March 10, 2006

Box Score

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Darcee Schmidt (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem)'s 23 points led five Lewis players in double figures, and the Flyers dominated Lake Superior State 89-66 Friday night in an NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional quarterfinal game.

No. 5 seed Lewis (19-10) advances to Saturday's semifinals to play host and No. 1 seed Drury, a 75-52 winner over Quincy. Drury is ranked No. 5 nationally and is unbeaten at home this season.

The Lewis-Drury semifinal is set for 8 p.m. The 6 p.m. semifinal matches No. 2 seed Grand Valley State, an 87-59 winner over No. 7 Ashland, and No. 3 Northern Kentucky, which edged No. 6 Michigan Tech 67-66.

The victory is the first-ever in NCAA play for Lewis, making its fifth tournament appearance overall and second in as many years. The Flyers snapped a three-game losing streak and avenged two regular-season losses to the Lakers, who finished 21-8.

Schmidt scored 18 of her 23 points in the first half as Lewis stormed to a 48-24 halftime cushion. Her 7-of-11 shooting effort included 3-of-4 from 3-point range, and she was 6-of-6 at the foul line.

Shante Glenn scored 18 points and added five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Jenna Mooberry (6-of-9 overall, 2-of-3 in 3-point shooting) scored a career-high 14 points, Brittney Diener netted a career-best 10 and Kelly Dianis tallied 10.

A Schmidt 3-pointer ignited a 10-0 run that put Lewis in command, 21-11, with 10:30 to play in the first half.

Lake Superior State, the No. 4 seed, cut the lead to eight points on two occasions. But when Mooberry grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to put Lewis in front 25-15, the Flyers had a double-digit lead for good.

That basket sparked a 25-9 run to end an opening period that saw Lewis tie its second-highest first-half scoring output of the season.

The Lakers managed a brief second-half flurry that trimmed their deficit to 52-36. But Glenn's 3-pointer swung the momentum back to Lewis, sparking a 13-3 run that gave the Flyers a 65-39 advantage and firm control.

Schmidt had a game-high nine rebounds and Mary Moskal added eight to lead the Flyers to a 37-35 edge on the glass. Moskal collected a game-high seven assists, Schmidt led all players with four steals, and Diener had five assists and three steals.

Lewis shot .564 from the floor overall and .600 (9-of-15) from 3-point distance. The Flyers' swarming defense forced 21 Lake Superior State turnovers and limited the Lakers to .355 overall shooting and .143 (2-of-14) from beyond the arc.

Lake Superior's Becky Marquardt-King, who was 11-of-13 from the floor and 13-of-15 at the foul line, led all scorers with 35 points.