Jan. 31, 2009

Box Score

Lewis 75, #8 Bellarmine 72 in PDF Format

Romeoville, Ill. - Lewis University senior guard Brandon Dagans (Harvey, Ill./Thornton) scored a game-high 28 points, including nine of his squad's last 11 points, as the host Flyers upset #8 Bellarmine for the 75-72 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory at Neil Carey Arena on Saturday afternoon.

The win marks Lewis' first win over a ranked opponent since a 58-55 win over Kentucky Wesleyan on February 16, 2008. The victory also marked the 200th career win for Lewis head men's basketball coach Scott Trost.

"(Brandon) was great," Trost said. "He's a guy that we have that can make plays. He's hard to guard and made a lot of tremendous plays at the basket.

"That's why he's one of the better guards in the league."

Lewis sophomore guard Dennis Thomas (Milwaukee, Wis./Bradley Tech) posted 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting, while teammate Jason Genova (Chicago, Ill./St. Patrick/Saint Xavier) collected 15 points, including three trifectas.

With the victory, Lewis improves to 12-8 overall and 6-5 in GLVC action, while the Knights drop to 16-3 on the campaign and 7-3 in conference play.

Bellarmine senior center Oladapo Fagbenle and freshman guard Braydon Hobbs each scored 14 points to lead the Knights. BU sophomore guard Justin Benedetti added 11 points, while classmate Forrest Smallwood tallied 10 points off of the bench.

Lewis held the lead for much of the second half and built their lead to as big as six points with a 61-55 advantage with 8:32 left in the contest. The Knights, however fought back and drew to within one point at 69-68, as Hobbs knocked down a jumper with 2:05 left in the contest.

Over the next 1:10, both sides would score four points apiece with Lewis holding a 73-72 advantage with 55 ticks remaining following a lay-up from BU forward Nick Holmes (8 points).

On the ensuing possession, the Flyers would give the ball right back to the Knights on an unforced turnover from Dagans with 36 seconds left.

Hobbs would draw a foul from Genova, sending him to the free throw line for the 1-and-1 with 16 seconds remaining. His first attempt sailed wide left and sophomore forward Lonnie Lawrence (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington) grabbed the rebound. Lawrence, who finished the game with eight points and 10 rebounds, quickly dished the ball to Dagans - who was immediately fouled.

The Harvey, Ill., native calmly drained both of his attempts, extending Lewis' advantage to 75-72 with 13 seconds remaining.

Bellarmine had a chance to tie the game, but a stingy Flyer defense forced Hobbs to throw up an errant three-point attempt, securing the upset victory for Lewis.

"We found a way to get a stop in the last possession," Trost said. "They're a darn good team and it's a good win for us.

"This team needs it and deserves it," Trost continued. "They've worked very hard and found a way to hang in there."

Lewis returns to action on Thursday (Feb. 5) night, as the Flyers head to the road to square off with Kentucky Wesleyan for a 7:45 p.m. tip-off.

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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