The Highlights

Scores, news and more from Lawrence University Athletics

Mays scores 38 as Vikings roll past Carroll

Jon Mays poured in a career-high 38 points, and the Lawrence University men’s basketball team rolled to an 85-65 Midwest Conference victory over Carroll University at Alexander Gymnasium on Saturday.

Mays went 12-for-16 from the floor, including 5-for-6 from 3-point range, to pace the Vikings (9-8, 8-4 MWC). Mays also had eight rebounds and no turnovers in 37 minutes. Mays topped his career high of 27 points, which he set at Monmouth College on Jan. 15.

Tyler Crisman added 13 points for the Vikings, and Chris Siebert had 10 points and a game-high eight assists. Erik Borresen pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds to go with nine points.

Kevin Hurd paced Carroll (9-7, 7-4) with 11 points and Andrew Rumler added 10.

Lawrence led by as many as 12 points late in the first half, but Jake Bast’s jumper completed a quick 6-0 run to cut that lead to 35-29 with a minute left before the break. The Vikings finished the half with a thunderous dunk by Conor Klusendorf to take a 40-31 lead at the half.

The Pioneers kept within striking distance, and Lawrence led 63-53 with eight minutes left. Siebert then completed a three-point play and Mays capped a 7-1 outburst with a 3-pointer to put the Vikings up 70-54 with 6:45 left.

Dan Kratz answered with a 3-pointer for Carroll, but Lawrence stretched the lead to 19 points when Mays hit a 3-pointer with 3:43 left to put the game out of reach.

The Vikings would lead by as many as 24 points down the stretch.

Lawrence returns to action on Tuesday when it travels to Ripon College.

Box score

Pioneers top Lawrence

The Carroll University women’s basketball team pulled away late in the first half and went on to a 68-48 Midwest Conference victory over Lawrence University on Saturday at Alexander Gymnasium.

Emily DeNoyer led Carroll (11-5, 7-4 MWC) with 18 points off the bench. Marissa Haug and Hilary Arthur added 10 points apiece for the Pioneers.

Nakita Chadwick paced Lawrence (0-17, 0-12) with 13 points and she pulled down a game-high six rebounds. Alex Deshler added 12 points and tied for game-high rebounding honors with six.

Lawrence fell behind early, but battled back to trim Carroll’s lead to 21-18 with 6:49 left in the first half. The Pioneers then went on a 16-2 run over the next three minutes and led 37-20 with 3:20 left. Carroll led 39-22 at the half.

Carroll led 45-27 early in the second half, but Lawrence scored five straight points to trim the margin to 45-32. The Vikings couldn’t get closer than 13 points, and Carroll went on a 10-2 run to take a 59-38 lead and seal the victory.

Lawrence returns to action on Tuesday when it travels to Ripon College.

Box score

MSOE shuts out Vikings

The Milwaukee School of Engineering hockey team posted a 2-0 Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association win over Lawrence University Friday night at the Appleton Family Ice Center.

The Raiders (14-3-1, 11-1-1 MCHA) scored early in both the first and second periods to earn the victory.

Connor Toomey stopped 23 shots to pick up the win for MSOE. Evan Johnson made 29 saves for the Vikings (9-8-1, 7-6-0).

MSOE got on the board just 4:12 into the opening period when Nick Gorup scored off passes from Ben Lauder and Bradley Tierney.

The Raiders made it 2-0 4:53 into the second period on Todd Krupa’s goal. Lawrence appeared to have cut the lead in half with 2:00 left in the second period, but Reijo Wahlin’s goal was waived off after official called a high stick.

Lawrence had a chance to get back into the game in the third period when the Vikings had a two-man advantage after two penalties were called on the Raiders in quick succession.

The Raiders killed off both penalties, and Lawrence went 0-for-6 on the power play on the evening. The Lawrence penalty killers were just as good, holding MSOE to 0-for-7 on the man-advantage.

The teams wrap up the series Saturday afternoon at the Kern Center in Milwaukee.

Box score 

Green Knights take down Lawrence

The St. Norbert College men’s basketball team dominated inside and downed Lawrence University 73-52 in a Midwest Conference game on Wednesday at Alexander Gymnasium.

Steve Papke paced the 13th-ranked Green Knights (14-3, 10-2 MWC) with 17 points. Chris Peterson added 11 points and a game-high eight rebounds.

Jon Mays led Lawrence (8-8, 7-4) with 14 points, and Chris Siebert and Erik Borresen added nine points apiece.

St. Norbert, which got 32 points in the paint, jumped out to an early eight-point lead, but the Vikings battled back to cut the edge to 17-13 on Siebert’s 3-pointer with 10:18 left in the first half.

The Green Knights countered with a 13-3 run to take a 30-16 lead with 4:27 left in the opening half. The Green Knights led by 15 late in the first half, but Mays hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut the lead to 37-25 at the half.

Lawrence finally put a small dent in St. Norbert’s lead with jumpers by Borresen and Andrew Kline to cut the edge to 48-40 with 11:55 left in the contest. St. Norbert answered with a 3-pointer from Brandon Gries, and Lawrence never got closer than 10 points the rest of the way.

St. Norbert’s biggest lead of the game was 23 points in the final two minutes.

Lawrence returns to action on Saturday when it hosts Carroll University.

Box score

Big second half leads St. Norbert past Lawrence

The St. Norbert College women’s basketball team used a big second half to roll to a 76-41 Midwest Conference win over Lawrence University on Wednesday night at Alexander Gymnasium.

Krista Pelky paced No. 24 St. Norbert (15-2, 11-1 MWC) with 12 points and Erin Baganz added 11.

Nakita Chadwick had a double-double for Lawrence (0-16, 0-11) with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Katie Van Es led the Lawrence attack with 16 points.

St. Norbert had a 28-20 lead at the half, but broke the game open in the first few minutes of the second half.

Lawrence cut the lead to 28-22 on Kanesha Walker’s jumper to start the second half, but the Green Knights then made four consecutive 3-pointers over a stretch of 1:37 to blow out to a 40-25 advantage.

The Green Knights then gradually pulled away and added a late 11-2 run for their biggest lead of the game, 75-37, with 2:19 left.

Lawrence returns to action on Saturday when it hosts Carroll University.

Box score

Inside LU Athletics: Tough schedule could benefit Lawrence skaters

It has been out of the frying pan and into the fire for the Lawrence University hockey team all season.

The Vikings have played a very difficult schedule, but as Lawrence enters the final month of the regular season, head coach Mike Szkodzinski hopes this trial by fire will benefit his skaters.

“You have to beat the best to become the best,” Szkodzinski said. “We think it’s beneficial for our student-athletes to go against the best so they can see what they need to improve upon moving forward.”

Lawrence has faced only four opponents this season that haven’t been ranked by United States College Hockey Online at some point during the campaign.

“We definitely knew there were some great challenges ahead of us,” Szkodzinski said. “We know we have quality people in our program and we were very confident they would be able to rise to the challenges.”

That started with the first game of the season when the Vikings went to UW-Stevens Point and posted a 5-4 victory over the Pointers, who have been ranked as high as ninth this season. It was the first time the Vikings had beaten the Pointers in five tries.

“We will use that victory as an example for many years to come,” Szkodzinski said. “Every team needs to have a keynote victory and that’s one of those for Lawrence University hockey.”

Lawrence also downed St. Scholastica, ranked 11th to start the season, and skated to a 1-1 tie at UW-Superior, which checks in at No. 15 this week. Lawrence also has had games with perennial power St. Norbert College and UW-Eau Claire.

The Vikings have also faced increasingly difficult competition from within the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association. Lawrence just wrapped up a series with No. 9 Adrian College and take on No. 12 MSOE this weekend.

“I think it’s a testament to the MCHA and how much this league has improved over the last five years, especially the last three years with Adrian coming in,” Szkodzinski said.

“At one point this year there were four (MCHA teams) ranked in the top 20 in the nation. That’s something to be proud of and it shows how far our league has come.”

Despite the rigorous schedule, the Vikings are 9-7-1 on the season and are holding down second place in the MCHA Northern Division. With a schedule that features six home games in its final eight regular season contests, Szkodzinski believes his battle-tested group will be strong down the stretch.

“We feel we definitely have the tools to succeed within our league and within the West Region. The experience we’ve had against very high quality opponents will benefit us,” Szkodzinski said.

“It’s just a matter of time before those experiences come together and make us the team we believe we can be. We feel we’re a special moment away from being a legitimate contender for the MCHA title. Whether it’s a big save, a goal at the right time or a bounce we’ve earned.”

Beller joins football staff

Mark Beller, a former player at St. Norbert, has joined the Lawrence football coaching staff. Beller comes to Lawrence from the University of Puget Sound, where he coached the offensive line in 2010.

“I am really excited to be able to work with such a great staff,” Beller said. “It will be fun to get back into the Midwest Conference and be working with coach (Chris) Howard again.”

Beller is a native of Minocqua and played for current Lawrence head coach Chris Howard when he was the defensive coordinator at St. Norbert.

Beller went on to serve as a graduate assistant coach at Minnesota State University Mankato in 2007. Beller moved to the University of Redlands and was a graduate assistant coach for the 2008 and 2009 seasons. He earned a Master’s degree in higher education from Redlands in 2010.

Editor’s Note: Inside LU Athletics is a weekly notes package written by Lawrence University Sports Information Director Joe Vanden Acker. It will feature teams and individual players, recap weekly awards or highlights and take a look at what’s ahead for the Vikings.

Beller joins Lawrence football staff

Mark Beller has joined the Lawrence University football coaching staff, Director of Athletics Mike Szkodzinski announced Wednesday.

Beller comes to Lawrence from the University of Puget Sound, where he coached the offensive line in 2010.

“I am really excited to be able to work with such a great staff,” Beller said. “It will be fun to get back into the Midwest Conference and be working with Coach Howard again.”

Beller is a native of Minocqua, Wis., and is a 2001 graduate of Lakeland High School. Beller starred in football, hockey and baseball at Lakeland.

Beller attended St. Norbert College and he played football when Lawrence head coach Chris Howard was the defensive coordinator for the Green Knights. Beller played both on offense and defense during his career. A 2005 graduate of St. Norbert, Beller earned a bachelor’s degree in biology.

Beller went on to serve as a graduate assistant coach at Minnesota State University Mankato in 2007. Beller moved to the University of Redlands and was a graduate assistant coach for the 2008 and 2009 seasons. He earned a Master’s degree in higher education from Redlands in 2010.

“We are excited to get a coach with Mark’s background and familiarity with the Midwest Conference,” Howard said. “As a player and coach combination, Mark and I were 36-1 in conference play while we were together at St. Norbert. That’s where we want to be here at Lawrence.”

Lawrence opens the 2011 season on Sept. 3 when it hosts the College of St. Scholastica in a nonconference game at the Banta Bowl.

Lawrence men take on No. 13 St. Norbert, Carroll in MWC games this week

The Lawrence University men’s basketball team faces a pair of tough tests this week when it faces St. Norbert College and Carroll University.

The Vikings host 13th-ranked St. Norbert on Wednesday and then take on Carroll on Saturday. The Green Knights are leading the Midwest Conference, and Lawrence is tied with Carroll for second place in the league.

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