Feb. 21, 2004

Box Score

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - Transitioning and forcing the tempo, the Lewis University women's basketball team created 29 turnovers en route to beating Southern Indiana 85-74.

Both squads played extraordinarily aggressive on the defensive end. USI (17-8, 10-8 Great Lakes Valley Conference) forced 27 Flyer turnovers, but Lewis utilized a heavily balanced attack to overcome the Screaming Eagles.

For the second straight game, Lewis (15-10, 12-6 GLVC) had five players score at least 10 points. Shante Glenn had a game-high 19 points and made five free throws in the closing minutes that helped stave off USI's last-ditch effort. Glenn was 6-of-8 from the field and 7-of-9 from the free throw line. She also added five rebounds, four assists and four steals.

"Shante makes us very hard to defend," said Lewis head coach Lynn Plett. "She beat their press by herself all game so that they stopped pressing. We generally play well when she is able to get us out in transition and create for herself or for others."

USI missed its first two shots of the game, but connected on eight of its next nine field goals to forge a 19-11 lead. The Screaming Eagles scored 27 points in the first 11:37 of the game before Lewis' defense clamped down. The Flyers surrendered just four more points for the rest of the half and turned a 27-20 deficit to a 40-31 halftime lead.

The 22-4 run to close the half was extended into the opening minutes of the second half. Three steals in the first three minutes of the second half led to nine points and the Flyers finished with a 31-5 run over a 10:48 span.

Lewis held a 17-point lead with 16:54 left in the game and held off any serious threats down the stretch. The closest USI could pare the lead down to was eight points with 1:25 left in the game. The Screaming Eagles stayed within eight several times in the final minute, but Lewis had an answer for every bucket they made.

In the last home game of her career, Lewis senior Bryanne Callhan posted her seventh career double double. The 5-9 forward tallied 13 points and 10 rebounds and was 6-of-6 from the foul line. Fellow senior Tracy Buchholz notched 10 points and a pair of rebounds.

Freshmen Darcee Schmidt and Mary Moskal showed that the future of the program is in good hands as the pair combined for 31 points. Schmidt was 4-of-5 from the field and 9-of-10 from the free throw line for 17 points. Moskal contributed an all-around game with 14 points, three rebounds, three assists and a career-high five steals.

Lewis will be on the road for its final two GLVC games of the regular season. The Flyers sit alone in fourth place in the league standings. They will face conference-leading Quincy (21-4, 15-3 GLVC) Thursday, Feb. 26 in a game that could give Quincy the GLVC Championship outright. The Hawks are two games up on second-place Bellarmine with two games to play. Lewis will then finish the regular season at SIU Edwardsville Saturday, Feb. 28.

2/21/04