Jan. 20, 2011

Box Score

Men's Basketball: Drury 62, Lewis 59 in PDF Format

Romeoville, Ill. - The Lewis University men's basketball team has been on the wrong end of several close games this season, as the Flyers entered Thursday's showdown against Drury with a record of 1-5 in contests decided by three points or less.

Lewis seemed poised for the `W', as the Flyers held a 58-53 lead over the Panthers with 2:30 left in the game.

Drury and sophomore guard Alex Hall had other ideas, as the Panthers went on a 9-1 run, led by seven points from Hall, to close the game and earn the 62-59 win over the host Flyers at Neil Carey Arena.

Hall posted a game-high 22 points on 7-for-11 shooting with three trifectas, while teammate Jajuan Maxwell posted a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds.

With the victory, Drury improves to 12-5 overall and 5-4 in GLVC play, while the Flyers fall to 11-9 on the campaign and 4-5 in conference action.

Lewis junior forward Matt Toth (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) led the Flyers with a season-high 21 points, while junior point guard Chris McClellan (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Wheeling) tied a career-high with six three-pointers and finished with 18 points on the evening.

The game was a back and forth affair that featured nine ties and 13 lead changes. Lewis' largest lead of the game came with 3:34 left in the contest as McClellan knocked down his fifth three-pointer of the second half to bring the score to 58-53 in favor of the Flyers.

Hall would cut that lead to 58-56, as he converted a three-point play with 2:38 left in the game. He would strike again on the Flyers' next possession as he stole the ball from Lewis sophomore guard David Bryant (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) and coasted for the breakaway dunk to even the score up at 58 with 1:55 left.

Lewis would turn the ball over again on their next possession and Hall made them pay with a jumper with 1:10 left to give Drury the 60-58 lead.

The Flyers had a chance to tie the game up on their next possession, as junior center Marty Strus (Hickory Hills, Ill./Stagg) went to the free throw line for the one-and-one. Strus, however, missed the front end of the bonus, as Drury maintained their two-point lead.

Strus had a chance for redemption as he hauled in a defensive rebound on the next Panthers' possession and was fouled again. Strus made the first charity toss, but missed the second, cutting Drury's lead to 60-59 with 14 seconds left. Lewis was forced to foul, but Drury was not in the bonus yet and was forced to in-bounds the ball with 12 seconds left.

Drury guard Brandon Lockhart (8 assists) threw the home run pass to Dennon Mitchell for the fast break lay-up to give the Panthers the 62-59 lead with nine seconds remaining.

Lewis had a chance to tie the game with a three-pointer, but was unable to get off a quality attempt, as Strus was force to launch an off-balance trifecta as time expired.

"It's the same old story," Lewis head men's basketball coach Scott Trost said. "We just didn't make plays down the stretch and we turned the ball over."

"I thought Matt Toth played well, and I thought Chris McClellan played one of his better games this year," Trost continued. "But we have to find a way to win some close games."

Lewis returns to action on Saturday (Jan. 22), as the Flyers welcome Missouri S&T to Neil Carey Arena for a 3 p.m. (CST) tip-off.

Lewis University is a Catholic university offering distinctive undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 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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