Andrew Walters set a new career mark with 22 rebounds but the Beloit College men's basketball team fell to Lawrence University 71-64 Saturday afternoon in Flood Arena. The loss is the first for the Buccaneers in Midwest Conference play so far this season.
Walters' 22 boards included 12 on the offensive glass. His total ranks fourth in Beloit College men's basketball history behind former men's assistant Steve McAfee (2015, vs. Messiah) and Jack Sanders' (1958 vs. Carroll) 23. Assistant coach Josh Hinz holds the Beloit College record for rebounds in a game with 36 against Grinnell in 2006.
Free throws became the difference in the contest. The Bucs made 11-18 with the majority of their seven misses coming late in the second half in a tight game. Lawrence made 21 of their 30 chances from the charity stripe in the contest.
It was a sloppy start to the game for both teams as the teams combined for five turnovers in the first minute and 20 seconds.
A 10-3 run for the Vikings midway through gave the visitors an eight-point advantage, 21-13, the largest of the half for either team. The Bucs responded with a 16-3 run of their own to regain the lead, 29-24, with under three minutes to play.
Four free throws for Lawrence cut the lead to one but Logan Maulick provided a spark with back-to-back three-pointers to make it a five-point game. The Vikings scored the final bucket of the half to send the teams into intermission with Beloit leading 35-32.
The teams combined for 23 turnovers in the first 20 minutes. The Bucs enjoyed a 20-12 advantage on the glass and were a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe while Lawrence won the efficiency battle shooting 52-percent from the floor.
The Bucs extended their lead to seven with 13:34 left in the half but the Vikings whittled away at the margin eventually taking the lead with 6:32 on the clock courtesy of a Bryce Denham three that made it 55-52.
Walters hit a free throw to make a two-point game before another Viking three pushed it back to five, 58-53 at the 5:22 mark. Tristan Shoup knocked down two from the charity stripe on Beloit's offensive end but those were negated by a Lawrence layup that made it 60-55 with 4:39 to go.
Both teams went through a drought with neither scoring for nearly two minutes. During that span, the Bucs missed five from the charity stripe until Walters broke the streak with a free throw with 2:43 on the clock that made it 60-56 Lawrence.
The Vikings never relinquished the lead the rest of the way despite scoring all of their final 11 points from the free throw line. A layup by Walters with 15 seconds left pulled Beloit to within three, 67-64, but Lawrence sealed the game from the line.
Walters led the Bucs with 15 points and his career-high 22 boards. He added four assists and a steal in the game. Shoup posted 12 points and seven boards while Dan Babb dropped in 11 points and added three assists.
Beloit takes a break from conference action to host Carthage College Tuesday followed by a December 19 matchup with Coe College in Flood Arena to wrap up the semester. Both games are scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
