APPLETON, Wis. – Lawrence University finished the game on an 11-2 run and the Lakeland University women's basketball team once again was unable to put away the Vikings in a 79-73 loss Wednesday night at Alexander Gym.

Maggie Culver scored the go-ahead points with 1 minute, 37 seconds left in the game and the Muskies went dry down the stretch while Lawrence closed the game out in the final minute at the free throw line. The Vikings improved to 2-2 overall while Lakeland dropped to 2-3 overall.

It felt like the movie Groundhog Day all over again for the Muskies as for the second straight year Lawrence rallied in the final minutes to take a win in a game Lakeland held a substantial lead in late. Last year it was the Vikings rallying from 18 points down, scoring the game's final 15 points and taking their first lead of the game with 19 seconds left in stealing a 68-66 victory on the Muskies' home court.

The teams' meeting this year was more closely contested throughout, with 11 ties and 10 lead changes, but Lakeland held a slim lead much of the way and was in the driver's seat again down the stretch. The Muskies scored the first six points of the fourth quarter, and Ariana Vaitkeviciute (Fr.-Merrionette Park, Ill.) hit a jumper in the paint to give Lakeland its biggest lead at 58-49 with 8:37 left.

Lawrence would chip away and got within a point on four occasions, but the Muskies were still ahead 71-68 with 4:06 left after A.T. Bartlett (Jr.-Farmington Hills, Mich.) hit two free throws. Lakeland would go dry in the final minutes, though, missing its final six shots and committing three turnovers the rest of the way.

The Vikings would only make one more field goal themselves, but it came on Culver's layup to make it 72-71. Charlotte Brennan then hit 3 of 4 free throws over two trips to the line before Jenna Caterino (Sr.-Stanton, Mich.) sank two foul shots with 28 seconds left to keep the Muskies within 75-73. Brennan made two more free throws with 17 seconds, though, and added two more with three seconds remaining for the game's final points.

The teams were neck-and-neck for the first half, with neither team leading by more than five points in the opening 20 minutes. Alexis Johnson (Jr.-Sheboygan, Wis.) scored all 11 of her points in the first two quarters and Lakeland led 34-31 at halftime.

Bartlett finished with 15 points and Caterino and Halle Boldt (Sr.-Sheboygan, Wis.) both added double-doubles, with Caterino posting 12 points and a career-high 10 rebounds and Boldt adding 10 points and 10 rebounds plus six assists off the bench. Lauryn Johnson (Jr.-Kenosha, Wis.) also added 10 points plus five rebounds.

The Muskies finished the game shooting 45.6% (26 of 57), but made just 6 of 18 in the fourth quarter after shooting 51.3% (20 of 39) through the first three periods. Lakeland outrebounded Lawrence 41-34 but also committed 28 turnovers, 11 more than the Vikings.

Brennan scored 17 points for Lawrence, including hitting 11 of 15 free throws. The Vikings shot 37.7% (23 of 61) but heated up for 50% (7 of 14) in the final quarter after shooting 34.0% through three quarters (16 of 47).

Lakeland is back home Saturday when it faces the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse at 3 p.m. at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium.