Jan. 22, 2004

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - Respect is something the Lewis women's basketball team has been trying to gain throughout this season.

It began with the preseason coaches poll when the team was picked to place ninth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference; it continued as the Flyers were left out of the January 20 Great Lakes Region top 10 despite a 4-0 record against nationally ranked teams.

The Flyers expect that an 89-72 road victory over No. 21 Bellarmine (11-5, 7-3 GLVC) will help their case. Lewis (11-6, 8-2 GLVC) claimed sole possession of second place in the conference with its win over the nationally ranked Knights.

Lewis used a 21-0 run over a six-minute span in the first half to forge a 21-8 lead. That spurt would prove to be the difference in the game as Bellarmine cut the lead to fewer than 10 points just once; BU's Lynne Johnson made a pair of free throws with 3:52 remaining in the game to trim the score to 76-69. However, Shante Glenn would clinch the game by converting consecutive three-point plays and pushing the lead back to 15 points.

The driving force for the Flyers was senior forward Bryanne Callahan. Callahan had struggled in recent outings, but she erupted for a career-high 34 points on 15-of-19 shooting. She added seven rebounds and three assists.

The Flyers shot 60.6 percent (20-of-33) from the field in the first half and finished the game shooting 53.7 percent.

Glenn added 18 points and four assists. Tracy Buchholz had 14 points and three rebounds and made four 3-pointers. Darcee Schmidt contributed with 10 points and seven rebounds.

Lewis' victory marked the first time the team has swept the regular season series with Bellarmine since 1999-2000.

The Flyers stay on the road and will play Kentucky Wesleyan January 24 at 1 p.m.

1/22/04