Dec. 19, 2003

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Monta McGhee (Chicago, Ill./Robeson) scored a career-high 29 points and added a game-high 11 rebounds to lead Lewis to an 82-72 victory over Fort Lewis (Colo.) Friday at Cal State-Bakersfield's State Farm Roadrunner Classic.

The win was the seventh in a row for Lewis, which improved to 8-1. Fort Lewis slipped to 5-3.

The Flyers will play the winner of the Cal State-Bakersfield-Chaminade game Saturday at 8 p.m. PST.

McGhee was 11-of-18 from the field, including a 3-pointer, and 6-of-9 at the foul line. The senior forward added three blocked shots and three steals and did not commit a turnover in 37 minutes.

Austin Real (Aurora, Ill./Aurora West) and Sidney Holmes (Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice) tallied 13 points apiece, and Steve Turner (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods) scored 10 points off the bench. Real added eight rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots. Randy Wright (Thomasboro, Ill./Rantoul) contributed six assists.

Fort Lewis shot 52.6 percent from the field, including 44.4 percent (8-of-18) from 3-point range, while the Flyers shot 47.5 percent overall and just 25 percent (4-of-16) from beyond the arc.

Lewis, however, gained a huge advantage at the free-throw line despite an 18-18 deadlock in the foul count. The Flyers connected on 20-of-26 (76.9 percent) at the stripe, including 14-of-18 in the second half, to Fort Lewis' 4-of-11 (36.4 percent).

Ryan Sonnek (16 points), Nick Brooks (11 points) and Derek Yutzy (11 points) led the Fort Lewis scoring effort.