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ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Four Flyers finished in double-figures on Saturday (Jan. 14) evening at Neil Carey Arena as the Lewis women's basketball team topped Illinois-Springfield 82-73.
 
Lewis stumbled out of the gates, falling behind by 11 points over the first nine minutes. Lewis closed the deficit on a late 18-7 run to take a 26-25 lead to the locker room. Freshman Jess Reinhart (Normal, Ill./Bloomington Central Catholic) (Normal, Ill./Bloomington Central Catholic) scored nine of her 15 points in the first half. She would finish two rebounds short of a double-double with eight boards.
 
The Flyers took over the game in the second half thanks to shooting 23-of-36 (63.9 percent) from the field in the frame. Junior Sam Rinehart (Marion, Iowa/Marion) (Marion, Iowa/Marion), who finished with a career-high 19 points, scored 12 points in the second half. Freshman Nikki Nellen (New Berlin, Wis./Pius XI) (New Berlin, Wis./Pius XI), in her first collegiate start, scored all 10 of her points in the second half.
 
Junior Labrenthia Murdock (Round Lake, Ill./Round Lake) (Round Lake, Ill./Round Lake) totaled 11 points. Freshman Jamie Johnson (South Holland, Ill./Marian Catholic) (South Holland, Ill./Marian Catholic) added eight points and five assists.
 
Lewis held a dominating 48-to-18 advantage in points in the paint.
 
“I think the advantage in the paint came as a result of sharing the basketball,” Lewis head coach Lisa Carlsen said. “We didn't come down and go one pass and throw it up. If you're moving the ball you're going to get in a good flow.”
 
UIS made 10-of-20 shots from long range. Bailey Beale hit on 6-of-9 attempts from beyond the arc to finish with a game-high 23 points for the Prairie Stars.
 
Lewis held a 38-22 advantage in bench points and scored 19 points off UIS' 18 turnovers. The game saw 10 different Flyers record a basket.
 
“I really liked our energy for 40 minutes of the ballgame,” Carlsen said. “We turned the ball over a little bit especially early in the ballgame but as far as our intensity and our energy I thought it was really good and that's something we haven't always been able to sustain for a full 40 minutes the last few weeks so that's something we can definitely build on.”
 
UIS falls to 6-8 (1-5 Great Lakes Valley Conference). Lewis improves to 4-10 (2-4 GLVC). The Flyers host No. 23 UW-Parkside on Monday at 5:30 p.m. It's the first contest between the two clubs since Lewis defeated the Rangers in the GLVC Tournament Semifinals last season.