Jan. 29, 2011

Box Score

Men's Basketball: Lewis 86, No. 24 Kentucky Wesleyan 81 in PDF Format

Owensboro, Ky. - All season long, Lewis University head men's basketball coach Scott Trost has been waiting for his team to finish a game, as his squad has played in nine contests this season that have been decided by five points or less with the Flyers coming on the short end seven times.

Trost found what he was looking for on Saturday (Jan. 29) afternoon, as the Flyers, led by a team-season, high 27 points from senior Dennis Thomas, Jr. (Milwaukee, Wis./Bradley Tech) and a career-high 22 points and five three-pointers from junior forward Justin Jarosz (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport), shot 64.5% (20-for-31) from the field in the second-half to claim the 86-81 upset victory over No. 24 Kentucky Wesleyan at the Owensboro Sportscenter.

Junior point guard Chris McClellan (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Wheeling) pitched in 19 points, including three trifectas, while junior forward Matt Toth (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) had 10 points. Junior forward Lonnie Lawrence (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington) posted a team-best eight rebounds and even dished out six assists on Saturday.

"We finished the game," Trost said. "I'm proud of our kids. We hung in there through some adversity and experienced a very, very good road win. If we play the way that we're capable of, I think we have the ability to compete with any team in this conference."

With the win, Lewis improves to 13-10 on the season and 6-6 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play, while the host Panthers are now 14-5 overall and 7-5 in conference action. The win marks Lewis' first over a ranked opponent since the Flyers dropped then-No. 8 Bellarmine, 75-72, on January 31, 2009.

Kentucky Wesleyan also had two players score at least 20 points on Saturday, as senior guard Cardell McFarland tallied 26 points, while teammate Anthony Young added 22 in the loss. KWC's Marseilles Stewart collected 15 points followed by 12 points from Kwan Waller.

The Panthers owned a 66-60 lead over the Flyers with 6:49 left in the game, following a pair of free throws from McFarland.

Lewis made their big charge with a 12-4 run over the next 3:38, culminating with Jarosz' fourth three-pointer of the game to give the Flyers the 72-70 lead with 4:11 left in the contest.

Young saw Jarosz' trifecta and raised him another on the ensuing possession to give KWC the 73-72 lead with 3:56 left in the contest

The Flyers, however, responded with an 8-2 run over the next 3:05, highlighted with another Jarosz long-range bomb to give the Flyers the 80-75 advantage with 51 seconds left in regulation.

McFarland cut Lewis' lead to 80-77 with a lay-up with 40 seconds remaining, and following a Flyer turnover, he scored again to narrow the game to 80-79 with 20 ticks left on the clock.

The Panthers fouled immediately and Thomas made them pay, knocking down both of his charity tosses to extend Lewis' lead to 82-79 with 19 seconds left.

McFarland continued to put KWC on his back and scored again with 13 seconds remaining, bringing the Panthers to within one at 82-81. The Panthers, however, would come no closer as McClellan, Lewis' all-time leading free throw shooter, converted four consecutive free throws to clinch the win for the Flyers.

Lewis returns to action on Thursday (Feb. 3), as the Flyers head north to square off with UW-Parkside for a 7:30 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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