APPLETON, Wis. -- The Lawrence University men's basketball team saw its perfect season come to an end with a 71-68 loss to Illinois Wesleyan University in a Sweet 16 game in the NCAA Division III Tournament Friday night at Alexander Gymnasium.
Playing in front of a capacity crowd, Illinois Wesleyan rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final seven minutes to end Lawrence season. The Vikings finished with a 25-1 mark, and Illinois Wesleyan improved to 23-6.
Freshman Ryan Kroeger scored 15 points, hitting 5 of 11 3-pointers, to lead the Vikings. Kyle MacGillis added 13 points and Andy Hurley had 11. Chris Braier had a solid all-around game with 10 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists.
Zach Freeman paced the Titans with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Keelan Amelianovich added 14 points and Matt Arnold had 10.
Lawrence, which led by as many as 15 points in the first half, went up 61-51 on a Braier free throw with 7:03 remaining in the game. The Titans battled back, with back-to-back 3-pointers from Arnold and Amelianovich. Freeman capped the 8-0 run with a layup with 5:31 left that cut the lead to 61-59.
Hurley answered for Lawrence, and Freeman followed with a pair of free throws. The Titans took the lead for good when Arnold hit a 3-pointer with 4:01 remaining.
Lawrence failed to score over the next 3:27, missing three shots and turning the ball over twice. Freeman scored four points in that stretch, and Wesleyan led 69-63 when MacGillis drained a 3-pointer with 34 seconds left to cut the lead in half.
Freeman turned the ball over on a bad pass, setting up a potential tying 3-pointer for the Vikings, but Ben Klekamp's jumper was off the mark with 13 seconds left. Arnold then sealed the win with a pair of free throws.
Wesleyan will play Puget Sound in the Elite 8 at 7:00 p.m. Saturday at Alexander Gymnasium.