Feb. 10, 2007

Box Score

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Never, ever count the Lewis University men's basketball team out of a game.

Brandon Dagans scored a career-high 37 points, and the Flyers overcame a 15-point second-half deficit to beat Great Lakes Valley Conference rival Bellarmine 103-99 in double overtime Saturday afternoon.

Lewis improved to 13-10 overall, matching its victory total of last season, and 8-7 in the GLVC. Bellarmine, which squandered a 13-point halftime lead in a 71-66 loss to the Flyers in Romeoville earlier this season, fell to 11-12, 7-8.

Dagans also established career highs and GLVC season highs of 16 free throws and 20 free-throw attempts (one shy of the Lewis record), and he was 3-of-4 from 3-point range. He scored 20 or more points for a 13th time in 14 games, improved his league-leading scoring average to 19.4 and had seven rebounds and five assists.

GLVC minutes-played leader Jason Genova went the 50-minute distance and finished with 23 points and five rebounds. Stephan Bolt tallied 16 points (6-of-7 shooting) and nine rebounds, and Keelan Donald played a huge role off the bench with career highs of 11 points and 10 rebounds, including seven points and four boards in the extra periods.

Dustin Warfield and Matthew Marino grabbed six and five rebounds, respectively, helping Lewis earn a whopping 52-26 advantage on the glass that included 15 offensive rebounds. Marino added four assists.

Bellarmine was in front 31-16 with 9:06 left in the first half, but Dagans scored 16 of his 19 first-half points the rest of the way to help the Flyers slice the Knights' lead to 47-39 at the break.

In the second half, Lewis crept to within five points before a 10-0 Bellarmine spurt gave the Knights a 69-54 cushion with 9:45 to play. Dagans again answered the call, however, scoring 12 points in a 19-4 Flyer outburst that knotted the score at 73 at the 3:46 mark.

Dagans buried a 3-pointer to even the score at 77 and made the back end of a two-shot trip to the line to give Lewis its first lead. After the teams traded baskets, Bellarmine's Marcus Flynn made one of two free throws with 14 seconds left for an 80-all deadlock, and the game went into overtime when Dagans' game-winning try was off the mark.

In the first extra session, the Knights owned a 90-85 edge with 1:58 remaining. But Donald made a key play with an offensive rebound and basket, and Genova's conventional 3-point play on the Flyers' next possession made it 90 apiece with 1:00 left.

Lewis couldn't take advantage of a Bellarmine turnover, and the game went into a second overtime that was controlled by the Flyers. The first of four consecutive Brandon Alexander free throws gave Lewis the lead for good, 93-92, and the Flyers pushed the margin to six points twice. Two Genova free throws with 3 seconds left sealed the win.

Bellarmine's Matt Otte led all players with a school-record and GLVC season-high 43 points, a total that included a school-record nine 3-pointers (9-of-12). Otte also led the Knights with eight rebounds. Flynn scored 17 points and Jamie Jackson added 11.

Lewis collected season highs of 103 points, 32 free throws, 45 free-throw attempts and 52 rebounds. The Flyers' .525 shooting percentage included a .571 mark (20-of-35) in the second half and overtime.

Led by Otte's 5-of-6 effort, Bellarmine was 10-of-20 from beyond the arc in the first half. The Knights struggled from there, however, going just 5-of-17 the rest of the way, while the Flyers connected on 6-of-11 treys in the second half and overtime to finish 7-of-17.

Lewis begins a three-game homestand Thursday night against Saint Joseph's.