Jan. 2, 2010

Box Score

Men's Basketball: Northern Kentucky 74, Lewis 73 (OT) in PDF Format

Highland Heights, Ky. - Northern Kentucky freshman forward Corey Sorrell (16 points) knocked down the game-winning jumper with five seconds left in overtime to lift the host Norse to the 74-73 Great Lakes Valley Conference decision over the Lewis University men's basketball team at the Bank of Kentucky Center on Saturday (Jan. 2) afternoon.

"They just made one more play than we did," Lewis head men's basketball coach Scott Trost said. "We took a good team to overtime on the road, but we need all five guys to contribute in order for us to win. We have such a young team that there is going to be a maturation process, but it's a disappointing loss and a game I thought we could have won."

NKU senior center David Palmer led the Norse with a double-double of 18 points and 14 rebounds, followed by 17 points from Chris Knight and 15 tallies from Scott Bibbins.

While Sorrell knocked down the game-winner for the Norse, it was Bibbins that provided the freshman forward with the opportunity. Bibbins went from goat to hero in a matter of moments as he scored seven of NKU's 11 points during the extra session.

"(Bibbins) is a very crafty player, he's smart, makes plays and knows how to get into the paint," Trost said. "We just had a hard time guarding him today and he stepped up in overtime."

In regulation, Bibbins had the ball, as the Norse were protecting a 63-61 lead over the Flyers with 21 seconds left. Lewis sophomore guard Chris McClellan (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Wheeling) stole the ball and was immediately fouled by Bibbins, sending him to the free throw line for the game-tying charity shots to move the game into overtime. McClellan finished with 22 points, including four three-pointers.

With the victory, Northern Kentucky improves to 8-4 overall and 1-2 in GLVC action, while the Flyers drop to 9-3 on the campaign and 1-2 in conference action, snapping their five-game winning streak.

Lewis junior guard Dennis Thomas Jr. (Milwaukee, Wis./Bradley Tech) posted a game-high 24 points for the Flyers, while sophomore center Marty Strus (Hickory Hills, Ill./Stagg) notched his second double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Lewis sophomore forward Justin Jarosz (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) had 12 points and nine rebounds in the loss. McClellan, Thomas, Strus and Jarosz were the only Flyer players to score on Saturday afternoon.

The overtime session was a see-saw affair that saw eight lead changes and five ties, with the Norse holding a 72-71 lead over the Flyers, as Palmer split a pair of free throws with 40 seconds left.

Thomas was fouled on the ensuing possession, and knocked down both of his free throw attempts to put the Flyers ahead, 73-72.

NKU called a timeout with 17 seconds left in overtime, and Bibbins found Sorrell for the game-winning jumper. McClellan's desperation three-point attempt with two seconds left was blocked by Knight, securing the win for the Norse.

Lewis returns to action on Monday (Jan. 4), as they travel to Louisville, Ky., to square off with Bellarmine for a 7:45 PM (EST) 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 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.

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