Jan. 27, 2011

Box Score

Men's Basketball: No. 9 Southern Indiana 75, Lewis 71 in PDF Format

Evansville, Ind. - With the upset victory on their minds, the Lewis University men's basketball team was sent away with heartbreak as No. 9 Southern Indiana went on a 5-0 run over the final minute, led by four points from senior center Mohamed Ntumba, to claim the 75-71 Great Lakes Valley Conference win over the visiting Flyers at USI's Physical Activities Center on Thursday (Jan. 27) night.

Ntumba finished with 22 points on 10-for-12 shooting with a game-high six rebounds. USI guards Brandon Hogg and C.J. Trotter each scored 12 points, while Jared Rehmel posted 10 points off the bench.

With the win, Southern Indiana improves to 17-2 overall and 9-2 in GLVC action, while the Flyers are now 12-10 on the campaign and 5-6 in conference play. The loss marks Lewis' seventh defeat this season by five or less points.

The Flyers fell short despite the heroic efforts of junior point guard Chris McClellan (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Wheeling). McClellan was a perfect 5-for-5 from three-point range and finished with a season-best 23 points.

Lewis senior guard Dennis Thomas, Jr. (Milwaukee, Wis./Bradley Tech) finished with 14 points, followed by 12 points from junior center Marty Strus (Hickory Hills, Ill./Stagg) and 10 points from junior forward Justin Jarosz (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport).

USI seemed in control of the contest in the second half, as the Screaming Eagles built a 50-38 lead over the Flyers with 17:33 remaining, following a three-pointer by Hogg.

The Flyers, however, would not go away quietly and surged to a 64-60 lead with a 26-10 run, led by seven points from McClellan over the next 10 minutes.

Southern Indiana answered with a 10-0 run of their own, led by six more points from Ntumba, to take a 70-64 lead with 4:19 remaining in the contest.

The Flyers took USI's best shot and countered with another, as Lewis scored the next seven points over the next three minutes to take their final lead of the game at 71-70, following a Thomas lay-up with 1:21 left.

Following the media time-out, Ntumba posted a lay-up on the ensuing possession to give USI the 72-71 lead on a lay-up with 1:01 left in the contest.

Lewis turned the ball over on their next possession and Ntumba took advantage with another lay-up to extend the Screaming Eagles' advantage to 74-71 with 21 seconds remaining.

The Flyers called a time-out to set up the possible game-tying three-point attempt, but the shot by sophomore guard David Bryant (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) went array with three seconds left to secure the USI win.

As a team, Lewis shot 49.0% (25-for-51) from the field and 50.0% (10-for-20) from three-point range. The Flyers undoing, however, was 16 turnovers which USI scored 17 points off of.

Lewis returns to action on Saturday (Jan. 29), as the Flyers head to Owensboro, Kentucky for a 3 p.m. (CST) tip-off against Kentucky Wesleyan.

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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