Men’s Basketball

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Lawrence University men’s basketball team enjoyed a great shooting night and held off Lake Forest College 69-67 in a Midwest Conference game on Tuesday.

Jamie Nikitas paced Lawrence with 24 points as he hit 9-of-16 shots from the floor. Junior forward Mitch Willer, who missed the last game due to injury, came back with a vengeance and hit 8-of-9 shots from the floor on his way to 17 points for the Vikings (7-10, 4-8 MWC).

Jim Schick led four Lake Forest players in double figures with 16 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Lake Forest (9-7, 7-5) lost despite a 42-22 rebounding edge.

Lawrence was hot in the first half and hit 17-of-24 shots (70.8 percent) from the floor in building a 12-point edge late in the first half. The Vikings, who shot 55.3 percent for the game, led 40-32 at the break.

The Vikings pushed the lead to 48-35 on Nikitas’ layup early in the second half. Lake Forest steadily chipped away at the advantage and got the margin down to three points inside of two minutes to play.

The Vikings led 65-62 but had a pair of turnovers on its next two possessions. Lake Forest finally cashed in on Eric Porter’s layup with just over a minute left to cut the margin to 65-64.

After a Pete Winslow free throw pushed the margin back to 66-64, the Vikings came up with some big defensive plays. Lawrence forced Mike Rueffer into a traveling violation, and Nikitas was then fouled. He hit one free throw to give Lawrence a 67-64 lead.

After a missed 3-pointer by the Foresters, Nikitas was fouled again but missed the front end of the bonus. Lawrence got the ball right back as Troy Miller stole the ball from Porter with 14 seconds left.

Miller was fouled and made one free throw for a 68-64 edge with 9.2 seconds left. Porter then banked in a long 3-pointer to cut the margin to 68-67, and Nikitas was fouled on the ensuing possession with 2.4 seconds left. He made the first foul shot for a 69-67 edge.

Nikitas missed the second free throw, but the Foresters were unable to get off a desperation shot before time expired.

Lawrence trailed 10-8, but the Vikings took command of the first half with some seriously hot shooting. The Vikings made 9-of-10 shots from the floor during one stretch to turn a two-point deficit into a nine-point lead at 33-24.

Lawrence hit 13-of-14 shots from inside the arc in the first half as Nikitas scored 13 points and Willer added 10 in the opening 20 minutes.

Box score

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University men’s basketball team hits the road for a pair of Midwest Conference games this week. The Vikings go to Lake Forest College on Tuesday for a 5 p.m. game before heading to Galesburg, Ill., to face Knox College at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Preview

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University men’s basketball team put on a dominating performance on Saturday at Alexander Gymnasium and rolled to an 85-51 Midwest Conference victory over Knox College.

Jamie Nikitas led three Vikings (6-10, 3-8 MWC) in double figures with 21 points, and he added seven rebounds and three steals. Nikitas moved past three Lawrence Hall of Famers, head coach Joel DePagter, Matt Miota and Joel Ungrodt into seventh place on Lawrence’s career scoring list with 1,263 points.

Lawrence’s Jeremy Stephani hit four 3-pointers on his way to 14 points, and Ben Peterson scored 11 points and added a game-high eight rebounds.

Braden Adams scored nine points to lead Knox (1-14, 0-10).

Lawrence tied a season high with 12 3-pointers, and the Vikings shot a season-best 40 percent (12-30) from beyond the arc. Lawrence also dominated the glass with a 43-25 rebounding edge as the Vikings grabbed 17 offensive boards.

The Vikings started to pull away late in the first half. Lawrence was up 28-21 when it went on a 17-4 run over the final 5:22 of the half. Connor Weas scored six points in that stretch, Stephani added five and Nikitas had four as the Vikings led 45-25 at the break.

Lawrence then opened the second half with another huge run to seal the victory. The Vikings limited Knox to just four points over the first 10:42 of the second half. Lawrence pushed the lead to 67-29 as Peterson scored six points and George Mavrakis added five during that stretch.

Lawrence would go on to lead by as many as 39 points as all 10 Vikings scored at least four points in the game.

Box score

APPLETON, Wis. — The Ripon College men’s basketball team pulled out an 81-80 Midwest Conference victory over Lawrence University behind 41 points from Ty Sabin on Wednesday at Alexander Gymnasium.

Sabin hit 17-of-25 shots from the floor, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, to pace the Red Hawks (10-6, 8-3 MWC).

Lawrence star Jamie Nikitas led four Vikings in double figures with 25 points, and he added eight assists, four rebounds and three steals. Troy Miller and Jeremy Stephani added 13 points apiece for the Vikings (5-10, 2-8), and Mitch Willer chipped in 11 points.

The game featured 10 ties and the biggest lead for either team was five points.

Miller scored eight consecutive points for the Vikings, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers and picking up a layup sandwiched around a pair of Ripon baskets, to give Lawrence a 75-74 lead with 2:34 left. Sabin countered with a driving layup to put the Red Hawks up 76-75 with 1:24 left.

On the ensuing possession, Stephani was going up to shoot a 3-pointer and had the ball knocked away. He caught the loose ball, buried a 3-pointer but was called for a travel so the basket was waived off.

Sabin was fouled and hit two free throws to give Ripon a 78-75 lead. Nikitas countered with a layup with 20 seconds left to cut the margin to one. Ty Ketz hit a pair of free throws for Ripon with 15 seconds remaining to push the lead back to 80-77.

Nikitas then missed a closely contested 3-pointer with 10 seconds left. Ripon grabbed the rebound and Sabin was fouled. He hit one free throw with four seconds remaining to seal the win before Connor Weas hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the Vikings.

Box score

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University men’s basketball standout Jamie Nikitas picked up another national honor Tuesday when he was named the United States Basketball Writers Association Division III Player of the Week.

Nikitas (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) also has been chosen for the D3hoops.com Team of the Week and was named Midwest Conference Player of the Week.

A senior guard, Nikitas is the first Lawrence player to win the USBWA award. He picked up the second national honor after a pair of huge games last week.

Nikitas averaged 36.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game as Lawrence lost a pair of close conference games on the road. Nikitas shot 55 percent from the floor and 83.3 percent from the foul line and also averaged 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game.

In an 84-83 overtime loss at MWC unbeaten Carroll University on Jan. 12, Nikitas poured in a career-high 40 points as he hit 12-of-22 shots from the floor and went 14-of-16 from the foul line. He also grabbed eight rebounds, handed out two assists and picked up two steals.

It was the ninth 40-point game in Lawrence history and the first time a Vikings player scored at least 40 against a team other than Grinnell College since Pete Hachmeister did it against Silver Lake College in 1975.

Nikitas followed that with 33 points and nine rebounds in a 73-69 loss at Cornell College on Jan. 16. Nikitas, who added four assists and three steals against the Rams, hit 10-of-18 shots from the floor and went 11-for-14 from the line.

On the season, Nikitas ranks fourth in all of NCAA Division III in scoring at 27.7 points per game. He now ranks 10th in career scoring at Lawrence with 1,217 points. Nikitas is just 27 points away from passing his head coach, Lawrence Hall of Famer Joel DePagter, for ninth place. He is just 32 points away from moving all the way up to seventh place on the list.

Lawrence returns to action on Wednesday when it hosts Ripon College at 5:30 p.m. at Alexander Gymnasium.

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University men’s basketball team returns to Alexander Gymnasium for a pair of Midwest Conference games this week. The Vikings host rival Ripon College on Wednesday in a 5:30 p.m. game, and Lawrence then takes on Knox College at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Lawrence also welcomes its basketball alumni on Saturday, and more than two dozen former players will square off in the Alumni Game at 10:15 a.m.

Preview

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University men’s basketball star Jamie Nikitas has been chosen for the D3hoops.com Team of the Week.

Nikitas (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South), a senior guard, was given the national honor after a pair of huge games last week. Nikitas averaged 36.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game as Lawrence lost a pair of close conference games on the road. Nikitas shot 55 percent from the floor and 83.3 percent from the foul line and also averaged 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game.

In an 84-83 overtime loss at MWC unbeaten Carroll University on Jan. 12, Nikitas poured in a career-high 40 points as he hit 12-of-22 shots from the floor and went 14-of-16 from the foul line. He also grabbed eight rebounds, handed out two assists and picked up two steals.

It was the ninth 40-point game in Lawrence history and the first time a Vikings player scored at least 40 against a team other than Grinnell College since Pete Hachmeister did it against Silver Lake College in 1975.

Nikitas followed that with 33 points and nine rebounds in a 73-69 loss at Cornell College on Jan. 16. Nikitas, who added four assists and three steals against the Rams, hit 10-of-18 shots from the floor and went 11-for-14 from the line.

Nikitas is the first Lawrence player to earn the D3hoops.com Team of the Week honor since Keven Bradley did it in January 2006.

On the season, Nikitas ranks fourth in all of NCAA Division III in scoring at 27.7 points per game. He now ranks 10th in career scoring at Lawrence with 1,217 points. Nikitas is just 27 points away from passing his head coach, Lawrence Hall of Famer Joel DePagter, for ninth place. He is just 32 points away from moving all the way up to seventh place on the list.

Lawrence returns to action on Wednesday when it hosts Ripon College at Alexander Gymnasium.

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University men’s basketball star Jamie Nikitas had a pair of big games and was named the Midwest Conference Player of the Week.

Nikitas (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South), a senior guard, averaged 36.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game as Lawrence lost a pair of close conference games on the road. Nikitas shot 55 percent from the floor and 83.3 percent from the foul line and also averaged 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game.

In an 84-83 overtime loss at MWC unbeaten Carroll University on Jan. 12, Nikitas poured in a career-high 40 points as he hit 12-of-22 shots from the floor and went 14-of-16 from the foul line. He also grabbed eight rebounds, handed out two assists and picked up two steals.

It was the ninth 40-point game in Lawrence history and the first time a Vikings player scored at least 40 against a team other than Grinnell College since Pete Hachmeister did it against Silver Lake College in 1975.

Nikitas followed that with 33 points and nine rebounds in a 73-69 loss at Cornell College on Jan. 16. Nikitas, who added four assists and three steals against the Rams, hit 10-of-18 shots from the floor and went 11-for-14 from the line.

This is the second time this season and third time in his career that Nikitas has been named the MWC Player of the Week.

On the season, Nikitas ranks fourth in all of NCAA Division III in scoring at 27.7 points per game. He now ranks 10th in career scoring at Lawrence with 1,217 points. Nikitas is just 27 points away from passing his head coach, Lawrence Hall of Famer Joel DePagter, for ninth place. He is just 32 points away from moving all the way up to seventh place on the list.

The Vikings return to action on Wednesday when they host Ripon College.

MOUNT VERNON, Iowa — The Cornell College men’s basketball team scored 10 straight points late in the game Saturday to surge ahead and held on for a 73-69 Midwest Conference victory over Lawrence University at the Multi-Sport Center.

Lawrence star Jamie Nikitas poured in a game-high 33 points, his sixth 30-plus point game of the season, to lead the Vikings (5-9, 2-7 MWC). Nikitas also finished with nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. Jeremy Stephani added 11 points for the Vikings.

Craig Engle led Cornell (5-9, 3-6) with 20 points, and Grant Anderson and Corey Davis added 16 points apiece. Anderson also pulled down a game-high 18 rebounds.

Lawrence led by as many eight points early in the second half, and the Rams chipped away at the lead. Mitch Willer’s jumper gave Lawrence a 53-50 lead with 5:37 remaining, but Cornell went on a 10-0 run, capped by Davis’ layup with 3:07 left, to take a 60-53 advantage.

The Rams led by five when Stephani hit a 3-pointer to trim the margin to 66-64 with 32 seconds left. The Vikings fouled Davis, who made one free throw but missed the second with 24 seconds left. Lawrence grabbed the rebound, but Cody Carter intercepted the outlet pass for the Rams.

The Vikings were forced to foul, and Cornell hit six consecutive free throws in the final 17 seconds to seal the victory.

Lawrence started slowly and trailed 17-7 just eight minutes into the game. The Vikings were still down 26-18 when Ben Peterson started the rally with a 3-pointer.

The Vikings went on a 17-5 run over the final 5:26 of the first half, capped by a Nikitas 3-pointer at the buzzer, to give Lawrence a 35-31 lead at the break. Nikitas scored seven points in the run and Troy Miller added six on a pair of 3-pointers.

Box score

WAUKESHA, Wis. — The Carroll University men’s basketball team rallied from a five-point deficit in the final 20 seconds of regulation Tuesday and then defeated Lawrence University 84-83 in overtime in a Midwest Conference game at Van Male Field House.

Jamie Nikitas had a monster night for Lawrence as he posted the eighth-best game point total in school history. Nikitas scored a career-high 40 points as he hit 12-of-22 shots from the floor and went 14-for-16 from the foul line. Nikitas also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds to go along with two assists and two steals.

Connor Weas added a career-high 12 points for the Vikings (5-8, 2-6 MWC), and Ben Peterson and Mitch Willer had 10 points apiece before both players fouled out.

Kyle Keranen and Marcus Johnson scored 22 points apiece to pace Carroll (12-1, 8-0).

Weas and Nikitas both hit a pair of foul shots, sandwiched around a Keranen layup, to give Lawrence a 72-67 lead with 21 seconds left in regulation.

After Keranen’s layup was blocked out of bounds, Keranen hit a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to cut the lead to 72-70. Nikitas was then bumped out of bounds and the Pioneers got the ball back. Johnson got free inside and his layup tied the game at 72-72. Lawrence’s Jeremy Stephani missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have won it.

Carroll raced to a 78-72 lead in the first 1:20 of the overtime, but Lawrence stormed back. Nikitas scored the next seven points for the Vikings as Lawrence trimmed the margin to 80-79 with 1:47 left.

A three-point play by Carroll’s Tanner Zaeske pushed the lead to 83-79, and Nikitas countered with a driving layup to cut the margin to 83-81. After Keranen made one free throw, Nikitas was fouled and hit two foul shots to trim the lead to 84-83.

Carroll’s Troy Howat was fouled and missed both free throws, but a desperation 3-pointer missed at the buzzer to give Carroll the victory.

Carroll led by as many as seven points in the first half, but Lawrence went on a 10-0 run, capped by Stephani’s 3-pointer, over the final 4:07 of the first half to lead 37-30 at the break.

Lawrence pushed the lead to 12 to start the second half as Stephani hit another 3-pointer and Nikitas followed with a layup to make it 42-30. Carroll came back to tie the game at 45-45, but the Pioneers didn’t take the lead until the overtime.

Box score