LU drops the ball in close fight against Ripon College

Lawrence University’s Men’s Basketball team took on fierce rival Ripon College at the Alexander Gymnasium on Wednesday, Jan. 22. It was a game that went right down to the wire, with the Crimsons just coming out on top with a final score of 63-61.

The first half was an intense shootout, with Ripon leading for the first 17 minutes until the Vikings were able to recover, bringing the score to 30-26 in their favor. However, a late resurgence from the Crimsons saw them enter into the halftime back up by a narrow two points with a score of 32-30.

The second half brought some changes from Lawrence, with junior Nathan Valentine and first-year Nolan Koch stepping in for first-year Caleb Nash and sophomore Nicholas Gouriotis. Their substitutions gave the Vikings a needed uplift, helping the team to post a six-point advantage with the score at 56-50 in the dying five minutes. Ripon, however, were aided by an inspired performance from Luke Meinholz, whose last-minute jumper won them the game with a score of 63-61.

Despite the result, it was a very good show from Lawrence, who had some standout performers. Gouriotis led the game in points, netting 17 throughout the game. He was followed closely by sophomores Landon Key, who had 14 points, and Hogan Demovsky, who had 8. Valentine was also key to their display, producing an excellent 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.

Ultimately, it was a very tight game between the two teams and Lawrence University’s Vikings can be very proud of their showing on the night. They will be hoping to carry the perseverance shown in both halves with them into their upcoming games. The Men’s Basketball team know that with more courageous performances like this, they will be sure to have a successful end to their season.