LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Lawrence University women's basketball got off to a fast start Thursday and rolled to a 73-50 Midwest Conference victory over Lake Forest College at the Sports and Recreation Center.
    Maggie Culver led a balanced Lawrence attack with 16 points, and she pulled down a game-high nine rebounds. 
    Ashley Batac added 13 points as she went 5-for-9 from the floor, including 3-for-6 from beyond the arc, for the Vikings (9-11, 6-6 MWC). Kenya Earl added 12 points and six rebounds, and Mallory Meyer had 11 points and six boards for Lawrence. Lydia Lueck picked up nine points for the Vikings, and Delaney Brooks handed out a game-high four assists to go with six points.
    Maurissa Edwards led Lake Forest (7-16, 4-11) with a game-high 20 points.
    The Vikings trailed 6-5 midway through the first quarter when Lawrence finished the opening period on an 11-0 run. Batac scored five points in that stretch and finished the burst with a 3-pointer for a 16-6 lead after one.
    Brooks opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer and Lawrence stretched the lead to 23-8 on Batac's jumper with 6:55 left in the first half. Lake Forest closed to 27-16, but the Vikings finished the second quarter strong. Lueck started a 9-2 burst with a 3-pointer, and Meyer hit a short jumper to give Lawrence a 36-18 lead at the break.
    Lawrence expanded its lead early in the third quarter as Earl scored four points as part of a 12-5 run that gave the Vikings a 48-23 lead with 5:49 left in the period. Lake Forest closed the margin to 19 points at 51-32, but the Vikings pulled away in the final minute with a pair of Earl free throws and a buzzer-beating jumper from Karina Herrera for a 57-33 lead after three.
    The Vikings built the lead to as much as 26 at 61-35 early in the fourth quarter before Lake Forest battled back. Lawrence didn't score for four minutes as Lake Forest trimmed the lead to 61-50 with 4:08 left.
    Brooks then buried a 3-pointer from the wing, and Earl tacked on a pair of free throws and a jumper to push the lead back to 68-50 with 3:11 remaining. The Lawrence defense also was superlative as the Foresters went 0-for-8 from the floor and committed a pair of turnovers in the final 3:30.
    The road win gave Lawrence a season sweep of the two-game series with the Foresters. This marks only the second time, and the first time since the 1983-84 season, that the Vikings have swept the season series from Lake Forest.
    Lawrence returns home to face Illinois College on Saturday afternoon at Alexander Gymnasium.