Feb. 17, 2011

Box Score

Men's Basketball: Quincy 76, Lewis 73 in PDF Format

Quincy, Ill. - Quincy played the role of spoiler at the Pepsi Center on Thursday (Feb. 17) night, as the host Hawks rallied from a 13-point, first-half deficit for the 76-73 Great Lakes Valley Conference win over Lewis, spoiling the Flyers' bid for the outright GLVC North Division title and a home game in the opening round of the conference tournament.

Quincy senior guard Josh Edmonds was a one-man wrecking crew for the Hawks, as he posted a game-high 29 points, including four three-pointers and 23 second-half points. Helping the Hawks' cause was a mere seven turnovers on the evening.

"We couldn't stop him," Lewis head men's basketball coach Scott Trost said of Edmonds. "He played well, he played like a senior. He willed Quincy to win and just would not let them lose tonight."

With the victory, Quincy improves to 16-10 overall and 9-9 in conference action, while the Flyers drop to 16-12 on the campaign and 9-8 in GLVC play. The loss marks the Flyers' ninth defeat by five or fewer points.

Lewis junior point guard Chris McClellan (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Wheeling) led four Flyer players in double-figures with 21 points and five three-pointers. Flyer junior forward Matt Toth (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) collected 15 points, while guards David Bryant (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) and Dennis Thomas, Jr. (Milwaukee, Wis./Bradley Tech) scored 14 and 10 points, respectively.

Lewis tied a team-season high with 12 three-pointers against Quincy on Thursday. Seven of those trifectas came in the first-half, as Lewis built a 34-21 lead with 5:51 left in the stanza.

Quincy, however, ended the first half on an 11-2 run, led by five points from Andreas Coleman (9 points) and four tallies from Edmonds, to cut the Flyers' advantage to 36-32 at the intermission.

The Hawks continued that hot streak into the second-half as they opened the frame with a 17-6 run over the first 5:49 to take a 49-42 lead. Edmonds accounted for 10 of those points.

That lead would grow to as big as 10 points, as a Tyler Thompson (8 points) jumper with 10:18 left gave Quincy a 58-48 lead with 10:18 remaining in the game.

Down, but not out, Lewis fought back valiantly and cut Quincy's deficit to two points on two different occasions, with the final time following a dunk by junior center Marty Strus (Hickory Hills, Ill./Stagg) with 33 seconds left, as the Hawks led 72-70. Strus finished with six points and five rebounds.

Forced to foul on the ensuing possession, Lewis sent Edmonds to the free throw line for his 28th and 29th points, extending Quincy's lead to 74-70. McClellan had his lay-up attempt blocked by Coleman, who also hauled in the rebound. Lewis fouled Adam Highberger (10 points) who knocked in both of his free throws to secure the win for Quincy.

"We made some crucial mistakes at crucial times," Trost said. "We lost this game in the last five minutes of the first half and the first five minutes of the second half. Defensively we gave them too many good looks and we just did not play well on the defensive end."

Lewis returns to action on Saturday (Feb. 19), as the Flyers head to the state capital to square off with UIS for a 3 p.m. (CST) tip-off in the regular-season finale.

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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