The Lawrence University women’s basketball team returns to Midwest Conference play with a pair of games this week. Lawrence hosts Lake Forest College on Wednesday at 5 p.m., and the Vikings then travel to Grinnell College for a 1 p.m. game on Saturday.
Ice-cold shooting dooms Vikings in loss to Finlandia
APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University women’s basketball team endured a night of ice-cold shooting and dropped a 58-52 nonconference decision to Finlandia University on Thursday at Alexander Gymnasium.
The Vikings shot only 32.4 percent (22-68) from the floor, including 26.3 percent (5-19) from 3-point range. Lawrence (1-10) also hit only 3 of 10 shots from the foul line.
Marissa Burke led Finlandia (4-12) with a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds. Burke was only 5-for-14 from the floor, but she went 4-for-7 from 3-point range. Hailey Gervais added 15 points, and Emma Cole picked up 10 rebounds for the Lions.
Amber Lisowe paced Lawrence with 17 points, and freshman forward Katie Schumacher added 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds to go along with three steals and a block.
Finlandia took control of the game midway through the first half when the Lions went on a 14-2 run to grab a 24-13 lead with 6:47 left before the break.
The Lions led 32-21 at the half and built that lead to as many as 19 points before the Vikings rallied late. Finlandia got its final field goal of the game on Gervais’ layup with 6:25 remaining and led 53-34.
Lawrence scored the next eight points as Alex Deshler, Kassidy Rinehart and Patsy Kealey all hit jumpers and Katie Schumacher added a layup to cut the lead to 53-42 with 3:47 left.
After a pair of Brierra Ruska free throws for the Lions, Lisowe hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 55-45 with 2:04 remaining. Finlandia turned it over on its next three possessions, but Lawrence couldn’t take advantage by missing a pair of 3-pointers.
After Paige Yoho hit two more free throws to push the lead to 57-45 with 1:03 left, Cathy Kaye hit a jumper for the Vikings and Lisowe followed with a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 57-50 with 41 seconds left. After a Yoho free throw, Rinehart scored on a layup for the final margin.
Lawrence returns to action next Wednesday when it hosts Lake Forest College in a Midwest Conference game.
Lawrence vs. Finlandia preview
The Lawrence University women’s basketball team returns to action on Thursday when it faces Finlandia University in a nonconference game. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. at Alexander Gymnasium.
Big third period allows second-ranked Lakers to pull away from Lawrence
OSWEGO, N.Y. — The No. 2-ranked Oswego State University hockey team scored four times in the third period and posted a 7-2 nonconference win over Lawrence University on Monday in the championship game of the Pathfinder Bank Classic.
The host Lakers (11-2-0) were clinging to a one-goal lead entering the final period, but Oswego scored a pair of goals early in the third to pull away.
Senior forward Brad Scurfield and freshman goaltender Fabian Sivnert were both named to the all-tournament team for Lawrence (5-8-0).
Oswego State grabbed a 3-0 lead after the first period with the Lakers scoring twice on the power play in the opening 20 minutes. Lawrence battled back in the second period with a pair of goals.
Phil Bushbacher scored off a pass from Gustav Lindgren at the 7:36 mark of the second to trim the margin to 3-1. The Vikings cut the lead to 3-2 when William Thoren scored on the power play off an assist from Scurfield with 1:04 left in the second.
The Lakers then got a pair of power-play goals in the first 4:36 of the third period to pull out to a 5-2 advantage. Oswego, which went 4-for-9 on the power play, added a pair of goals in the final 5:41 to seal the win.
Sivnert made 35 saves and took the loss for the Vikings. Andrew Hare made 19 saves to pick up the win for Oswego.
Moore’s late goal lifts Lawrence past Castleton State
OSWEGO, N.Y. — Matt Moore scored with less than three minutes left to give the Lawrence University hockey team a 2-1 nonconference victory over Castleton State College on Sunday at the Pathfinder Bank Oswego State Classic.
Lawrence (5-7-0) advances to the championship game against No. 2 Oswego State on Monday at 4 p.m. Eastern time. Oswego defeated Plymouth State University 6-2 on Sunday in the other tournament game.
Moore broke a 1-1 tie with his third goal of the season with 2:56 left in regulation. Brandon Boelter and Huck Saunders picked up assists on the goal.
Castleton State (6-5-1), members of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference from Castleton, Vt., was whistled for a roughing penalty just 35 seconds later. That didn’t stop the Spartans from pulling goaltender Erick Cinotti for the final 37 seconds of the game.
Castleton State couldn’t get the equalizer against Lawrence freshman goaltender Fabian Sivnert, who stopped 29 shots in his Lawrence debut. Cinotti made 20 saves and took the loss.
Lawrence got on the board just 7:12 into the first period when Gustav Lindgren scored an unassisted goal. The score stayed that way until Josh Harris scored 2:13 into the third period to tie the game at 1-1.
Lawrence at Oswego Classic preview
The Lawrence University hockey team travels to the shores of Lake Ontario in upstate New York for the Oswego State Classic on Dec. 30-31. The Vikings face Castleton State at 4 p.m. Eastern time on Dec. 30. No. 2 Oswego takes on Plymouth State in the other Dec. 30 game. Lawrence will play either Plymouth State at 1 p.m. or Oswego State at 4 p.m. on Dec. 31.
Lawrence football star Mazur to play in All-American Bowl
A Viking is headed to play at the home of the Vikings.
Lawrence University football star Tyler Mazur is playing in the All-American Bowl on Saturday at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn. The All-American Bowl is an all-star game for NCAA Division III senior football players.
“I’m super-excited,” Mazur said Thursday from his hotel in Minneapolis. “It’s really a once-in-a-lifetime thing. It’s not every day or every year you get to partake in something of this caliber.”
The All-American Bowl has been played at the Metrodome, home of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings, every year since 1996. Mazur is the first Lawrence football player to take part in a NCAA Division III all-star game.
“I played at Camp Randall (home of Wisconsin Badgers) one time but nothing as big as this,” Mazur said.
The wide receiver from Reedsburg was chosen to play in the game after completing a stellar senior season for Lawrence. An all-Midwest Conference selection in 2011 and 2012, Mazur also earned D3football.com all-West Region honors this season as well.
Mazur caught 53 passes for 1,139 yards and 13 touchdowns this season. Mazur led the Midwest Conference at 113.9 receiving yards per game. He finished sixth at 5.3 catches per contest and averaged a league-best 21.5 yards per catch. Mazur was fourth in the conference in scoring at 8.0 points per game and was the top receiver in that category.
Mazur, who had two 200-yard receiving games this season, became the first Lawrence player to post 1,000 receiving yards in a season since Appleton native Zach Michael did it back in 2003. Mazur finished his career with 2,253 receiving yards despite being a wide receiver for only two seasons.
Mazur finished his career ranked fourth in receiving yards, fifth in catches (130), fifth in touchdown catches (25), fourth in total touchdowns (37) and fifth in points (224).
“I just want to have fun. My goal right now is to just get a catch. I don’t know the level of competition that I’m going up against, but I imagine these guys are pretty good,” Mazur said. “If I get a catch, everything from there will be a nice addition.”
Scouts from NFL teams will be on hand to see if they can find a diamond in the rough from the Division III ranks. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Mazur admits he has thought about playing beyond college.
“I can’t lie that it’s popped into my thoughts a little bit,” Mazur said. “I’m not going to let that alter how I play. I’m going to have fun. I think about (playing professional football), and it’s crazy to even imagine. That’s the goal when you’re a little kid running around the backyard. To consider that you’re being watched in that regard is crazy. It’s kind of neat.”
The timing of the game also worked out perfectly in terms of Mazur’s basketball career. Mazur joined the Lawrence basketball team last season and has become a key player and three-point shooting star for the Vikings.
Mazur, who is averaging 6.7 points per game, played with the Vikings on Tuesday and Wednesday in a tournament in Wisconsin Dells, but Lawrence doesn’t play again until Jan. 9.
“The 10-day break coming up will be much needed and utilized,” Mazur said.
Vikings fall to Ashford in title game of Winter Classic
WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. — The Lawrence University men’s basketball team fell to Ashford University 68-52 in the championship game of the Just A Game Winter Classic on Wednesday.
DeAndre Lowery scored a game-high 24 points to pace Ashford (11-4), and Brandon Weston added 14 points.
Davis DeWolfe scored 17 points and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds to lead Lawrence (5-6). Chris Siebert added 15 points and a game-high four assists for the Vikings.
Ashford, an NAIA Division II school located in Clinton, Iowa, used a 21-2 run midway through the second half to pull away in what had been a tight ballgame.
Lawrence led by as many as five points in the first half, but the Saints rallied to take a 31-30 lead at the half. The game see-sawed early in the second half as well and was tied for the 10th time at 41-41 on Tom Antosz’s layup with 13:26 remaining.
Vesteinn Sveinsson then hit a 3-pointer to start the decisive run for Ashford. The Saints scored 21 points over the next 4:59 to grab a 62-43 lead with 7:52 left. Lowery did much of the damage by scoring eight points in that stretch.
Lawrence committed six turnovers and went 1-for-4 from the floor and 0-for-2 from the foul line during the same stretch.
The Vikings never got closer than 16 points the rest of the way.
Lawrence does not return to action until Jan. 9 when the Vikings host Lake Forest College in a Midwest Conference game.
Vikings deal Lakeland first loss of season at Winter Classic
WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. — The Lawrence University men’s basketball team built a double-digit lead and then held off a Lakeland College comeback to beat the Muskies 80-73 in a nonconference game in Just A Game Winter Classic on Tuesday.
Lawrence (5-5) advances to face Ashford University in Wednesday’s championship game at 7:30 p.m. Lakeland (7-1), which saw its school-record tying seven-game win streak snapped, takes on Viterbo University in the consolation game. Ashford defeated Lakeland 55-52 in the other game on Tuesday.
Chris Siebert led Lawrence with 23 points and turned in the play of the game to help the Vikings pull away. Conor Klusendorf added a season-high 20 points for the Vikings. Davis DeWolfe added 15 points and Ryan DePouw had 12 for Lawrence.
Jake Schwarz paced Lakeland with 25 points and nine rebounds, and Justin Ward had a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds.
Lawrence built several double-digit leads but the Muskies rallied. The Vikings went on a 9-0 run, punctuated by DePouw’s steal and layup, to build a 34-22 lead with 3:17 left in the opening half. Lawrence would go on to lead 36-26 at the half.
Lakeland trimmed the lead to three in the opening minutes of the second half, but Lawrence again pulled away. The Vikings went on a 12-2 run, with Siebert scoring five points and DePouw finishing the outburst with a three-point play, to give Lawrence a 57-41 lead with 12:37 left.
The Vikings led 69-56 when Lakeland rattled off 10 consecutive points to cut the margin to 69-66.
On the ensuing possession, Lawrence was inbounding the ball from under its own basket with just three seconds left on the shot clock when a Lakeland defender turned his back on Siebert. Siebert, who was inbounding the ball, bounced the inbounds pass off the Lakeland player’s back, caught it and layed the ball in. He was fouled on the play and converted the free throw for a 72-66 Lawrence lead with 1:57 left.
Lakeland was forced to foul, and Lawrence went 8-for-12 from the foul line in the final 1:32 to seal the victory. The Vikings were 21-for-30 from the line for the game, while Lakeland was 8-for-11.
Lawrence falls to Red Devils
EUREKA, Ill. — The Eureka College women’s basketball team pulled away early in the second half and held on for a 61-52 nonconference victory over Lawrence University on Monday at the Reagan Center.
Jaylynn Stewart paced Eureka (5-2) with a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds. Kelsey Shoemake also had a double-double for the Red Devils with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Alex Deshler had a double-double for Lawrence (1-9) with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Amber Lisowe had a team-high 20 points for the Vikings.
The Red Devils led by as many as 12 points in the first half, but Lawrence trimmed that margin to 34-28 at the half. Eureka opened the second half on a 7-0 run to build a 41-28 advantage. Kassidy Rinehart hit a pair of free throws at the 16:26 mark to get Lawrence’s first points of the second half and cut the lead to 41-30.
Eureka would push the lead to as many as 15 points, but Lawrence did put together a late rally. Eureka led 55-40 with 8:11 left, but the Red Devils would score only six points the rest of the way.
Lisowe hit a 3-pointer and followed with a layup to trim the margin to 55-45 with 5:41 left. After Deshler scored on a layup to cut the lead to 58-49 with 3:07 left, the Vikings went cold. Lawrence missed its next three shots from the floor and committed a turnover in the next 2:22.
Lawrence also held Eureka scoreless during that stretch and finally sliced into the lead on a pair of Lisowe free throws with 45 seconds left to cut the lead to 58-51. After a missed free throw by Stewart, Deshler convered one of two free throws with 35 seconds left to trim the margin to 58-52.
Shoemake hit a jumper with 27 seconds left to seal the victory for the Red Devils.