Feb. 28, 2009

Box Score

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Lewis led defending national champion Northern Kentucky at halftime, but in the end the Flyers fell 77-56 to the No. 2 team in the country on Saturday afternoon in the regular season finale for the Flyers.

The Flyers look their largest lead of the game with 12:56 remaining in the first half when sophomore Jenny Turpel (Johnsburg, Ill./Johnsburg) converted on a layup to put the Flyers up by six. The Norse chipped at the lead, but the Flyers stayed strong. Lewis led 31-26 when senior Mandie Morelock (Poplar Grove, Ill./North Boone) nailed a jumper with 4:11 remaining. The Norse rallied to lead by two with 2:10 till half, but back came the Flyers. Baskets by Turpel and freshman Devon Carbaugh (Sterling, Ill./Sterling) helped give Lewis a 35-34 advantage at the break.

The Flyers looked strong early in the second half. A trey by sophomore Kady Currin (Cincinnati, Ohio/Seton) gave Lewis a 45-41 advantage with 16:24 remaining. It was a one-point Norse lead at 52-51 with 10:51 left when Northern Kentucky finished the game on a 25-5 run.

"The unfortunate thing is you look at the scoreboard and end up not feeling good about the last 5-7 minutes," head coach Lisa Carlsen said. "I thought NKU played well today and we did a good job of executing our game plan to stick right there, now we need to do that for 40 minutes."

The Flyers held an 11-9 rebounding edge in the first half, but were beaten on the boards 20-12 in the second.

Turpel finished with 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Carbaugh added 12 points and seven boards. Sophomore Kelly Monaco (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) had eight points, hitting two treys in the first half but missing her only two attempts from long range in the second.

"Northern Kentucky did make an adjustment on Kelly," Carlsen said. "But we have to find a way to get her the basketball."

Currin added eight, also hitting two 3-pointers. For the Norse, Cassie Brannen finished with 20 points.

Northern Kentucky improves to 25-2 (16-2 Great Lakes Valley Conference). Lewis falls to 15-12 (11-7 GLVC).

The loss has no affect on the Flyers' positioning in the GLVC Tournament as they secured the No. 3 seed in the GLVC East earlier in the season. Lewis will play GLVC West No. 2 Drury on Friday at 2:30 p.m. CT on the campus of Quincy University in the first round of the GLVC Tournament.

Lewis fell at Drury 78-63 earlier this season, but led by six at the break. Last season the Flyers won at Drury 73-58. In 2006-07 Lewis defeated Drury in the GLVC Championship, but fell to the Lady Panthers in the NCAA Tournament.