The Beavers struggled at the three point line connecting with one of eight attempts in the opening half and would finish the night connecting on eight of 22 attempts. The story tonight was written at the free throw line where the Vikings sank 25 of 35 attempts while the Beavers were sent to the charity stripe and made six of 14 attempts (42.9%). Four Buena Vista starters would end the night early on the bench after picking up their fifth fouls. The Beavers led in the category after committing 27 fouls compared to Lawrence’s 17 on the night.
The leading scorer in the contest was the Vikings Chris MacGillis who finished with 18 points, and was a perfect 9-9 at the free throw line. Kyle MacGillis finished with 14 points in 29 minutes of play. Chris Braier and Dan Evans would both finish with 11 points. Braier was unstoppable off the glass, collecting 20 rebounds, including eight offensive.
“I thought our kids played unbelievably hard tonight,” commented Vikings Coach John Tharp. “We played great defense. It obviously helped us that we put them in foul trouble. Us getting to the free throw line in the 2nd half played a significant part in the outcome. Our confidence level is high right now and we feel we can play with anyone.”
Buena Vista led at the tip, but trailed for most of the contest. The Beavers would knot the game at 34-34 with 12:14 left of the second half on a three by Brian Sohn. The Beavers would get no closer than five in the final 12 minutes of play.
“I thought there was a lot of foul trouble out there tonight and it’s not typical of our team,” commented Beavers Coach Brian VanHaaften. “We did well fighting back in the in the first half to pull within reach. I didn’t think we had as many good touches in the post as we needed to get. We certainly had a great year and we’re going to miss our senior class as they brought leadership to practice everyday.”
The leading scorer for Buena Vista was Scott Weber who finished with 16 points and eight rebounds despite fouling out with over seven minutes to play. Eric Wiebers finished with 12 points and was the lone starter to not leave the contest due to foul trouble. Michael Cameron finished with 11 points and six rebounds, while teammate Jordan Campbell finished with 10 points and six blocks off the bench.
Buena Vista finished their season with a 24-5 record and have a home overall record the past four years of 51-6. Lawrence advances into the “Sweet 16” of the tournament with the victory.
Newspaper Box Score Lawrence University vs Buena Vista University 03/06/04 7:30 p.m. at Siebens Fieldhouse, Storm Lake, Iowa At Siebens Fieldhouse, Storm Lake, Iowa LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY 72, BUENA VISTA UNIVERSITY 66 LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY (23-4) Chris MacGillis 3-9 9-9 18; Kyle MacGillis 5-6 3-5 14; Dan Evans 3-4 3-4 11; Chris Braier 3-16 4-6 11; Jason Holinbeck 2-4 1-2 7; Rob Nenahlo 1-3 4-8 6; Tony Olson 2-2 1-1 5; Brendan Falls 0-6 0-0 0. Totals 19-50 25-35 72. BUENA VISTA UNIVERSITY (24-5) WEBER, Scott 8-14 0-1 16; WIEBERS, Eric 4-18 0-0 12; CAMERON, Michael 5-10 1-3 11; CAMPBELL, Jordan 4-7 0-0 10; PELZER, Casey 3-7 2-2 9; BISSEN, Randy 1-1 3-8 5; SOHN, Brian 1-3 0-0 3; WITTRY, Matt 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 26-62 6-14 66. Lawrence University........... 28 44 - 72 Buena Vista University........ 22 44 - 66 3-point goals-Lawrence University 9-19 (Chris MacGillis 3-5; Jason Holinbeck 2-3; Dan Evans 2-2; Chris Braier 1-3; Kyle MacGillis 1-2; Brendan Falls 0-3; Rob Nenahlo 0-1), Buena Vista University 8-22 (WIEBERS, Eric 4-11; CAMPBELL, Jordan 2-3; PELZER, Casey 1-2; SOHN, Brian 1-2; WITTRY, Matt 0-2; CAMERON, Michael 0-2). Fouled out--Lawrence University-None, Buena Vista University-WEBER, Scott; CAMERON, Michael; PELZER, Casey; BISSEN, Randy. Rebounds-Lawrence University 38 (Chris Braier 20), Buena Vista University 41 (WEBER, Scott 8). Assists-Lawrence University 8 (Chris MacGillis 3), Buena Vista University 17 (WITTRY, Matt 4; CAMERON, Michael 4). Total fouls-Lawrence University 17, Buena Vista University 27. A-1682 2nd round of NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament. Lawrence University will advance to the "Sweet 16".