APPLETON, Wis. -- Emma Carlson scored a game-high 17 points Saturday to lead the Lawrence University women's basketball team to a 54-44 Midwest Conference victory over Grinnell College at Alexander Gymnasium.
    Carlson was 8-for-9 from the floor and added seven rebounds, a block and an assist. Mallory Meyer added 11 points and seven rebounds for the Vikings, and Delaney Brooks came off the bench to score 10 points and picked up four rebounds and three assists.
    In a tight first half, Lawrence scored the final four points before the break and led 27-21 at the half. The game continued to see-saw in the third quarter as Lawrence led by as many as four before Grinnell took the lead at 34-33. 
    The Vikings later got a jumper from Libby Crandall and a layup from Brooks to take a 39-36 lead entering the fourth quarter.
    The opening few minutes of the final period would prove to be decisive. Carlson opened the fourth with a jumper and followed that with a layup to give Lawrence a 43-36 edge. After a Grinnell miss, Meyer converted on a layup, and the teams traded misses before Brooks buried a 3-pointer to give Lawrence a 48-36 lead with 4:48 remaining.
    After Grinnell's Nikki Ware countered with a 3-pointer, Meyer scored two straight baskets, sandwiched around a Grinnell hoop, to give Lawrence a 52-41 lead with 1:40 left. After a Grinnell turnover, Carlson's layup with 1:00 left gave the Vikings a 54-41 edge and sealed the win.  
    Lawrence limited one of the league's top scorers, Grinnell's Erin Lillis, to 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the floor. 
    The victory moved the Vikings to 2-0 in the Midwest Conference and 3-4 overall. Grinnell drops to 2-6, 1-2 in the league.
    Lawrence returns to action on Wednesday when the Vikings travel to Knox College.