Dec. 18, 2004

Box Score

MIDLAND, Mich. - Anthony Scala delivered another impressive 3-point shooting performance, but Northwood finished the game with a flurry and defeated Lewis 75-65 Saturday in non-conference men's basketball action.

Scala was 6 of 12 from 3-point range and scored a team-high 20 points. The senior guard has led the Flyer scoring effort in three straight and four of the last five games, scored 20 or more points in three consecutive games and netted five or more 3-pointers in three straight and four of the last five outings. He is 28 of 57 (.491) from beyond the arc in those five contests.

Steve Turner scored 14 points and had team highs of seven rebounds and three steals, and Dustin Warfield added 10 points and five rebounds. DeAndre Williams and Brian Hyser collected five and four assists, respectively.

Scala nailed his first four 3-point attempts on Lewis' third, fourth, fifth and seventh possessions of the game to stake the Flyers (4-6) to a 16-8 lead, the first of three eight-point advantages for Lewis in the first half.

Despite a stretch of almost eight minutes without a field goal, the Flyers stayed in front for most of the opening period. In the final 1:03, however, Graham Mertz hit a 3-pointer and Djordje Lukic made two free throws to give Northwood (4-4) a 33-31 halftime edge.

A 13-2 outburst early in the second half turned a 37-33 Northwood lead into a 46-39 Lewis advantage with 14:07 left. Scala triggered the run with a 3-pointer, Warfield tallied a conventional 3-point play and a layup, and Scala followed with a steal and layup and another trey.

But with Lewis leading 50-43 at the 10:21 mark, things started to go Northwood's way.

A 12-4 spurt put the Timberwolves up 55-54 with 7:45 left. Although the Flyers quickly regained the lead on Turner's conventional 3-point play, a Mertz 3-pointer gave Northwood the lead for good and ignited a 16-1 run that put the Timberwolves comfortably ahead in the closing moments.

Northwood's D.J. Hughes was 5 of 9 from 3-point distance and led all scorers with 28 points. Hughes added six rebounds and five assists. Derek Fillmore was 4 of 10 from beyond the arc and posted 16 points and a game-high nine rebounds, while Mertz had 13 points and five assists.

Northwood was 16 of 29 (.552) overall and 7 of 14 (.500) from 3-point range in the second half and earned a 42-28 rebounding advantage that included 14 offensive boards.

The Flyers host non-conference opponent Trinity Christian Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the final game before the Christmas break.