Women’s Basketball

Category: Women’s Basketball

The Week Ahead: December 26-January 1

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University basketball teams are both in action before we ring in the new year. The Lawrence women travel to Winona, Minn., for a nonconference game at St. Mary’s University, and the Lawrence men face a pair of Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foes. The Vikings take on No. 16 UW-Whitewater and UW-Stout on a neutral court in Wisconsin Dells.

LU Sports-VikingBasketball-PMS294WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (2-6)

Opponent: Lawrence at St. Mary’s University (7-3)

When and Where: Thursday, Dec. 29, 5 p.m., St. Mary’s Gymnasium, Winona, Minn.

Webcast/Live Stats: Lawrence at St. Mary’s

The Series: This is the second meeting between the team and St. Mary’s posted a 73-49 victory in the first game, which took place at Alexander Gymnasium during the 2015-16 season.

Fast Fact: Lawrence played some pretty solid basketball in its two games in Florida, with the exception of a stretch of less than four minutes in both games. The Vikings gave up big scoring runs in the second quarter of each game, but the games were virtually even for the other 36 minutes. Sophomore Leah Reeves and senior Aubrey Scott both posted career scoring highs in Florida. Reeves went off for 24 points against Widener, and Scott poured in 17 against Randolph.

LU Sports-VikingBasketball-PMS294MEN’S BASKETBALL (2-4)

Opponent: Lawrence vs. No. 16 UW-Whitewater (9-0)

When and Where: Thursday, Dec. 29, 7 p.m., Just A Game Field House, Wisconsin Dells, Wis.

Webcast: Lawrence vs. UW-Whitewater

The Series: In a series that dates all the way back to 1915, Lawrence holds a 2-1 advantage. The teams played twice back in 1915, including a 51-1 Lawrence victory, but have met just once in the modern era. Whitewater topped the Vikings 73-56 during the 2013-14 season.

Opponent: Lawrence vs. UW-Stout (6-2)

When and Where: Friday, Dec. 30, 5 p.m., Just A Game Field House, Wisconsin Dells, Wis.

Webcast: Lawrence vs. UW-Stout

The Series: Lawrence won the only meeting between the teams and that was a 42-39 victory way back in 1938.

Fast Fact: Mother Nature gave the Vikings an 18-day break between games when their Dec. 17 game at MSOE was postponed due to a snowstorm. No make-up has yet been set. Senior forward Mitch Willer has saved his best season for last. Willer, coming off career highs of 30 points and 15 rebounds vs. Grinnell, ranks 11th in the Midwest Conference in scoring at 15.8 points per game. He is second in shooting at 67.7 percent, third in rebounding at 8.2 per game and first in blocks at 2.2 per contest.

Second quarter pivotal as Vikings fall to Randolph

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A big second-quarter run put the Randolph College women’s basketball team in control Sunday, and the Wildcats went on to a 72-52 nonconference win over Lawrence University at the St. Pete Classic.

Trailing after one quarter, Randolph went on a 19-0 run to open the second period to take a 29-11 lead.

Three players posted double-doubles for Randolph (6-4), led by Korin Harris’ 19 points and 12 rebounds. Alexis Calloway added 12 points and a game-high 17 rebounds. The Wildcats out-rebounded Lawrence 70-33.

Aubrey Scott scored 17 points to pace Lawrence (2-6) and went 3-for-7 from 3-point range. Grace Minogue, Leah Reeves and Olivia Hoesley added seven points apiece, and Shonell Benjamin had a team-best eight rebounds.

Natalie Kramer’s free throw gave Lawrence an 11-10 lead after the first quarter, but Randolph hit seven of its first 12 shots from the floor and went 5-for-5 from the foul line to take command.

Lawrence stopped the run with a 3-pointer from Minogue but couldn’t get any closer than 15 points in the second quarter and trailed 39-21 at the half.

Randolph had trouble pulling away in the second half, and the Vikings made a late run. Lawrence was down 63-41 when the Vikings went on an 11-2 outburst. Scott hit a pair of 3-pointer and Hoesley added another to trim the margin to 65-52 with 2:53 left, but that’s as close as the Vikings would get.

Box score

Big second quarter propels Widener over Lawrence

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A big second quarter was the difference Saturday for the Widener College women’s basketball team as the Pride defeated Lawrence University 71-52 at the St. Pete Classic.

Widener (4-6) outscored the Vikings (2-5) by 14 points in the second quarter to build a 40-26 lead at the half in the game at Eckerd College. Lawrence cut the margin to 10 points in the third quarter but couldn’t get any closer.

Leah Reeves scored a career-high 24 points and shot 10-for-18 from the floor to lead the Vikings. Reeves’ previous best was nine points earlier this season in a win over Marian. Olivia Hoesley added 16 points and seven rebounds for Lawrence.

Rookie guard Shonell Benjamin pulled down a season-high 14 rebounds, and Natalie Kramer handed out six assists to go with seven points for the Vikings.

Devan Rimmer had a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds to pace Widener.

The teams were tied at 15-15 after the first quarter, and a Hoesley layup and Kramer free throw trimmed Widener’s lead to 25-24 with 3:46 left in the second quarter. The Pride then went on a 15-2 run as Allison Gallagher scored five points to spark Widener to the 40-26 lead at the half.

Lawrence cut the lead to 44-34 on Kramer’s 3-pointer in the third quarter, but Widener responded. The Pride scored 10 of the game’s next 11 points to grab a 54-35 advantage. Lawrence didn’t get closer than 14 points the rest of the way.

The Vikings return to action on Sunday then Lawrence takes on Randolph College.

Box score

Benjamin’s double-double not enough in loss to Pioneers

APPLETON, Wis. — Kayla Morrissey’s double-double led the Grinnell College women’s basketball team to a 65-44 Midwest Conference victory over Lawrence University on Saturday at Alexander Gymnasium.

Lawrence freshman Shonell Benjamin posted her first career double-double with season highs of 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Vikings (2-4, 0-4 MWC).

The Pioneers got the advantage in the second quarter and then stretched the lead in the third period. Lawrence wasn’t able to mount a comeback in the second half.

The Vikings hung with Grinnell (5-3, 3-1) early as Lawrence finished the first quarter on an 8-2 run that tied the game at 10-10 after one. After Benjamin’s three-point play to start the second, Lawrence grabbed a 13-12 advantage.

Grinnell took control in the final five minutes of the second quarter as 3-pointers from Ariel Keller, Sophia Gatton and Daria Guzzo staked the Pioneers to a 30-21 lead at the half.

Grinnell steadily increased the advantage in the third quarter and led by as many as 19 points before settling for a 50-32 lead after three. The Pioneers would lead by as many as 24 points in the final quarter.

Foul trouble plagued Lawrence lone player with size, Leah Reeves. She managed eight points on 4-of-5 shooting to go with four rebounds in just 14 minutes before fouling out. The Vikings also were ice cold from beyond the arc, hitting just 1-of-16 from long range.

Box score

Big second half leads Green Knights to victory over Vikings

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The St. Norbert College women’s basketball team held Lawrence University to just 12 second-half points Wednesday en route to a 71-32 Midwest Conference victory at the Kress Events Center.

St. Norbert (3-3, 2-1 MWC) had built a solid 33-20 lead at the half before turning up the defensive pressure in the second half. Lawrence (2-3, 0-3) was limited to just six points apiece in both the third and fourth quarters.

Brianna Byrne led St. Norbert with 12 points, and Regan Carmichael added 11 for the Green Knights.

Olivia Hoesley paced Lawrence with eight points, and Leah Reeves added six points and a team-high six rebounds.

Lawrence hung with St. Norbert in the early going and Nicole Cummins’ jumper tied the game at 8-8 with less than four minutes left in the opening quarter. The Green Knights then went on a 9-2 spurt to finish the period and led 17-10 after one.

St. Norbert quickly pushed the lead to double digits early in the second quarter, and the Green Knights led by as many as 14 in the second quarter before taking the 13-point lead at the half.

St. Norbert opened the second half on a 9-0 run to take a 42-20 lead and steadily increased its advantage from there.

Box score

Women’s basketball preview: Lawrence at St. Norbert, vs. Grinnell

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University women’s basketball team takes on a pair of Midwest Conference opponents this week. The Vikings travel to St. Norbert College for a game against the Green Knights at the Kress Events Center on the UW-Green Bay campus on Wednesday. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. Lawrence then hosts Grinnell College at 1 p.m. Saturday at Alexander Gymnasium.

Preview

Slow start, icy shooting doom Vikings at Knox

GALESBURG, Ill. — A slow start combined with frigid shooting Saturday doomed the Lawrence University women’s basketball team in a 72-35 Midwest Conference loss to Knox College.

Knox jumped out to a 12-point lead after the first quarter, and Lawrence (2-2, 0-2 MWC) shot just 21.7 percent from the floor for the game. The Vikings hit just 3-of-20 shots (15 percent) from beyond the arc.

Kyra Huffman led Knox (2-3, 1-1) with 18 points and she grabbed nine rebounds. Karlie Thorn added 11 points for the Prairie Fire, and Hailey Leinart had 10.

Natalie Kramer paced Lawrence with 10 points. Grace Minogue added nine points, and Leah Reeves had eight points to go with a team-best nine rebounds.

Lawrence actually led 5-4 after Minogue’s 3-pointer with 7:33 left in the first quarter, but that’s when Knox took over. The Prairie Fire went on a 15-2 run to end the period and led 19-7 after one.

Knox expanded its lead to 43-23 at the half but couldn’t pull away in the third quarter. The Vikings went ice cold in the fourth quarter, hitting just 1-of-14 shots from the floor while being held to three points as Knox stretched the advantage.

Box score

Lady Blues pull away early to topple Lawrence

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — The Illinois College women’s basketball team rolled to a huge lead after the first quarter Friday and rolled to a 96-42 Midwest Conference victory over Lawrence University at Sherman Gymnasium.

The Lady Blues (3-2, 2-0 MWC) led 32-7 after one quarter and never looked back. Illinois College was up 51-20 at the half.

Brielle Greenleaf led Illinois College and all scorers with 20 points, and Carly Cameron added 19.

Natalie Kramer paced Lawrence (2-1, 0-1) with eight points, and Olivia Hoesley and Leah Reeves added seven points apiece.

Box score

Women’s basketball preview: Lawrence at Illinois College, Knox

APPLETON, Wis. — The unbeaten Lawrence University women’s basketball team opens Midwest Conference play this weekend as the Vikings travel to Illinois for a pair of games. Lawrence heads to Jacksonville, Ill., for a Friday night game at Illinois College, and the Vikings then trek to Galesburg, Ill., for a Saturday afternoon tilt at Knox College.

Preview