The Highlights

Scores, news and more from Lawrence University Athletics

Schwoerer’s perfect night leads St. Norbert past Vikings

Andrew Schwoerer had a perfect night to lead the St. Norbert College men’s basketball team to a 70-52 Midwest Conference victory over Lawrence University on Saturday at Alexander Gymnasium.

Schwoerer went 9-for-9 from the floor and was 4-for-4 from the foul line on his way to a game-high 23 points for the Green Knights (4-3, 3-2 MWC).

The Green Knights went on to shoot 50.9 percent (28-55) from the floor and forced 19 Lawrence turnovers.

Ryan DePouw scored a team-high 13 points for the Vikings (4-5, 3-3), and Davis DeWolfe added 11 points.

St. Norbert grabbed a double-digit lead late in the first half with Schwoerer doing some damage. St.Norbert led 20-17 when Schwoerer hit back-to-back jumpers. The Green Knights then got a layup from Izaiah Anderson and another layup from Schwoerer to lead 28-17 with 3:37 left in the first half.

Lawrence got a 3-pointer from Chris Siebert to trim the margin to 32-24 at the break.

St. Norbert quickly pushed the lead to 38-24 early in the second half, but the Vikings battled back. Lawrence, which went 2-for-10 on 3-pointers in the first half, finally got some shots to fall from long range.

Lawrence trailed 43-29 when the Vikings scored eight straight points. After a layup from DeWolfe, Siebert and DePouw hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the lead to 43-37 with 14:31 left.

St. Norbert took a timeout and then rattled off seven straight points to push the lead back to 50-37 with 12:22 remaining.

Troy Miller stopped the run with a 3-pointer for the Vikings, but Lawrence never got closer than 10 points. St. Norbert pushed the lead to as many as 22 points late in the game.

Lawrence returns to action on Tuesday when it faces Lakeland College in a tournament in Wisconsin Dells.

Box score

St. Norbert stops Lawrence 70-38

The St. Norbert College women’s basketball team pulled away early and went on to a 70-38 Midwest Conference victory over Lawrence University on Saturday at Alexander Gymnasium.

Krista Hawkinson led a balanced St. Norbert attack with 14 points. Amy Weiting and Lana Tomashek added nine points apiece for the Green Knights (7-1, 4-1 MWC).

Patsy Kealey and Kassidy Rinehart led Lawrence (1-8, 0-6) with eight points apiece. Katie Schumacher pulled down a game-high nine rebounds for the Vikings.

St. Norbert put on an early burst with 10 consecutive points to grab a 16-3 lead at the 11:47 mark of the first half. The Green Knights would push that lead to as many as 20 points in the first half and led 34-17 at the half.

Lawrence got layups from Schumacher and Amber Lisowe to open the second half and trim the margin to 34-21 with 18:20 left in the game. St. Norbert responded by going on a 14-2 run to open a 48-23 lead with 11:56 left.

The Green Knights would lead by as many as 36 points in the second half.

Lawrence returns to action on Monday when it travels to Eureka College for a nonconference contest.

Box score 

Soccer standout Salansky named to All-Wisconsin Team

Lawrence University men’s soccer standout Stephen Salansky has been named to the All-Wisconsin Team.

Salansky (Parker, Colo./Legend), a sophomore defender, received honorable mention.

Salansky picked up a pair of assists and was part of a defensive corps that allowed only 1.18 goals per game. Lawrence allowed an average of only 6.6 shots on goal this past season.

Salansky, a first-team All-Midwest Conference selection, was one of 10 Midwest Conference players from four league schools to be chosen for the team.

The Vikings finished with an 8-8-1 overall record and a 5-4-1 mark in Midwest Conference play.

Lawrence soccer teams honored for academic excellence

The Lawrence University soccer teams have again been honored for academic excellence by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

Both Lawrence teams have received the Team Academic Award for having a cumulative grade point average higher than 3.0.

The Lawrence women, coached by Lisa Sammons, posted a 3.35 grade point average during the 2011-12 academic year. The Lawrence men, led by long-time coach Blake Johnson, had a 3.16 grade point average.

This marks the eighth consecutive year that both Lawrence teams have earned the award. This is the 11th time since 2000 that the Lawrence women captured the award and it is the 10th time for the Lawrence men during the same period.

The Lawrence men finished the 2012 season with an 8-8-1 record and took sixth place in the Midwest Conference. The Lawrence women had a 4-13 mark and took ninth place in the league.

Vikings go cold in loss at Elmhurst

ELMHURST, Ill. — The Lawrence University men’s basketball team had a frigid shooting night from long range on Wednesday, and Elmhurst College posted a 76-65 nonconference victory at R.A. Faganel Hall.

Lawrence (4-4), one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the Midwest Conference, connected on only 5 of 22 shots from beyond the arc (22.7 percent). The Vikings also were outrebounded 37-20.

Nick Sanford scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds to pace Elmhurst (2-5). Taylor Baxter added 17 points and six boards for the Bluejays.

Conor Klusendorf and Davis DeWolfe scored 13 points apiece for the Vikings. Ryan DePouw and Max Burgess added 10 points apiece for Lawrence.

Elmhurst went on an early 13-2 run to grab a 20-9 lead with 11:44 left in the first half. The Bluejays would build that lead to 38-22 at the half.

The Bluejays opened the second half with an 11-5 run to push the lead to 22 points at 49-27. Lawrence chipped away at the lead throughout the second half and finally got it under double digits at 72-63 on Burgess’ layup with 1:00 left.

Elmhurst then hit four consecutive free throws to seal the win.

Lawrence returns to Midwest Conference play on Saturday when the Vikings host St. Norbert College.

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Inside LU Athletics: Vikings look to build on first-half experiences

You can look at the first half of the Lawrence University hockey season and think of it as a glass half-full or a glass half-empty scenario.

Lawrence coach Mike Szkodzinski is taking the optimistic route.

A 4-7 record is not the kind of start Lawrence had hoped for but factor in that five of those seven setbacks were by one goal, and the Vikings have reason for optimism.

“At this level, details matter and our league has become so competitive that one mistake can, and has been, the difference on many nights this year,” Lawrence coach Mike Szkodzinski said. “Losing these one-goal games is the sign of a very young team. However, we are halfway through the season now so being young is no excuse. We need our players to take the lessons learned in the first half and use that experience in the second half.”

Lawrence also has done something uncharacteristic this season and that is lose a third-period lead. Entering this season, Lawrence was 55-3-5 under Szkodzinski when leading after two periods. Lawrence has lost three games this season after taking a lead into the final period.

“This team has been resilient,” Szkodzinski said. “They have continued to battle for each other after some heartbreaking losses. It would be very easy to question each other, the coaches, or even themselves as individuals.  We have not seen that, which is a great sign. We believe we have great character people and being close can challenge one’s character.  So far, these young men are staying the course, and we are very proud of that fact.”

The Vikings have a few weeks off before coming back after Christmas to play in the Pathfinder Bank Classic at the State University of New York-Oswego on Dec. 30-31. Lawrence faces Castleton State College on Dec. 30 and then faces either No. 2-ranked Oswego or Plymouth State University on Dec. 31.

“We are simply focused on the next game and that is Castleton,” Szkodzinski said. “With young players, we need to make sure we are keeping everything in perspective and not looking too far ahead. We need to think about the next shift, the next period, and keep things simple.”

Several of the Vikings’ first-year players have had a big impact, and with seven seniors lost to graduation from last year’s team, Lawrence needed an influx of new talent.

“As a group, our freshmen have been excellent,” Szkodzinski said. “Logan Lemirande, Rudi Pino, Renato Engler, Matt Moore and Ryan Rumble have all made significant contributions up front. Brandon Boelter has stepped up on and off the ice while Steve Hughes has been one of the most competitive guys for us night in and night out.”

Lawrence has three of the top four freshman scorers in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association. Lemirande is second at 1.60 points per game, Pino is third at 1.18 and Boelter is fourth at 1.09.

Lemirande leads the league at 1.30 assists per game, ranks second at 1.60 points per game and is fifth at 0.60 power-play points per game. Boelter is the top scoring defenseman in the league at 1.09 points per game and he ranks first in the conference at 0.64 power-play points per game.

“It will be interesting to see how they take the experience they have gained over the first 11 games into the last 14,” Szkodzinski said.

While the record hasn’t been ideal, it’s the least of Szkodzinski’s worries.

“Our record is not our focus, it never has been,” Szkodzinski said. “Our focus is getting better every time we step on the ice. Our goals haven’t changed. We have gone through some tough lessons during this stretch. If we can stick to the plan and get better every single day then we will be in the hunt come late February.”

Early-season showdown

The Lawrence men’s basketball team (4-3, 3-2 MWC) faces a big early test when St. Norbert College comes to Alexander Gymnasium on Saturday. The Green Knights have won two of the last three Midwest Conference championships. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.

Doubling up

After posting four double-doubles in her first two seasons, junior guard Alex Deshler has four double-doubles already this season. Deshler is averaging 14.1 points and a team-high 8.1 rebounds per game. She ranks fifth in the conference in scoring and seventh in rebounding.

 

Vikings fall short against Finlandia

HANCOCK, Mich. — The Lawrence University women’s basketball team’s late rally fell short, and the Vikings dropped a 69-63 nonconference decision at Finlandia University on Tuesday.

Hailey Gervais scored 17 points and Marissa Burke added 15 to lead four Finlandia players in double figures.

Alex Deshler poured in 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds to pace Lawrence (1-7). Freshman forward Katie Schumacher posted a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Amber Lisowe added 16 points for the Vikings.

Finlandia (3-5) led by as many as 15 points in the first half, but the Vikings rallied to trim the margin to 37-27  as Deshler scored on back-to-back layups late in the half. 

The Lions maintained a lead between six and 12 points throughout the second half, and Finlandia was up 66-56 when Schumacher scored on a putback with 2:37 left.

Finlandia missed a jumper and committed three turnovers in the next 2:09, but the Vikings couldn’t pull any closer until Lisowe hit a 3-pointer with 29 seconds left to cut the margin to 66-61.

The Vikings then fouled Paige Yoho, who hit one free throw with 21 seconds remaining to push the lead back to 67-61. The Vikings missed a jumper on their next possession, but Schumacher grabbed the rebound and was fouled. She hit both free throws with 13 seconds left to cut the led to 67-63.

The Vikings immediately fouled Yoho again, but she hit both free throws with 12 seconds remaining to seal the victory.

Lawrence returns to action on Saturday when it hosts St. Norbert College.

Box score

Lawrence shoots past Rams

The Lawrence University men’s basketball team had four players score in double figures and shot better than 50 percent from the floor en route to a 79-70 Midwest Conference victory over Cornell College on Saturday at Alexander Gymnasium.

Chris Siebert led Lawrence (4-3, 3-2 MWC) with 18 points and a game-high seven assists. Conor Klusendorf played a superlative all-around game for the Vikings with 11 points, six rebounds, six steals, two assists and a block.

Max Burgess and Trace Sonnleitner both went 3-for-5 from 3-point range and had 11 points apiece for Lawrence.

Lawrence shot 54.4 percent from the floor (31-57), and the Vikings were 13 of 28 from 3-point range (46.4 percent).

Joey Guth came off the bench to score a game-high 26 points for Cornell (2-4, 1-2). Reggie Greenwood added 14 points and Nick Bobb had 10 points for the Rams.

After Cornell led by as many as seven points early, Lawrence started to take control of the game late in the first half. The Vikings led 26-25 when they went on an 8-0 run to push the lead to 34-25 with 5:26 left. Burgess and Troy Miller both hit 3-pointers during that stretch and Klusendorf finished the run with a layup.

The Vikings led 40-34 at the half and opened the second half with seven consecutive points. Siebert drained a 3-pointer on the first possession of the half, and Tyler Mazur and Brian Gryszkiewicz both added layups to give Lawrence a 47-34 lead.

Lawrence kept the Rams at arm’s length for the rest of the game. The Vikings led by as many as 17 points, and Cornell never got closer than nine points.

The Rams trimmed the margin to 76-67 with 2:15 left on Guth’s 3-pointer, but Klusendorf answered with a three-point play to push the lead back to 79-67 and seal the victory.

Lawrence returns to action on Wednesday when it travels to Elmhurst College for a nonconference game.

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