Dec. 15, 2003

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - Lewis raced to a 15-point lead in the opening moments of Monday night's non-conference game against Northwood and never looked back, sailing to an easy 85-54 victory at Neil Carey Arena.

Lewis improved to 7-1 with its sixth consecutive victory, while Northwood of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference lost for a fifth time in six outings to fall to 5-5.

The Flyers led 4-2 when they embarked on a 13-0 run that covered just 3:21. When Demitrius Hunter (Silvis, Ill./United Township) converted a conventional 3-point play with 15:17 left in the first half, Lewis owned a 17-2 cushion.

Boosted by 56 percent shooting (14-of-25), Lewis expanded its first-half advantage to 38-13 before settling for a 45-24 halftime lead.

Dallas Logan made a layup on the Timberwolves' initial second-half possession, but the Timberwolves wouldn't score again for more than five minutes. Meanwhile, Lewis scored the next nine points for a 54-26 lead at the 15:08 mark.

A 19-8 Northwood run sliced the Lewis lead to 62-45 at 7:58, but that was as close as the visitors would get. The Flyers re-awakened on both ends of the floor and outscored the Timberwolves 23-9 down the stretch.

Monta McGhee (Chicago, Ill./Robeson) led a balanced Lewis scoring attack with 18 points, including a 9-of-10 effort at the foul line. McGhee added eight rebounds and three assists.

Hunter scored 17 points, while Randy Wright (Thomasboro, Ill./Rantoul) was 5-of-6 from 3-point range and finished with 16. Austin Real (Aurora, Ill./Aurora West) was 8-of-10 at the foul line and scored 15 points, and in the process moved into 20th place on Lewis' career scoring list with 1,150 points.

Sidney Holmes (Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice) led all players with 10 rebounds as Lewis earned a 40-29 advantage on the glass. Anthony Scala (Chicago, Ill./St. Patrick) tallied a career-high five assists.

The Flyers' starting five of McGhee, Hunter, Wright, Real and Holmes combined to shoot 58.3 percent (21-of-36) from the field and 80 percent (24-of-30) at the stripe. Lewis finished at 48.1 percent (25-of-52) from the field and 75 percent (24-of-32) at the line.

Six players besides Wright made a 3-pointer as the Flyers were 11-of-19 (57.9 percent) from beyond the arc. Wright is 15-of-22 from 3-point distance (68.2 percent) in his last five outings.

Logan, Northwood's leading scorer who entered the game averaging 19.8 points per game, was held to 11. Djordge Lukic had 10 points and six rebounds, and Jeremy Rau grabbed seven rebounds.

Lewis limited Northwood to 38.5 percent (20-of-52) overall and 21.1 percent (4-of-19) from 3-point range. The Timberwolves shot just 41.7 percent (10-of-24) at the foul line.

Lewis improved to 5-0 at Neil Carey Arena this season. The Flyers are 19-1 at home since the beginning of last season.

The Flyers now head to Bakersfield, Calif., to compete in the California State-Bakersfield Roadrunner Classic Friday and Saturday. Lewis faces Fort Lewis (Colo.) Friday at 6 p.m. (Pacific time) and either Cal State-Bakersfield or Chaminade Saturday (6 p.m. with a Friday loss, 8 p.m. with a Friday win).