patterson scored to stop the run, and Illinois College trimmed the lead to 75-69 on a pair of Max Stutsman free throws with 6:28 remaining. The Vikings pushed the lead back to 81-71 on a pair of Nikitas free throws with 3:43 left, and Lawrence hit its next three shots from the floor to seal the victory.
Lawrence opened the game by scoring the first seven points, and the opening 20 minutes was marked by runs from both teams. Illinois College immediately rallied and trimmed the lead to 17-16.
The Vikings came right back on a 12-2 run to go up 29-19, but Illinois College scored the game’s next nine points to trim the lead to one. The Blueboys grabbed their first lead at 39-38 and the teams went into the half knotted at 46-46.
Lawrence women’s basketball to ‘Play For Patrick’
APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University women’s basketball team will “Play for Patrick” when the Vikings take on Beloit College on Tuesday (Feb. 9) at Alexander Gymnasium.
The Vikings are attempting to raise money and awareness for 21-year-old Patrick Fridland, a De Pere native. Fridland was diagnosed in September 2015 with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer. Cash donations will be accepted throughout the evening.
The game against Beloit begins at 7:30 p.m. and is preceded by the men’s contest vs. the Buccaneers at 5:30 p.m. There is no admission fee for Lawrence basketball.
Osteosarcoma occurs mostly in children and young adults and attacks bones that are growing quickly. It most commonly attacks areas around the knee or shoulder.
Fridland’s connection to Lawrence women’s basketball comes through Vikings junior guard Aubrey Scott, a family friend. A standout golfer and graduate of De Pere High School, Fridland was attending UW-Whitewater when he was diagnosed.
Fridland, whose cancer was found in his leg, went through chemotherapy from September to January. He also had surgery to remove the tumor in early January and had his leg amputated. He is currently undergoing additional chemotherapy.
Donations will be used to help Fridland purchase a prosthetic leg and benefit the Children’s Cancer Research Fund. T-shirts for the event will be on sale for $15 or you can purchase two shirts for $25.
Nikitas breaks scoring record but Green Knights rally past Lawrence
APPLETON, Wis. — The No. 14 St. Norbert College men’s basketball team rallied from a 15-point deficit in the second half Wednesday and then hung on for a 62-59 Midwest Conference victory over Lawrence University at Alexander Gymnasium.
Lawrence star Jamie Nikitas scored a game-high 24 points and broke the school’s season scoring record in the process. Nikitas now has 504 points this season and eclipsed the record of 494 set by John Dekker in 2009-10. Nikitas added a team-best five rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Ben Peterson chipped in with 10 points for the Vikings (8-11, 5-9 MWC), and Jeremy Stephani added eight.
Terrence Garner and D.J. DeValk scored 17 points apiece to pace St. Norbert (17-2, 14-0), and Garner had a game-high nine rebounds.
Lawrence grabbed its biggest lead of the game at 43-28 on Mitch Willer’s layup with 17:50 left in the game. Over the next nine minutes, St. Norbert outscored the Vikings 24-4 to grab a 52-47 advantage with 8:57 left. Garner scored seven points in that stretch and DeValk added five.
The Vikings bounced back as Peterson scored seven consecutive points to turn a 53-49 deficit into a 56-53 lead with 6:09 left. Lawrence then went cold, missing four consecutive 3-pointer, as St. Norbert edged out to a 60-56 lead with 1:05 remaining.
Peterson then hit another 3-pointer with 58 seconds left to trim the margin to 60-59. After DeValk missed a jumper with 28 seconds left, the Green Knights grabbed the rebound but Stephani stole it to give the Vikings a chance.
Peterson missed a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left, but the Vikings got the offensive rebound. Nikitas then missed a 3-pointer with seven seconds left, and Ben Bobinski grabbed the rebound for the Green Knights.
Bobinski was fouled and the Vikings were whistled for a technical foul. St. Norbert converted just two of the four free throws for a 62-59 lead, but Nikitas’ half-court desperation 3-pointer was off the mark at the buzzer.
Lawrence was hot from long range in the first half as the Vikings hit 7-of-12 shots from beyond the arc. St. Norbert led 20-19, but the Vikings went on a 17-5 run over the final 5:31 of the first half.
Connor Weas hit a pair of 3-pointers, Stephani made a 3-pointer and converted a three-point play and Nikitas buried a 3-pointer for the Vikings during that stretch. Lawrence led 36-25 at the half.
WHBY airs interview with LU star Nikitas
APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University men’s basketball standout Jamie Nikitas was interviewed by Alex Solsma of WHBY-AM 1150 this past week. There are two clips that aired on WHBY on Feb. 3.
The Vikings take on No. 14 St. Norbert College at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 3 at Alexander Gymnasium.
Men’s basketball preview: Lawrence vs. No. 14 St. Norbert, at Illinois College
APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University men’s basketball team faces a difficult week as the Vikings take on a ranked opponent and head out on a lengthy road trip. Lawrence faces No. 14 St. Norbert in a Midwest Conference game at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Alexander Gymnasium. Lawrence, winners of three straight, then takes the long drive to Jacksonville, Ill., to take on Illinois College at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Vikings ride second-half surge to win at Knox
GALESBURG, Ill. — The Lawrence University men’s basketball team scored 10 unanswered points midway through the second half Saturday and surged on to a 71-57 Midwest Conference victory over Knox College.
Jamie Nikitas led three Lawrence players in double figures with 22 points. Nikitas also had game highs with seven rebounds, four assists and four steals. Troy Miller added 17 points and four assists for the Vikings (8-10, 5-8 MWC) as he hit 5-of-8 from from 3-point range. Jeremy Stephani chipped in with 15 points for the Vikings and knocked down a trio of 3-pointers.
Miller, Stephani and Nikitas combined to go 11-for-21 from beyond the arc.
Braden Adams scored 17 points to pace the Prairie Fire (1-16, 0-12).
Lawrence led by just two at 42-40 when Nikitas drained a 3-pointer with 11:57 remaining. Lawrence’s Evan McLaughlin then stole the ball, was fouled and made one free throw for a 46-40 lead.
After Knox missed a jumper, Stephani buried a 3-pointer for a 49-40 edge. Knox turned the ball over on its next trip, and Nikitas followed with another 3-pointer to put the Vikings up 52-40 with 10:07 remaining.
George Mosialos hit a jumper for the Prairie Fire and Robert Suntken followed with a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 52-45, but Miller responded for the Vikings. Miller hit back-to-back 3-pointers to push Lawrence’s lead to 58-45 with 7:07 left.
Knox got no closer than nine points after that. The Prairie Fire got the lead down to 67-57 with 2:04 left, but Knox missed its final five shots from the floor after that.
Lawrence held Knox to just 39 percent shooting from the floor for the game, and the Vikings feasted on the foul line. Lawrence went 21-for-26 from the stripe while Knox was 4-for-4.
The game got off to a rough start for the Vikings as Knox scored the first 10 points. Lawrence didn’t get on the board until Nikitas hit a pair of free throws with 13:32 left in the opening half.
The Vikings rallied during a stretch of 4:17 late in the first half to turn a 10-point deficit into a one-point lead. Lawrence trailed 22-12 when the Vikings went on a 13-2 run to take a 25-24 advantage. Miller scored five points during that stretch and capped the run with a 3-pointer with 2:53 left in the first half.
Knox recovered to take a 30-27 lead at the break as Adams hit a long 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Inside LU Athletics: Nikitas taking his best shot for Vikings
APPLETON, Wis. — Jamie Nikitas will never be mistaken for “Pistol” Pete Maravich. There’s no long hair or floppy socks, but, just like the Pistol, the points are piling up for Lawrence University’s star guard.
Nikitas is having the greatest scoring season in Lawrence’s long basketball history and ranks among the top five scorers in all of NCAA Division III.
“I never thought of myself as a great scorer,” said Nikitas, who is averaging 26.9 points per game, good for fourth in Division III.
“At the beginning of the season, the first Ripon game gave me a lot of confidence that I could go out there and score that much. I’ve been playing aggressively and getting to the hoop and getting to the free-throw line.”
Nikitas scored what was then a career-high 34 points against Ripon College in the third game of the season and that propelled him forward. He has six 30-plus point games this season, including a career-best 40-point effort at Carroll University on Jan. 12. Nikitas also has been to the foul line 169 times, the second-highest season total in school history.
“From an individual ability standpoint, Jamie is up there near the top (in Lawrence history),” Lawrence coach Joel DePagter said. “I don’t want to say he is the tops, because there’s been a pretty good list. I know Jamie would trade all of this for more wins and a trip to the conference tournament.”
With a smaller roster this season after massive graduation losses over the past two years, DePagter knew the onus would be on Nikitas to perform. The Lawrence coach said before the season the Vikings would go as far as Nikitas could take them, but even he didn’t foresee this type of performance.
“He can go from spot A to spot B in the blink of an eye,” DePagter said. “He reminds me a little bit of myself. He’s a bit of risk-reward guy. I can relate to that because coach (John) Tharp used to yell at me quite a bit. We’re not going to tone him down. He has to be Jamie Nikitas.”
Nikitas just passed DePagter on Lawrence’s career scoring list and enters play this weekend in sixth place with 1,287 points. Just like DePagter was as a player, there’s more to Nikitas than just points.
“As a senior and my last go-round, I really want to be able to do all I can do,” Nikitas said. “If that means scoring 34 points, great. If that means dishing out six assists, great. Just figuring out what I need to do and adjusting night to night.”
In addition to leading the team in scoring, Nikitas also paces the team at 7.1 rebounds per game, 3.4 assists per game and 2.4 steals per game. He ranks in the top 10 in all of those categories in the Midwest Conference, including leading the league in steals.
“Jamie’s hard to describe. He’s got great basketball IQ,” DePagter said.
“He plays at a different level than most kids play. It has nothing to do with all the combine stuff, vertical jump, bench press, shuttle run, that stuff’s irrelevant to Jamie. He just plays hard.”
With just six games left in the regular season, Nikitas is staring down the end of his college basketball career. Nikitas, who would like to take a shot at playing professionally in Europe, believes he has done all he can for the Vikings but is sad to see it end.
“I don’t know if there’s anything else individually (that I want to do). What’s going to come is going to come. I just want to enjoy competing being with my teammates and the coaches,” Nikitas said.
“Just really enjoying being on a college basketball floor a last few times and the atmosphere at Alex. It’s not something everyone gets to do so I’m just really savoring all of it.”
Nikitas said he doesn’t think about the record book when he’s playing and seems amazed at where he stands in Lawrence history. Nikitas has the chance to join three-time All-American Chris Braier as the only player in Lawrence history to rank in the top 10 in career points, rebounds, assists and steals.
“He’s doing something that no one has done in a program that has had some pretty amazing players. I would have liked to have played with the kid, that’s for sure,” DePagter said.
“I think it’s pretty safe to say that he will go down as one of the greatest players to ever play at Lawrence.”