APPLETON, Wis. -- The Lawrence University men's basketball team has played several dramatic, down-to-the-wire games with the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point during this decade.
Lawrence took all the drama out of the equation on Tuesday, as the Vikings rolled to a 75-59 nonconference victory over the seventh-ranked Pointers at Alexander Gymnasium.
The Vikings (3-2) broke open a close game early in the second half and shot 52.9 percent from the floor, including 45 percent from beyond the arc. Lawrence also played some of its best defense of the season and held the Pointers to 31.7 percent shooting for the game.
The win snapped an 18-game losing streak to the Pointers that dated back to 1955.
John Dekker led four Lawrence players in double figures and posted a double-double. Dekker finished with 17 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Ryan Kroeger and Chris Page added 16 points apiece, and Doug Kadison had 13. Matt Moses paced the Pointers (4-1) with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Stevens Point took its last lead of the game on a pair of Moses free throws to go up 26-25 with 3:45 left in the first half. Kadison, who handed out five assists, hit a 3-pointer on the next possession to give Lawrence the lead for good. The Vikings finished the half on an 8-2 run, capped by Dekker's 3-pointer, to lead 36-29 at the half.
Lawrence hit 5 of 7 3-pointers in the opening half.
The Vikings opened the second half on a 14-5 run to take a 50-34 lead with 14:39 left in the game. Kadison hit a pair of 3-pointers in that stretch and Jayce Apelgren added another 3-pointer.
The Pointers never got closer than 14 points after that, and Page dominated Stevens Point in the final 10 minutes. Page scored 14 points after the break, hitting 6 of 6 shots from the floor in the second half.
Lawrence returns to Midwest Conference play this weekend when it hosts Knox College and Illinois College.