GALESBURG, Ill. -- The Lawrence University men's basketball team pulled away late Wednesday to grab a 67-61 Midwest Conference victory over Knox College at Memorial Gymnasium.
    Lawrence put together a 9-2 outburst to pull out to a double-digit advantage and then got a late basket to seal the victory.
    Landon Key and Nathan Valentine scored 16 points apiece to lead the Vikings (3-6, 1-2 MWC). Key went 7-for-13 from the floor, including 2-for-3 from beyond the 3-point line, and Valentine was 8-for-9 from the foul line. Valentine added six rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.
    Lawrence's Casey Schoenecker posted his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
    Lawrence led nearly the entire game, building a six-point lead before settling for a 30-30 tie at the half. The Vikings led by as many as seven points midway through the second half, and Lawrence held a 55-51 advantage with 5:42 remaining.
    Caleb Nash then hit one free for the Vikings before a Knox turnover. Valentine drained his second 3-pointer of the game on the ensuing possession for a 59-51 advantage with just under five minutes left. 
    Valentine tacked on a free throw with 4:31 left before Josh Stewart cut the lead to 60-53 at the 3:53 mark. Key answered with a layup off a feed from Schoenecker for a 62-53 edge, and after a Knox miss, Valentine's second-chance basket put the Vikings up 64-53 with 2:50 remaining.
    Knox bounced back by scoring the game's next six points to cut the margin to 64-59 with 51 seconds remaining. 
    After a Lawrence turnover, Knox missed a 3-pointer, and the Vikings cashed in. Valentine found Hogan Demovsky open on the break and his layup gave Lawrence a 66-59 lead with 32 seconds left. Demovsky, who had been out due to injury, scored nine points in his return.
    Lawrence then closed out the win with a free throw from Demovsky with 16 seconds remaining. 
    Stewart paced Knox (2-6, 0-2) with a double-double of 24 points and 13 rebounds.