Jan. 23, 2010

Box Score

Men's Basketball: No. 19 Drury 70, Lewis 60 in PDF Format

Springfield, Mo. - The Lewis University men's basketball team had No. 19 Drury on the ropes, as the Flyers held a 51-46 lead over the Panthers with less than 10 minutes remaining.

The Panthers, however, fought back and outscored Lewis 24-9 over the final 9:17 of the game to earn the 70-60 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory over the Flyers, snapping their three-game winning streak, at Weiser Gymnasium on Saturday (Jan. 23) afternoon.

Junior guard Chase Elliott scored a game-high 16 points for the Panthers, while teammates Dennon Mitchell and Dominique Long each posted 13 points in the win.

"They just executed better in the second half," Lewis head men's basketball coach Scott Trost said. "We didn't do very well against their trap and we seemed a little hesitant and we stalled offensively. I can't fault our effort though, because this is a top-20 team and we were right there with them.

"I thought everyone competed hard and the kids can be proud of that," Trost continued. "We've been in every game this year, but we just need to learn how to finish and make some plays down the stretch."

With the victory, Drury improves to 15-3 overall and 8-1 in conference action, while the Flyers fall to 12-7 on the season and 4-6 in GLVC play.

Lewis freshman David Bryant (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) led five Lewis players with 14 points, including a career-high tying four three-pointers. Junior guard Donald Rowe (Kansas City, Kan./Wyandotte/Independence C.C.) scored 12 points, while sophomores Justin Jarosz (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport), Chris McClellan (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Wheeling) and Marty Strus (Hickory Hills, Ill./Stagg) each scored 10 points. Strus grabbed 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.

In the second half, Lewis was without the services of leading scorer Dennis Thomas, Jr. (Milwaukee, Wis./Bradley Tech) who injured his left shoulder in the opening stanza.

Lewis held Drury leading scorer Alex Hall (20.8 ppg.) to a season-low eight points on the afternoon, but the GLVC's third-leading scorer proved crucial in the second half.

After leading by as many as 11 in the first half, Lewis saw Drury chip away at their lead minute-by-minute. Lewis held a 51-46 advantage over the Panthers with 10:34 remaining in the second half following a Jarosz jumper.

Drury, led by a pair of treys from Hall, went on a 10-0 run over the next 3:18 to push the Panthers ahead 56-51 and they would never look back.

Lewis returns to action on Thursday (Jan. 28) night, as the Flyers welcome No. 13 Kentucky Wesleyan to Neil Carey Arena for a 7:45 PM tip-off. The game will be broadcast on Lakeshore Public Television, which can be viewed over the air and on satellite through DirecTV and Dish Network on Channel 56, on cable channel 17 in most Northwest Indiana communities, and on 18 and 21 in Chicago and its suburbs.

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##