Jan. 29, 2009

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#11 Northern Kentucky 62, Lewis 60 in PDF Format

Romeoville, Ill. - Northern Kentucky, led by a game-high 19 points from senior forward DeAaron Williams, shot 54.2% (13-for-24) from the field and 60.0% (6-for-10) in the second half to earn the 62-60 come-from-behind Great Lakes Valley Conference victory over the Lewis Men's Basketball team at Neil Carey Arena.

Norse forward Leslie Malone added 17 points and nine rebounds in the victory, while teammate Dustin Maguire tallied 11 points, including three trifectas on the night. The second half proved to be the difference for NKU, as the Norse knocked down 54.2% (13-for-24) of their field goal attempts and 60.0% (6-for-10) from three-point land.

"It comes down to one possession," Lewis head men's basketball coach Scott Trost said. "No more, no less. They hit some shots tonight and we missed ours."

With the victory, Northern Kentucky improves to 15-4 overall and 8-2 in GLVC play, while the Flyers fall to 11-8 on the season and 5-5 in conference action.

Lewis senior guard Brandon Dagans (Harvey, Ill./Thornton) topped the Flyers with 18 points, while freshman center Marty Strus (Hickory Hills, Ill./Stagg) chipped in 13 points and a team-best eight rebounds.

Northern Kentucky struggled in the opening half as a stifling Lewis defense held the Norse to 29.6% shooting from the field and 18.2% (2-for-11) from three-point land, as the Flyers went into the intermission with a 28-23 lead.

The Norse, however, came storming out of the gates in the opening minutes of the second half with a 6-0 run, giving NKU a brief advantage with 18:35 left in the stanza. The lead would change hands 11 times over the next 15 minutes, before NKU's A'Daeron Duncan converted a three-pointer, his only basket of the night, to give the Norse a 56-53 lead with 3:53 left in the contest.

Lewis would cut NKU's advantage to one point three times over the next three minutes. The final time was following a missed Strus free throw, where Dagans grabbed the offensive rebound and Trost called a timeout with 32 seconds left with NKU leading 59-58.

On the ensuing possession, Dagans drove to the basket and kicked it out to senior guard Mike Robinson (Chicago, Ill./Hales Franciscan/Eastern Illinois) for a three-point attempt. Robinson (8 points, 7 rebounds) missed the shot and Malone grabbed the rebound, forcing the Flyers to foul.

Malone made both of his charity tosses, extending the Norse's lead to 61-58 with 16 seconds left. NKU head coach Dave Bezold called a time-out, giving the Flyers an opportunity for the game-tying shot. Lewis senior forward Jason Genova (Chicago, Ill./St. Patrick/Saint Xavier) stepped back for the three-pointer, but was unable to convert, securing the victory for the Norse. Genova finished with seven points and six rebounds on the evening.

Lewis returns to action on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m., as the Flyers host #8 Bellarmine at Neil Carey Arena.

A Catholic university sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis offers nearly 80 undergraduate majors and programs of study, accelerated degree completion options for working adults, various aviation programs and 22 graduate programs in nine fields. The 10th largest private, not-for-profit university in Illinois is being honored for the fifth consecutive year by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. For more information please visit www.lewisu.edu.

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