March 4, 2007

Box Score

EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Led by tournament Most Valuable Player Mary Moskal, the Lewis University women's basketball team dominated Drury 69-52 Sunday in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship tournament final.

The conference title is the third in Lewis women's basketball history and first since 1985. The Flyers, ranked 9th in NCAA Division II, were making their first appearance in the championship game of the GLVC tournament, which began in 1998.

The victory extended Lewis' winning streak to eight and boosted its school-record win total to 27 (27-3). The Flyers now await word from the NCAA late Sunday concerning possible hosting privileges for the Division II Great Lakes Regional that begins Friday.

Moskal was joined on the all-tournament team by fellow senior Darcee Schmidt.

After Schmidt scored the game's first basket, Drury (22-8) assembled an 18-8 run that put the Panthers in front 18-10 with 12:32 left in the first half.

That's when Moskal took over. The senior guard/forward scored 11 of her game-high 19 points - including a 3-pointer that put the Flyers on top to stay, 24-22, with 6:16 remaining - during a 22-7 flurry that gave Lewis a 32-25 halftime advantage.

Kaci Baird also played a big role in that run, scoring 7 of her season-best 14 points.

Drury drew no closer than 5 points in the second half. A 3-pointer by Jenna Mooberry, who scored all 10 of her points following intermission, gave Lewis its first double-digit lead, 40-30, with 13:05 to play.

When Baird made two free throws at the 7:15 mark, Lewis owned a double-figure lead for good, 52-42.

Jennifer Green, who tied her season high of 11 points, buried a 3-pointer two possessions later for a 13-point Lewis cushion, and the Flyers were well on their way to collecting the championship trophy.

Brittney Diener tied her career high and led all players with 10 rebounds, including 5 on the offensive boards. Moskal had 6 rebounds, while Mooberry and Schmidt grabbed 5 apiece as Lewis earned a 39-32 advantage on the glass.

Moskal (10-of-12), Baird (7-of-8) and Diener (6-of-6) were the primary components of the Flyers' 24-of-27 (.889) free-throw shooting performance. The Lewis defense limited Drury to an icy .308 shooting mark (16-of-52) from the floor.

Becky Flippin (14) and Molly Carter (11) topped the Drury scoring chart. Carter tallied a game-high 5 assists.