Jan. 2, 2011

Box Score

Men's Basketball: No. 1 Bellarmine 72, Lewis 69 in PDF Format

Romeoville, Ill. - The upset bid was in sight, as the Lewis University men's basketball team held a three-point lead over top ranked Bellarmine with less than two minutes remaining in the contest.

The visiting Knights, however, proved why they're No. 1, as Bellarmine went on a 6-0 run to close out the game and earn the 72-69 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory over the Flyers at Neil Carey Arena on Sunday (Jan. 2) night.

"We need to learn how to win," Lewis head men's basketball coach Scott Trost said. "We don't execute down the stretch and we don't get a stop when we need it.

"I'm not happy with being close, because we need to find a way to win games."

Lewis senior guard Dennis Thomas, Jr. (Milwaukee, Wis./Bradley Tech) led the Flyers with 24 points, including five three pointers, and four assists. Sophomore guard David Bryant (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) turned in an all-around performance of 13 points, a game-high seven rebounds and six assists, while senior forward Lonnie Lawrence (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington) posted a season-high 10 points.

With the win, Bellarmine improves to 10-1 on the season and 3-0 in GLVC play, while the Flyers are now 8-6 overall and 1-2 in conference action.

Bellarmine senior guard Justin Benedetti knocked down all four of his three-point attempts to finish with a team-best 19 points. Knights' guard Braydon Hobbs finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists while center Luke Sprague added 10 points.

BU's leading scorer Jeremy Kendle was held to six points on 2-for-10 shooting.

Lewis, who held a lead as big as nine points in the first half, led 69-66 following a lay-up by junior forward Lonnie Lawrence (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington) with 2:09 left in the contest.

Hobbs answered with a lay-up on the following possession to bring the Knights to within one at 69-68 with 1:48 left in regulation.

Bellarmine made a defensive stop on the Flyers' next possession, as Benedetti hauled in a rebound of a missed three-pointer by Lewis junior guard Chris McClellan (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Wheeling). He was later fouled and hit both of his free throw attempts to give the Knights the 70-69 advantage with 54 ticks remaining.

Bryant attempted the go-ahead three-pointer with 30 seconds left, but was unable to connect. The Flyers, however, kept their hopes alive, as junior center Marty Strus (Hickory Hills, Ill./Stagg) hauled in the offensive carom with 25 seconds left.

Three consecutive time-outs were called, before Thomas attempted the game-winning jumper with nine seconds left on the clock. His shot however, went array, and Kendle claimed the rebound with five seconds left.

Bellarmine called time-out and put the ball in Kendle's hands and he was immediately fouled by Bryant. The Knights' leading scorer dropped both of his charity shots to extend Bellarmine's lead to 72-69 with 2.6 seconds remaining.

There was one last chance for the Flyers, as Lewis put the ball in Thomas' hands and the Milwaukee native launched the game-tying three-pointer that hit the front of the rim and ended the game.

"DT was great tonight," Trost said of Thomas. "Defensively he held Kendle who was averaging 19 points-per-game to six, and offensively he scored 24 points.

"You can't ask anything more from him."

Lewis returns to action on Tuesday (Jan. 4), as the Flyers welcome Northern Kentucky 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.

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