Live video: http://www.lakelandmuskies.com/muskieslive. Andy Damp and Lakeland softball student-athlete Sam Marchant will provide commentary for Lakeland home basketball games this year

Ticket Information: https://lakelandmuskies.com/sports/2017/11/3/ticket-policies

Series history: 43rd meeting, Lawrence leads 29-13
The series between Lakeland and Lawrence dates all the way back to 1934, the Muskies' second year of intercollegiate basketball. The teams met regularly in those early years but played much more sporadically until recent years, as this marks the seventh meeting between the schools in eight years. Lakeland has won the last two meetings, including a 102-98 overtime victory on the road in Appleton earlier this calendar year on Jan. 4, 2025. The Muskies also won the last time the teams played at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium with a 76-73 triumph Nov. 25, 2023. The Vikings last win over Lakeland was an 82-68 victory at home over Thanksgiving weekend in 2022 after outscoring the Muskies 44-24 in the second half. Among the teams' previous meetings was one in the first round of the 2004 NCAA Division III Tournament, where Lawrence coasted to an 86-51 win in the Muskies' lone D-III tourney appearance.

About Lakeland: The Muskies are coming off a 7-18 record last year that included a 6-12 record in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. Lakeland got off to a rough start to its season, losing its first seven games out of the gate before winning six of its next nine games, including a trio of overtime wins. The Muskies struggled down the stretch, though, losing eight of their final nine games, though included in that stretch were a pair of competitive losses to defending NACC champion and eventual NCAA Division III Sweet 16 participant Wisconsin Lutheran, including a three-point loss in the season finale.

Injuries and defensive struggles marked much of the season, but Lakeland returns four players who started at least 14 games last year, as well as Jaxson Dillon, who averaged 15.4 points in 10 games. Asanjai Hunter (14.8 ppg) and Tim Ward (13.5 ppg) also are back to give the Muskies plenty of firepower, while the Muskies look to shore up a defense that ranked 404th of 406 D-III schools last year in field goal percentage defense.

About Lawrence: The Vikings finished 6-19 overall last year and posted a 4-12 mark to tie for seventh in the Midwest Conference. The Vikings were close on many occasions, losing 12 games by nine points or less. A plus for fifth-year coach Casey Korn is Lawrence returns all five starters and virtually every key contributor from last year, led by Casey Schoenecker, who averaged 14.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest. Nathan Valentine (10.9 ppg) and Landon Key (10.2 ppg) also were double-digit scorers last year, but the Vikings were outrebounded by 5.4 boards per game last year and also shot just 62.5% from the free throw line, which ranked 389th in Division III.