Jan. 17, 2011

Box Score

Men's Basketball: Lewis 65, Rockhurst 62 in PDF Format

Kansas City, Mo. - Day in and day out, the Lewis University men's basketball team can expect a dogfight in every Great Lakes Valley Conference game this season - home or away.

Monday's contest against Rockhurst was no different as the visiting Flyers fought off a late surge by the Hawks and clinched the 65-62 GLVC win with a pair of free throws by junior Chris McClellan (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Wheeling) with 13 seconds remaining at the Mason-Halpin Fieldhouse.

With the win, Lewis improves to 11-8 on the season and 4-4 in GLVC action, while the Hawks fall to 5-12 on the campaign and 3-6 in conference play.

The Flyers were once again led by their backcourt of McClellan, Dennis Thomas, Jr. (Milwaukee, Wis./Bradley Tech) and David Bryant (Batavia, Ill./Batavia). Thomas scored 16 points, followed by 13 points from McClellan and 11 points from Bryant. Junior center Marty Strus (Hickory Hills, Ill./Stagg) grabbed 11 rebounds in the win.

"We found a way to make some plays today," Lewis head men's basketball coach Scott Trost said. "I thought we made it tough on (Rockhurst) to score and we got stops when we needed to get a stop.

"I thought our bench, particularly Lonnie Lawrence (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington) and David Luster (South Holland, Ill./Seton Academy/Johnson County C.C.), helped a lot today and really provided us with some energy."

Luster finished with seven points, while Lawrence added six points and six rebounds.

Rockhurst senior forward Aaron Morrissey posted a game-high 19 points while junior guards Najja Nicholson and Martin Roper collected 16 and 12 points respectively for the Hawks.

Rockhurst held a 44-37 lead over Lewis with 17:14 left in the second half, following a Morrissey three-pointer. Lewis countered with a 16-6 run over the next 8:22, led by six points by Bryant to give the Flyers the lead for good at 53-50 with 9:52 left in the contest.

Lewis would extend that lead over the Hawks to 63-57 lead with 3:33 remaining in the game following Thomas' third trifecta of the afternoon.

Morrissey, however, kept the Hawks in the game with his own 5-0 run, highlighted by a three-pointer with 43 seconds left to bring Rockhurst to within one at 63-62.

Forced to foul, Rockhurst sent McClellan, Lewis' all-time leading free throw shooter to the charity stripe with 13 seconds left in regulation. McClellan knocked down both of his attempts to extend Lewis' lead to 65-62.

In an attempt to send the game into overtime, Morrissey was unable to connect on the game-tying three-pointer with four seconds left, securing the win for the Flyers.

Lewis' ability to take care of the ball on Monday proved useful, as the Flyers committed a mere eight turnovers to Rockhurst's 16. The Flyers took advantage of the Hawks' mistakes, scoring 20 points.

"If you take care of the ball, rebound and defend, you're going to give yourself a chance, no matter who you play," Trost said.

Lewis returns to action on Thursday (Jan. 20), as the Flyers welcome Drury to Neil Carey Arena for a 7:45 p.m. (CST) tip-off.

Lewis University is a Catholic university offering distinctive undergraduate and graduate programs to approximately 6,000 traditional and adult students. Lewis offers multiple campus locations, online degree programs, and a variety of formats that provide accessibility and convenience to a growing student population. Sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis prepares ethically grounded, globally aware, and socially responsible graduates. The ninth largest not-for-profit university in Illinois, Lewis has been nationally recognized by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. Visit www.lewisu.edu for further information.

##LEWIS##