Feb. 4, 2011

Box Score

Men's Basketball: UW-Parkside 65, Lewis 60 in PDF Format

Somers, Wis. - It was the same old song for the Lewis University men's basketball team, as the Flyers dropped another close decision to UW-Parkside, as the host Rangers earned the 65-60 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory at DeSimone Gymnasium on Friday (Feb. 4) night.

The loss marks the Flyers' eighth this season by five or less points.

"We didn't play good tonight," Lewis head men's basketball coach Scott Trost said. "I thought we were lethargic in the first half and didn't have energy. There are not a lot of positives that we can take from this game. I thought it was about as poor of a performance as we've had all year."

Lewis senior guard Dennis Thomas, Jr. (Milwaukee, Wis./Bradley Tech) was the only Flyer to score in double-figures with a game-high 24 points.

With the win, UW-Parkside improves to 8-13 overall and 5-9 in conference action, while the Flyers are now 13-11 on the season and 6-7 in GLVC action.

UW-Parkside freshman guard Jordan Mach paced the Rangers' offensive attack as he connected for five three-pointers and finished with a team-high 19 points. UWP forward Jeremy Saffold chipped in 13 points and five rebounds, while senior center Tim Baines added 12 points in the win.

The host Rangers held a 44-33 lead over Lewis with 12:13 left in the contest, before the Flyers made one of their patented late-game runs. Lewis, propelled by five points from Thomas, outscored the Rangers, 14-0 over the next four minutes to take a 47-44 lead over UW-Parkside with 8:10 left in the contest.

UW-Parkside's Nick Neari answered with a three-pointer on the ensuing possession to even the score up at 47 with 7:43 left in the game. The game would be tied three more times before the Rangers' took the lead for good on a Sam Katula lay-up with 3:11 in the game to push UWP ahead, 56-54.

UW-Parkside would extend that lead to 63-58 following a pair of free throws from Saffold with 22 seconds left on the clock.

Thomas would score on the Flyers' next possession to bring Lewis to within three-points at 63-60 with 17 seconds remaining. UW-Parkside turned the ball over on the ensuing in-bounds play, giving the Flyers a chance to tie the game.

Lewis junior forward Justin Jarosz (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport), however, was unable to connect on his game-tying trifecta, and Saffold cleaned up the defensive rebound. Saffold was immediately fouled and knocked down both of his free throws to clinch the victory for the Rangers.

As a team, Lewis struggled from three-point range as the Flyers connected on just 15.4% (2-for-13) of their attempts. Lewis also dished out a season-low four assists while turning the ball over 15 times.

Lewis returns to action on Sunday (Feb. 6) as the Flyers head to Indiana to square off with Saint Joseph's for a 2:15 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.

##LEWIS##