MOUNT VERNON, Iowa -- The Lawrence University women's basketball team held off a Cornell College rally Saturday for a 61-57 Midwest Conference victory at the Small Center. 
    Lawrence led by as many as 12 points early in the fourth quarter before Cornell rallied to take a one-point lead with 1:16 left. Lawrence then scored the final five points to grab the victory.
    Charlotte Brennan led the way for the Vikings with 13 points, and she added three steals and three assists. Mallory Meyer added 11 points and seven rebounds for Lawrence (12-4, 6-1 MWC). Sophie Morey and Maggie Culver had 10 points apiece for the Vikings. Morey had a game-high eight rebounds to go with two assists and two steals, and Culver had seven rebounds and a pair of steals.
    Reagan Wells and Tenley Cavanagh paced Cornell (10-5, 6-1) with 12 points apiece.
    Cornell led 24-23 at the break, but the Vikings grabbed the momentum with a big third quarter. Lawrence scored the first 10 points of the second half, capped by Brennan's 3-pointer, to take a 33-24 lead.
    Lawrence led by as many as 11 points in the quarter, and Culver's layup at the buzzer gave the Vikings a 47-37 lead heading to the fourth.
    Two free throws from Morey to start the fourth gave Lawrence its biggest lead at 49-37, but the Rams rallied. Cornell went on a 13-2 run, capped by Heidi Jorgensen's 3-pointer with 1:16 left, to take a 57-56 lead.
    Brennan answered for the Vikings with a driving layup to give Lawrence a 58-57 lead with 54 seconds remaining. Wells then missed a 3-pointer, and Brennan grabbed the rebound for the Vikings. 
    The Rams were forced to foul and put Brennan on the line with 23 seconds left, and she converted both for a 60-57 lead. Wells then missed a shot in the paint, and Culver corralled the rebound for Lawrence. 
    Meyer was fouled with four seconds left and missed both free throws. However, she came up with the offensive rebound and made one free throw with two seconds left to seal the victory.
    Lawrence is now in a three-way tie for first place in the league with Cornell and Ripon at 6-1.