Jan. 14, 2010

Box Score

Men's Basketball: Lewis 69, Rockhurst 66 in PDF Format

Romeoville, Ill. - Every time Rockhurst seemed to have the Lewis University men's basketball team on its heels, the Flyers had an answer.

That answer was sophomore forward Justin Jarosz (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport).

Jarosz scored 15 points, including a 4-for-4 outing from three-point range and a clutch trifecta with 30 seconds left to help Lewis snap a four-game losing streak and lift the Flyers to the 69-66 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory over the Hawks at Neil Carey Arena on Thursday (Jan. 14) night.

Lewis sophomore center Marty Strus (Hickory Hills, Ill./Stagg) topped the Flyers with his third double-double of the year with a season-high 17 points and 13 rebounds. Sophomore point guard Chris McClellan (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Wheeling) scored 10 of his 12 points in the final stanza along with a career-high seven assists. Freshman guard David Bryant (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) came off the bench for 10 points and seven rebounds.

"Every single one of our games has gone to the wire this year," Lewis head men's basketball coach Scott Trost said. "It's learning how to win with an awfully young team.

"Hopefully, we can learn from this and keep getting better," Trost continued. "We had some huge plays from Jarosz and Strus tonight.

"I'm proud of our team and how they responded, because it shows that there's a little fight there."

With the victory, Lewis improves to 10-6 on the season and 2-5 in conference play, while the Hawks drop to 10-6 on the season and 5-2 in GLVC action.

Rockhurst junior Aaron Morrissey paced the Hawks' offensive attack with 17 points, followed by 15 points from 2009 GLVC Player of the Year, Aaron Hill and 10 points from senior forward Jake Meyer.

Hill managed only six points in the second half, thanks in part to a stellar defensive effort from junior guard Dennis Thomas, Jr. (Milwaukee, Wis./Bradley Tech).

Morrissey looked to be the hero for the Hawks, as he knocked down a three-pointer with 50 seconds left to give Rockhurst a 66-65 advantage.

On the ensuing possession, McClellan found Jarosz wide open on the baseline for his fourth three-pointer of the second half to put the Flyers ahead for good at 68-66.

Rockhurst tried to respond like they had all night, but after a turnover by Morrissey, the Hawks were forced to foul. Bryant, split a pair of free throws, extending Lewis' lead to 69-66 with 2.1, giving Rockhurst a chance to tie the game.

Rockhurst, however, was unable to launch a three-point attempt at the buzzer, securing the win for the Flyers.

The Flyers are back in action on Saturday (Jan. 16) night as they travel to the University of Indianapolis for a 6:30 p.m. (CST) start.

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 9th largest private, not-for-profit university in Illinois is being honored for the sixth consecutive year by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. For more information please visit www.lewisu.edu.

##LEWIS##