Nov. 15, 2003

Romeoville, Ill. - Points were awfully hard to come by for the Lewis University men's basketball team in the early stages of the Flyers' contest against Ferris State Saturday night.

But when all was said and done, Lewis had connected on better than 50 percent from the floor, including a sizzling 9-of-18 from 3-point range, in a 76-63 victory over the Bulldogs in the season opener for both teams.

The Flyers had three turnovers, two missed free throws and a missed layup in their first five possessions and scored just six points in the first six-plus minutes of the game.

After an Austin Real (Aurora, Ill./Aurora West) layup gave Lewis its first lead, 11-10, with 12:47 left, Willie Thomas fueled a 13-4 Ferris State run with three 3-point baskets, and the Bulldogs led 23-15 at the 10:19 mark.

That's when the Lewis offense - sparked by the Flyers' tenacious defense -- finally arrived. Lewis held Ferris State to just three points during a stretch of almost seven minutes, and six different players scored in a 15-3 spurt that put the Flyers up 30-26 with 3:49 left.

The Bulldogs scored the next seven points to take a 33-30 edge, but back came Lewis with a 12-3 run to close the half. Demitrius Hunter (Silvis, Ill./United Township) and Monta McGhee (Chicago, Ill./Robeson) had a conventional 3-point play and another basket apiece during the flurry, and the Flyers led 42-36 at the break.

Lewis slowly pulled away in the second half, aided by a 6-of-9 effort from 3-point distance. An 11-3 run gave the Flyers their largest cushion, 64-50, with 6:28 remaining, and the lead slipped below double digits just three times the rest of the way.

McGhee topped the Lewis scoring chart with 16 points. Anthony Scala (Chicago, Ill./St. Patrick) scored a career-high 14 points (3-of-4 from 3-point range, 5-of-5 at the foul line), and Real added 13 points. Sidney Holmes (Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice) pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds and Hunter had six assists.

Ferris State's Thomas, who connected on 5-of-10 from beyond the arc, led all scorers with 19 points. Carlton Epps was 4-of-8 from 3-point range and tallied 16 points, Jeffery Shanahan collected 11 points and seven rebounds, and Dennis Springs added a game-high eight assists.

Lewis outrebounded Ferris State 43-23 and outscored the Bulldogs 19-8 at the foul line. Ferris managed to shoot just 36.7 percent (22-of-60) for the game, while the Flyers finished at 52.2 percent (24-of-46).

The Flyers travel to Grand Valley State Nov. 22.