By Dylan Butler
“I was struggling the whole game, I had a couple of turnovers, but I tried to keep my head up,” Lawrence said. “It's part of being a basketball player.”Lawrence finished with four points and four rebounds in 21 minutes, but with the game on the line he came up with his greatest moments in a Queens College uniform.First he stepped into the passing lane and stripped Will Carty with Queens clinging to a three-point lead. On the next possession, Hassan Washington dribble penetrated and found Lawrence on the baseline, who sent in a thunderous two-handed dunk to put the Knights in front, 56-51 with 52 seconds remaining.”Has always gets to the basket, so the big men on the team just have to be ready when he gets in the lane,” Lawrence said of Washington, who is 10th in the country with 6.4 assists per game. He wasn't done there. Kenyon Jackson buried a three-pointer for Dominican (5-6) with 34.5 seconds remaining and, after Washington went 1-of-2 from the free throw line two seconds later, the Chargers had a chance to tie the game. But Lawrence swatted Jackson's two-point attempt with 18.3 seconds left.Lawrence is energetic and athletic, which is why Queens College coach Kyrk Peponakis recruited Lawrence from Uniondale High School. While Peponakis has never questioned Lawrence's desire or effort, his basketball IQ is another thing.”I keep all my hair, I just watch it change colors,” Peponakis said, when asked if he sometimes wants to pull out his hair in frustration. Lawrence came up huge with the game on the line, which was especially critical for Queens (6-4) because Bradd Wierzbicki, the seventh leading scorer in the nation, struggled with his shot as he battled back pain. The senior guard, who is averaging 25.1 points per game, had 16 points, but shot 5-of-15 from the field.QC got to the basket and the foul line and won the rebounding battle by one, something Peponakis stressed in the locker room pre-game.”I wrote on the board play hard and rebound,” he said. “I think that was too much to write.”Reach Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 143.
