APPLETON, Wis. -- The Lawrence University men's basketball team routed Lakeland College 86-51 Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Division III Championship.
Playing in front of a sellout crowd of 1,215 at Alexander Gymnasium, the Vikings seized control of the game late in the first half and went on a big run in the first 12 minutes of the second half to effectively put the game away.
Lawrence (22-4) advances to play at Buena Vista University (24-4) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Storm Lake, Iowa.
Lawrence had four players in double figures, led by Chris MacGillis with 18 points. Dan Evans added 16 points and Chris Braier and Rob Nenahlo had 14 points apiece. Braier also had a game-high 13 rebounds. Ryan Hiir paced Lakeland (16-13) with 13 points, and the Vikings held leading scorer Cory Nickel to nine points, 11 below his average.
The Vikings, ranked No. 23 in the latest d3hoops.com poll, led 31-29 with 2:53 left in the first when they went on a 12-3 run to end the half. Braier scored six points in that stretch and picked up two steals and a block.
Lawrence, champions of the Midwest Conference, opened up the second half by really turning up the heat defensively. The Vikings went on an 8-0 run to start the half, as Lakeland didn't score until a free throw at the 16:18 mark. By the time the Muskies got their first field goal of the half with 7:33 left, the Vikings had gone on a 25-6 run for a 71-38 lead. Lawrence built the lead to as big as 43 points.
Hot shooting and sparkling defense were the keys to Lawrence's victory. The Vikings shot 61.7 percent (37-60) from the floor, including 50 percent (7-14) on 3-pointers. Lawrence limited Lakeland to 30.8 percent (16-52) shooting, including 27.3 percent (6-22) from beyond the arc.
This was Lawrence's second appearance in the NCAA tournament, and the first since 1997. It marked Lawrence's first victory in NCAA tournament play, and it was the first time the Vikings hosted a game. This was Lakeland's first NCAA tournament appearance.
It also marked the first victory in NCAA tournament play by a Midwest Conference team since Ripon defeated St. John's (Minn.) in 2000.
Tickets for Saturday's game are on sale Friday from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. and from 5:00-6:00 p.m. in the lobby of Siebens Fieldhouse at Buena Vista. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students. For more information, call 712-749-2253.