APPLETON, Wis. -- The Lawrence University women's basketball team came up on the short end of a 72-60 Midwest Conference loss to Cornell College on Saturday at Alexander Gymnasium.
    After a tight opening half, Cornell pulled away in the third quarter and kept the Vikings at arm's length in the fourth to post the victory.
    Mallory Meyer led the Vikings with 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Libby Crandall added 13 points and five rebounds for Lawrence.
    Rookie guard Tanner Bost came off the bench to score 12 points as she went 3-for-5 from beyond the 3-point line and 3-for-4 from the foul line. She added four rebounds and a pair of assists. Senior guard Delaney Brooks handed out a game-high five assists for the Vikings (7-17, 3-12 MWC).
    The Vikings, who have seen their starting lineup decimated by injury in the second half of the season, traded the lead with Cornell in the opening half. Ashley Batac's 3-pointer with 7:25 left in the first half gave the Vikings a 23-22 lead. The teams then traded the lead multiple times before Cornell edged out to a 34-32 advantage at halftime.
    The Rams started the second half on a 9-0 run to go up 43-32, and they pushed the lead to 53-38 after three quarters.
    Lawrence closed to 55-43 on Brooks' 3-pointer with 7:24 left in the game before Cornell stretched the lead back to 63-47. Lawrence answered with a 3-pointer by Lydia Lueck and Bost hit a 3-pointer to pull within 65-54 with 3:37 left. The Vikings got as close as nine points on a pair of Crandall free throws with 1:30 left, but Cornell made five free throws in the final 1:25 to seal the victory.
    Karli Artman led Cornell (9-12, 8-6) with 21 points.
    The Vikings close their season next Saturday at Illinois College.