APPLETON, Wis. -- John Dekker poured in a career-high 33 points to lead the Lawrence University men's basketball team to a 77-68 nonconference win over Marian University Tuesday night at Alexander Gymnasium.
Dekker, who had 20 points in the first half, hit on 8 of 18 shots from the floor, including 6 of 10 from 3-point range. Dekker also tied for team-high honors with seven rebounds.
Senior guard Jamie DeMatthew, making his first career start, scored a career-high 16 points for Lawrence (1-0). DeMatthew also matched his career high with a game-best five assists. Junior center Erik Borresen, also making his first career start, scored a career-high 10 points and matched his career best with seven rebounds.
Logan Rankin paced Marian (1-1) with 17 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
Lawrence kept Marian at arm's length for most of the second half, but the Sabres cut the lead to 70-66 on Bryan Ashbeck's 3-pointer with 3:04 remaining. DeMatthew then connected on 3 of 4 from the foul line, sandwiched around a Marian miss, to give Lawrence a 73-66 lead with 2:04 left.
Kevin Hudak countered with a jumper for the Sabres, and DeMatthew's layup with 1:09 left put Lawrence back up 75-68. After Ashbeck missed a 3-pointer, Dekker was fouled with 36 seconds left. He made both foul shots to seal the win.
Dekker was red-hot in the first half as he hit on 6 of 11 shots from the floor, including 6 of 7 from 3-point range. The six 3-pointers made by Dekker tops his previous career high of five from beyond the arc.
Lawrence returns to action on Thursday when it hosts No. 24 UW-Oshkosh.