Feb. 16, 2008

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ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - Lewis outscored Kentucky Wesleyan 36-22 in the second half to rally from a four-point halftime deficit to defeat the Panthers 59-49 in a Great Lakes Valley Conference game Saturday afternoon at Neil Carey Arena.

The Panthers took their largest lead of the game at seven points on a layup by Chelsea Kilty with 2:15 left. They led by six till sophomore Amy Smith nailed a jumper at the buzzer to cut the Flyers' deficit to four points at the half.

After missing all three 3-point attempts in the first half, junior Kelly Dianis nailed three huge treys, all assisted by sophomore Lauresha Hawkins, to power the Flyers' offense in the second. Her first trey came with 14:01 left when she tied the game at 30. Next, with 9:14 left and the Flyers up by five she got in the way of a Kilty pass and raced down court but missed the open layup. Hawkins hustled back and grabbed the offensive board as Dianis snuck into the left corner. Hawkins found her and she nailed a 3-point shot to give the Flyers an eight point advantage. Dianis' final three came with 1:44 left. The Panthers were within five but she connected on a trey to put the game away.

Dianis finished with 15 points. Junior Lauren Martens was strong inside all day, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. She was 6-of-7 from the line. Freshman Jenny Turpel added 12 points. The Flyers shot 17-of-23 from the free throw line while Kentucky Wesleyan made 7-of-14 attempts. Both teams finished 19-of-54 (35.2 percent) from the floor. LaTasha Henry finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds, nine offensive, for Kentucky Wesleyan.

The Flyers improved to 12-10 (8-7 GLVC) while Kentucky Wesleyan falls to 12-11 (6-9 GLVC). Lewis is at Indianapolis next Thursday.