Women’s Basketball

Category: Women’s Basketball

Rams pull away in third quarter, post win over Lawrence

MOUNT VERNON, Iowa — The Cornell College women’s basketball team went on a big scoring run in the final six minutes of the third quarter Tuesday and posted a 72-49 Midwest Conference victory over Lawrence University at the Multi-Sport Center.

The first-place Rams outscored the Vikings 24-2 to finish the third quarter to break open a close game.

Sierra Bisso led Cornell (14-4, 12-1 MWC) and all scorers with 15 points, and Anne Visser added 12.

Olivia Hoesley paced the Vikings (2-16, 0-13) with 12 points, and Lauren Deveikis and Nicole Cummins added 11 points apiece.

Shonell Benjamin grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for Lawrence to go with nine points, four assists and three steals.

Cornell had stretched its lead to 34-15 late in the second quarter before jumpers by Hoesley and Benjamin trimmed the margin to 34-19 at the half.

The Vikings then opened the second half on an 8-2 run, highlighted by Hoesley’s 3-pointer and capped by a Natalie Kramer free throw, to cut the lead to 36-27 with 6:08 left in the third quarter.

Lawrence then missed seven of its next eights shots from the floor and committed seven turnovers to finish the quarter. Cornell took control as Bisso scored five points and Diamond Boyd added four as the Rams built a 60-29 edge after three quarters.

The Vikings closed the margin to 21 points in the fourth quarter but could pull no closer.

Box score

The Week Ahead: January 30-February 5

APPLETON, Wis. — It’s getting to be crunch time for the winter sports team as Lawrence University men’s and women’s basketball and hockey are closing in on the end of the regular season. Both the men’s basketball squad and the hockey team are fighting for postseason berths in their respective conferences.

The first of the spring sports also gets its season going as men’s tennis opens with a match at MSOE on Sunday.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (2-15, 0-12 MWC)

Opponent: Lawrence at Cornell (13-4, 11-1 MWC)

When and Where: Tuesday, Jan. 31, 5:30 p.m., Small Multi-Sport Center, Mount Vernon, Iowa.

Webcast: Lawrence at Cornell

The Series: Cornell has a slim 8-7 advantage over the Vikings in a series that was first played in the 1988-89 season. The Rams have a seven-game win streak in the rivalry.

Opponent: Lawrence vs. Beloit (4-13, 2-10 MWC)

When and Where: Saturday, Feb. 4, 1 p.m., Alexander Gymnasium.

Webcast: Lawrence vs. Beloit

The Series: In a series that started in the 1977-78 season, Beloit holds a 37-28 advantage. The Bucs have won the last 17 meetings.

Fast Fact: Junior guard Olivia Hoesley scored a career-high 20 points vs. Grinnell this past Saturday. She topped her previous high of 19, set in Lawrence’s victory over Marian early in the season.

MEN’S BASKETBALL (7-9, 7-5 MWC)

Opponent: Lawrence at Cornell (6-11, 4-8 MWC)

When and Where: Tuesday, Jan. 31, 7:30 p.m., Small Multi-Sport Center, Mount Vernon, Iowa.

Webcast: Lawrence at Cornell

The Series: Cornell holds a 61-30 edge over the Vikings in a series that began in 1924. Lawrence is 4-3 against the Rams since Cornell rejoined the Midwest Conference in 2012.

Opponent: Lawrence vs. Beloit (5-12, 3-9 MWC)

When and Where: Saturday, Feb. 4, 3 p.m., Alexander Gymnasium.

Webcast: Lawrence vs. Beloit

The Series: In a series that goes all the way back to 1911, Beloit holds a 101-75 advantage. The Vikings have dominated the series over the past 15 seasons. Lawrence has won 24 of the last 28 meetings with the Bucs.

Fast Fact: Lawrence slipped to fifth place in the Midwest Conference standings with two losses last week. The Vikings are a game out of being tied for third place with Grinnell and Lake Forest. Grinnell holds the tiebreaker with the Vikings, and Lawrence has one game left with Lake Forest.

HOCKEY (5-12-2, 4-8-2 NCHA)

Opponent: Lawrence vs. MSOE (8-7-4, 5-6-3 NCHA)

When and Where: Thursday, Feb. 1, 7 p.m., at the Appleton Family Ice Center, and Friday, Feb. 2, 7 p.m. at the Kern Center, Milwaukee, Wis.

Webcast: Thursday: Lawrence vs. MSOE Friday: Lawrence at MSOE

The Series: In a series that started in the 1992-93 season, MSOE holds a 49-21-3 advantage. The Vikings are 2-0-1 in the last three meetings with MSOE.

Fast Fact: Lawrence rookie goaltender Evan Cline has a shot at a pair of school season records. Cline has a .934 save percentage and 2.35 goals against average with six games left in the regular season. The record for save percentage is .924 by Peter Emery in 2011-12, and the GAA mark of 2.11 was set by Evan Johnson in 2008-09.

FENCING

Event: Northwestern Duals (at Notre Dame)

When and Where: Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 4-5, all day, Castellan Family Fencing Center, Notre Dame, Ind.

Webcast: None.

Fast Fact: The Lawrence women went 3-2 at the DiCicco Duals last weekend, and the men posted a 2-2 mark. Allison Kim and Natalie Hagopian both went 11-4 to pace the women, and Jakub Nowak posted an 8-4 mark to lead the men.

MEN’S TENNIS

Opponent: Lawrence at MSOE

When and Where: Sunday, Feb. 5, noon, Elite Sports Club River Glen, Milwaukee, Wis.

Webcast: None.

Fast Fact: The Vikings open the season with at least four new faces in the starting lineup as Brian DeCorte, Adam Busch, Ethan Perushek and Mitch Kasprzyk were all lost to graduation. Lawrence was picked to finish fifth in the Midwest Conference in the preseason coaches poll.

Slow start dooms Vikings in loss at Grinnell

GRINNELL, Iowa — The Lawrence University women’s basketball team got off to a frigid start on Saturday, and that allowed Grinnell College to pull away to a 74-51 Midwest Conference victory at Darby Gymnasium.

Lawrence went 1-for-18 from the floor in the opening quarter as the Pioneers build a 16-3 lead after the first 10 minutes. The Vikings warmed up a bit in the second period, but Grinnell (9-8, 7-5 MWC) stretched the lead to 39-17 at the half.

The Vikings shot just 14.3 percent from the floor in the first half.

Olivia Hoesley just missed a double-double for the Vikings (2-15, 0-12) as she scored a career-high 20 points to go with nine rebounds. Aubrey Scott added 16 points and eight rebounds for Lawrence, and Natalie Kramer chipped in 12 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Kayla Morrissey went 7-for-11 from the floor on her way to 17 points for Grinnell.

The Vikings trailed by as many as 32 points early in the third quarter as Grinnell opened the second half on a 10-0 run. Lawrence managed to trim the lead to 20 with seven minutes remaining in the game but could pull no closer.

Box score

Big second quarter powers Green Knights past Lawrence

APPLETON, Wis. — The St. Norbert College women’s basketball team broke open a close game with a big second quarter Wednesday and posted a 70-37 Midwest Conference victory over Lawrence University at Alexander Gymnasium.

The Green Knights (12-4, 9-2 MWC) outscored the Vikings 26-8 in the second quarter en route to building a 43-19 lead at the half.

Sarah Ratajczyk scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead St. Norbert. Regan Carmichael added 10 points for the Green Knights.

Natalie Kramer scored 13 points to pace Lawrence (2-14, 0-11), and Aubrey Scott and Olivia Hoesley added six points and five rebounds apiece. The Vikings were without leading scorer Leah Reeves due to injury.

The Vikings hung in against the Green Knights in the opening quarter, and Shonell Benjamin’s jumper cut St. Norbert’s lead to 15-11 with 57 ticks left in the first. The Green Knights got a layup from Sarah Neumann to push the lead to 17-11 after one.

The Green Knights opened the second quarter on an 18-2 run, capped by Carmichael’s 3-pointer, to lead 35-13 with 3:23 left in the second. Kramer countered with a pair of 3-pointers for Lawrence to close to 37-19, but St. Norbert scored the final six points of the quarter.

Lawrence opened the second half by scoring the first four points to cut the margin to 43-23, but St. Norbert steadily pulled away after that. The Green Knights led 56-27 after three quarters and led by as many as 39 in the final quarter.

Box score

The Week Ahead: January 23-29

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University men’s basketball team faces a difficult week with tough home and road games. Lawrence takes on No. 7 St. Norbert College in a home game on Wednesday, and the Vikings travel to Grinnell College for a stiff road test on Saturday.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (2-13, 0-10 MWC)

Opponent: Lawrence vs. St. Norbert (11-4, 8-2 MWC)

When and Where: Wednesday, Jan. 25, 5:30 p.m., Alexander Gymnasium.

Webcast: Lawrence vs. St. Norbert

The Series: St. Norbert holds a 71-13 advantage in a series that dates to 1975-76, the first season of Lawrence basketball.

Opponent: Lawrence at Grinnell (8-7, 6-4 MWC)

When and Where: Saturday, Jan. 28, 1 p.m., Darby Gymnasium, Grinnell, Iowa.

Webcast: Lawrence at Grinnell

The Series: In a series that started in the 1989-90 season, Grinnell holds a 19-17 lead over the Vikings.

Fast Fact: Rookie Shonell Benjamin picked up her sixth double-digit rebound game of the season when she grabbed 11 boards at Beloit this past Saturday. Benjamin leads the team and ranks third in the league in rebounding at 7.5 per game.

MEN’S BASKETBALL (7-7, 7-3 MWC)

Opponent: Lawrence vs. No. 7 St. Norbert (12-3, 9-1 MWC)

When and Where: Wednesday, Jan. 25, 7:30 p.m., Alexander Gymnasium.

Webcast: Lawrence vs. St. Norbert

The Series: St. Norbert holds a 58-46 lead in a series that started in 1918. The Green Knights have won the last 15 meetings.

Opponent: Lawrence at Grinnell (9-6, 6-4 MWC)

When and Where: Saturday, Jan. 28, 3 p.m., Darby Gymnasium, Grinnell, Iowa.

Webcast: Lawrence at Grinnell

The Series: In a series that started in 1940, Grinnell holds a 53-50 advantage over the Vikings. Lawrence holds an 18-16 edge in games vs. Grinnell’s “system.”

Fast Fact: Lawrence is in what is shaping up to be a dogfight for a berth in the four-team Midwest Conference Tournament. The Vikings are tied for third place with Lake Forest with a 7-3 league record. The Vikings have a tough schedule from this point as they face Ripon twice, St. Norbert once and have to travel to both Grinnell and Lake Forest.

HOCKEY (5-10-2, 4-6-2 NCHA)

Opponent: Lawrence vs. No. 7 Adrian (12-5-2, 11-3-0 NCHA)

When and Where: Friday, Jan. 27, 7 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 28, 4 p.m., Appleton Family Ice Center.

Webcast: Lawrence vs. Adrian

The Series: Adrian has an 18-0-3 lead in a series that started in the 2007-08 season. The Bulldogs currently have a five-game winning streak in the series.

Fast Fact: Lawrence sophomore goaltender Greg Procopio was outstanding in his return to the net this past weekend. Procopio, who hadn’t played since being injured on Nov. 4, stopped 32 of 34 shots on Saturday, but it wasn’t enough as the Vikings lost 2-1 to the Saints.

SWIMMING

Event: Wisconsin Private College Championships

When and Where: Saturday, Jan. 28, noon, Koenitzer Aquatic Center, Carthage College, Kenosha, Wis.

Webcast: None.

Fast Fact: The Wisconsin Private College Championships is the last tuneup for the Vikings before Lawrence heads to the Midwest Conference Championships in mid-February. After Saturday, Lawrence does not compete again until the MWC meet at Grinnell on Feb. 17-19.

FENCING

Event: DiCicco Duals at Notre Dame

When and Where: Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 28-29, all day, Castellan Family Fencing Center, Notre Dame, Ind.

Webcast: None.

Fast Fact: The Vikings are returning to action for the first time since competing in the Badger Open on Nov. 5.

Beloit pulls away from Vikings

BELOIT, Wis. — The Beloit College women’s basketball team steadily pulled away and scored a 73-39 Midwest Conference victory over Lawrence University on Saturday at Flood Arena.

Shelby Kline scored 19 points to lead three Beloit player in double figures.

Freshman Shonell Benjamin led Lawrence with eight points and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds.

The game was tied 7-7 early when the Bucs (3-12, 1-9) started to run away. Beloit went on an 18-2 run, capped by a pair of Tegan Rock free throws, to lead 25-9. Lawrence got baskets from Lauren Deveikis and Benjamin and a pair of free throws from Natalie Kramer to trim the lead to 28-15 at the half.

Beloit scored the first seven points of the second half to push the lead to 35-15. Lawrence chipped away at the lead and scored five consecutive points to cut the margin to 43-30 with 2:15 left in the third quarter.

The Bucs countered with an 8-1 run to build a 51-31 advantage. Lawrence didn’t get closer than 18 points after that.

The Vikings’ leading scorer, Leah Reeves, was limited to 12 minutes due to injury.

Box score

Big second quarter pushes Lake Forest past Vikings

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University women’s basketball team got off to a strong start Wednesday, but Lake Forest College put together a big second quarter and went on to a 61-39 Midwest Conference win at Alexander Gymnasium.

Lawrence led 17-15 after one quarter, but the Foresters scored the first 13 points of the second quarter and pulled away in the second half.

Leah Reeves scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds to pace Lawrence (2-12, 0-9 MWC). Lauren Deveikis added 11 points for the Vikings, and Aubrey Scott had a game-high four assists.

Bridget Bilek led Lake Forest (4-10, 3-6) with 17 points. Kelsey Schmitt added 12 points off the bench, and Brie Majkowski had 12 rebounds to go with eight points.

Lawrence trailed by six early, but the Vikings scored seven consecutive points, including three by Reeves, to grab a 9-8 lead. The game was tied four times after that in the quarter, and Shonell Benjamin’s layup with 15 seconds left gave the Vikings a 17-15 lead after one. It marked just the second time this season Lawrence had led after one quarter.

Seven different players scored for Lake Forest as the Foresters went on a 13-0 run to open the second quarter. Reeves’ layup finally stopped the run, but Lake Forest led 28-19 with 3:02 left in the half. The Foresters pushed the lead back to 12, but Reeves got a layup at the buzzer to trim the margin to 31-21 at the half.

The Vikings jumped on Lake Forest to start the third quarter. Deveikis hit a jumper and Reeves added two more jumpers as part of a 7-0 run that cut the lead to 31-28.

After Deveikis’ 3-pointer cut the lead to 35-31 after in the quarter, the Foresters scored the final 11 points of the third to pull away. Schmitt scored five and Bilek added four during the run to give Lake Forest a 46-31 lead after three quarters.

Lake Forest steadily pulled away from there and led by as many as 24 points in the fourth.

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