Jan. 4, 2010

Box Score

Men's Basketball: Bellarmine 79, Lewis 73 in PDF Format

Louisville, Ky. - The Lewis University men's basketball team rallied from a 19-point second-half deficit against Bellarmine, but the Flyers could not sustain their brief lead, as the Knights countered with an 8-0 run to give them a lead they would never surrender, as BU earned the 79-73 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory at Knights Hall on Monday (Jan. 4) night.

Bellarmine sophomore forward Luke Sprague posted a game-high 19 points to lead the Knights. BU junior guard Jeremy Kendle chipped in 16 points in the win, while Justin Benedetti garnered 13 points.

BU sophomore guard Braydon Hobbs was the catalyst down the stretch as he posted eight of his 15 points in the final 3:38 of the contest.

"I'm proud of our effort tonight," Lewis head men's basketball coach Scott Trost said. "We played hard, competed and really battled back from that 19-point deficit.

"Not a lot of teams are going to beat Bellarmine in their own gym, and we had a chance tonight," Trost continued. "It's tough to win on the road in this conference."

With the victory, Bellarmine improves to 9-4 overall and 2-2 in GLVC action, while the Flyers fall to 9-4 on the season and 1-3 in conference play.

Lewis sophomore forward Justin Jarosz (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) topped the Flyers with his first career double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds. Junior forward Donald Rowe (Kansas City, Kan./Wyandotte/Independence C.C.) posted 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting, while sophomore guard Chris McClellan (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Wheeling) added 14 points, including a perfect 3-for-3 from long range. Sophomore center Marty Strus (Hickory Hills, Ill./Stagg) ripped down a team-season and career-high 14 rebounds on the evening.

Lewis' leading scorer Dennis Thomas Jr. (Milwaukee, Wis./Bradley Tech) struggled against the Knights' defense, as he notched 12 points on 3-for-17 shooting.

It was a game of runs for both teams, as the Knights' used a 27-6 run that spanned over both halves and lasted a little over nine minutes to take a 46-27 lead with 18:36 remaining in the second half. Sprague keyed the Bellarmine run with 14 of his 19 points during this stretch.

Lewis took the Knights' punch and countered with their own with a 37-16 run that was capitalized with a Rowe fastbreak layup that gave the Flyers the 64-62 advantage with 3:50 left in the contest. Rowe (12 points) and McClellan (10 points) combine for 22 of the Flyers points during that span.

That lead was short lived as Bellarmine answered with an 8-0 run, highlighted by trifectas from both Hobbs and Benedetti, to give the Knights a lead they would not relinquish at 70-64.

Lewis returns to action on Thursday (Jan. 7) night, as the Flyers travel to face GLVC North leader Quincy for a 7:30 PM (CST) 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.

##LEWIS##