Feb. 5, 2009

Box Score

Lewis 72, Kentucky Wesleyan 59 in PDF Format

Owensboro, Kent. - The Lewis University men's basketball team forced 20 Kentucky Wesleyan turnovers and scored 24 points off of the Panthers' miscues, as the visiting Flyers picked up the 72-59 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory at the Owensboro Sports Center on Thursday night.

Kentucky Wesleyan entered Thursday's contest ranked sixth overall in the Midwest region.

"We played about as well as we could have tonight," Lewis University head men's basketball coach Scott Trost said. "I'm proud of our kids, this was a big win on the road and road wins mean a lot. We're going to enjoy this one."

Lewis senior guard Brandon Dagans (Harvey, Ill./Thornton), appearing in his 100th career game as a Flyer, posted a team-best 29 points and was a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line. His first two points of the game gave Dagans his 1,500th career point in a Lewis uniform.

Freshman Chris McClellan (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Wheeling) came off the bench and knocked down four three-pointers and finished with 14 points, while senior forward Jason Genova (Chicago, Ill./St. Patrick/Saint Xavier) chipped in 11 points and eight rebounds in the victory.

"I thought Chris played great," Trost said. "He hit some big shots, but tonight was a total team effort."

With the victory, Lewis improves to 13-8 on the season and 7-5 in GLVC action, while the Panthers drop to 14-5 overall and 7-5 in conference play. The win moves the Flyers into third-place in the GLVC East with Lewis now holding the tiebreaker over the Panthers.

Entering Thursday's contest, Kentucky Wesleyan had six players averaging in double-digits for the Panthers, but only two players, senior guard T.J. Smith (21 points) and forward Lorenzo Taylor (12 points, 12 rebounds) were able to crack the double-digit barrier.

"Our kids competed tonight and they're starting to buy into the idea that if we're going to win in this league, we're going to have to defend," Trost said.

Lewis returns to action on Thursday (Feb. 12), as the Flyers welcome Indianapolis to Neil Carey Arena 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 mid-sized university 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. ##LEWIS##