Our LU Vikings took on the Pioneers of Carroll College Tuesday night. Hoping to walk away with a conference win, the boys were knocked back on their heels as Carroll hit 11 of their first 13 shots. Though a rough start for the Vikings, both Tyler Mazur and Tyler Crisman scored nine points a piece to lead the Vikings. Despite the best effort from the Vikings, Carroll was on fire and had a commanding lead of 18 points with 11:30 left in the first half. Whether it was the cheering fans, the determined coach or the sheer dedication of the Vikings, Carroll’s lead was cut down to only 3 points with 3:48 left in the half. In addition to the great comeback in the first half junior captain and crowd favorite Conor Klusendorf had an incredible dunk sending the fans to their feet! The first half ended with a score of 44-35 to Carroll.
Unfortunately for the Vikings, the break gave Carroll the energy to come back in hard, this time hitting 8 of their first 14 shots. Unable to match the play of Carroll, the Vikings ended up losing by 28 points with the score being 91-63 at the buzzer. Though a tough loss, the Vikings gave it their best shot! Sophomore Chris Siebert led the team in rebounds having two offensive and three defensive rebounds and fellow sophomore Max Burgess hit two crucial three pointers!
In an interview with Klusendorf after the game he had this to say about the team’s strengths and weaknesses, “This year we have made big strides in understanding our offense, but as always, it could be better. We are still looking to improve on a couple things, but our defense and rebounding are probably the biggest things. They are, after all, the cornerstones of great teams!”
We wish him and the team best of luck on their up-coming games this season. They can always use fan support so be sure to show some LU pride and attend their home games!