Feb. 27, 2010

Box Score

Men's Basketball: Lewis 79, Indianapolis 76 (GLVC First Round) in PDF Format

Springfield, Mo. - After trailing by as many as 18 points in the second half, Lewis junior guards Dennis Thomas, Jr. (Milwaukee, Wis./Bradley Tech) and Donald Rowe (Kansas City, Kan./Wyandotte/Independence C.C.) put their teammates on their backs, as the duo combined for 33 points in the final stanza to lift the Flyers to the 79-76 victory over Indianapolis in the first round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament at Drury's Weiser Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.

Thomas scored 21 of his game-high 27 points in the second half, while Rowe posted 12 of his 13 tallies for the Flyers, including the game-winning jumper with 10 seconds left in the game.

"We came out sluggish at the beginning of the game with not a lot of energy," Lewis head men's basketball coach Scott Trost said. "We have to give our guys a lot of credit. They bounced back in the second half with a lot more energy and a sense of urgency.

"DT took over in the second half, he drove to the basket and got to the line, so it was a big night for him," Trost continued. "Donald Rowe might have had one of his best games of the year today."

With the victory, Lewis improves to 17-11 overall and will play host Drury in the GLVC Quarterfinals at 3 PM (CST) tomorrow. Indianapolis ends the 2009-10 campaign with a record of 12-16.

Thomas' backcourt mate Chris McClellan (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Wheeling) chipped in 17 points, including three trifectas, and five assists, while sophomore forward Matt Toth (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) came off the bench and scored 10 points in the victory.

UIndy guard Darius Adams topped the Greyhounds with 25 points, followed by 18 tallies from guard Paul Corsaro and 11 points from Ryan Sims.

The Flyers looked to be in trouble from the outset, as the Greyhounds jumped out to a 47-31 halftime lead, behind ten three-pointers in the opening stanza. Adams drained four three-pointers and finished with 16 points in the frame, while Sims (3) and Corsaro (2) were equally as effective from long distance.

UIndy extended that lead to 18 following a lay-up by Sergey Struck (9 points) with 19:15 left in the second half, and that's when the Flyers took over.

Led by 10 points from Thomas, Lewis went on a 26-9 run over the next 7:50 to bring the Flyers to within one at 58-57 with 11:12 remaining in the game.

UIndy took the Flyers' counter-punch and offered one of their own, as the Greyhounds, led by five points from Corsaro, went on an 11-2 run to extend their advantage to 69-59 with 5:12 left in the contest.

Lewis could have packed up its bags and head back to Romeoville, but the Flyers would not go away so easily. Rowe and Thomas, led a 14-2 Lewis run over the next 2:15 with five points apiece to push the Flyers ahead 73-71 with 1:51 left in the game.

Corsaro would score the next four points for UIndy, to give the Greyhounds the lead back at 75-73 with 58 seconds remaining.

On the next possession, Thomas pulled up for a jumper and connected to even the score up at 75 with 38 ticks left.

Adams looked to get the lead back for UIndy on the ensuing possession, but his shot was blocked and the ball was loose. In his attempt to pick up the loose ball, McClellan was whistled for the foul and that infraction sent Corsaro to the line. The Youngstown State transfer split both of his attempts to give UIndy the 76-75 advantage with 21 seconds remaining.

On the Flyers' next trip down, Rowe knocked down the jumper with 10 seconds left to give Lewis their final lead of the day at 77-76. That lead, however, was in jeopardy, as McClellan was called for his second foul in the final 21 seconds to send UIndy center Larry Woods to the line. Woods missed both of his free throw attempts to clinch the comeback win for the Flyers.

Lewis shot 53.8% (28-for-52) from the field and 53.3% (8-for-15) from three-point range while tying a season-low with seven turnovers on the afternoon. After shooting a scorching 62.1% (18-for-29) in the first half, UIndy cooled down in the second, knocking down just 31.8% of their attempts.

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##