JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The Illinois College men's basketball team came up short in a barnburner in Sherman Gymnasium on Friday night, falling to Lawrence University by a score of 101-94. The Vikings played only eight players on the night, but the strategy worked out when four starters all had at least 16 points. Brandon Danowski didn't miss on any of his nine field goal attempts in the first half and ended with a game-high 31 points to help improve LU to 7-3 (3-0 Midwest Conference). The loss sends the Blueboys to 3-7 (1-2 MWC).
The only place Danowski could miss in the first half was the free-throw line. Other than a 1-for-4 showing at the charity stripe in the first 20 minutes, Danowski was 9-for-9 from the field and 2-for-2 from beyond the arc to lead Lawrence with 21 points in the first half.
Caleb Frederking came off the Illinois College bench to score 12 and the Blueboys shot nearly 60 percent as a team to trail by just three at the break, 52-49.
Danowski would add another 10 points after halftime, but the second half belonged to Mason Materna and Brad Sendell. Materna hit on all six shot attempts he took in the second half, including five from behind the arc to end with 17 in the second half alone. Sendell also knocked down six field goals, including two from distance to score 16.
The Vikings fought off a brief deficit early in the second half to reclaim the lead for good with just under 13 minutes to go. Though Illinois College was also very efficient offensively on the night and stayed right in it, the Blueboys couldn't get the stops they needed down the stretch. A flurry of buckets from
Jaxson Dian had IC trailing by only two, 94-92, with 1:06 to play, but the Vikings scored at least one point on its remaining four possessions to close it out.
Besides Danowski's 31, Lawrence had Materna end with 24 and Sendell end with 21. Bryce Denham contributed 16. Illinois College had seven players finish with double-figures.
Deandre Enoch paced the Blueboys with 15. Dian,
Riley Mehrens and
Hunter Ottensmeier all had 14. Frederking and
Jake Mazrimas added 12 apiece and
Trae Robinson III chipped in 10.
Illinois College closes out a quick home stand tomorrow afternoon with a 1 p.m. tip-off against Ripon College.
