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Springfield, Ill. - The third time was not the charm for the Lewis University men's basketball team, as No. 1 Bellarmine, behind a game-high 28 points from junior guard Jeremy Kendle, won their third-straight game against the Flyers this season with the 82-62 victory in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Quarterfinals at the Prairie Capital Convention Center on Friday (March 2) night.

Kendle was 10-for-13 from the field with two three-pointers, six rebounds and three assists on the evening. BU guard Chris Dowe scored 13 points, including a 9-for-11 outing from the free throw line, while senior forward Luke Sprague added 11 points in the win.

Bellarmine shot 50.0% (25-for-50) from the field and converted 83.3% (25-for-30) of their free throw attempts on Friday. The 25 made free throws was a season-high by a Flyer opponent. Conversely, Lewis shot 37.3% (19-for-51) from the field and 20.0% (3-for-15) from three-point range.

"It's a tough loss," Lewis head men's basketball coach Scott Trost said. "Give Bellarmine credit, because they're very, very good. We didn't make shots and we didn't stops, obviously, and we turned it over too much. A lot of that has to do with Bellarmine and the way they play.

"I'm proud of our guys effort (tonight) because they never quit."

Lewis' backcourt tandem of Ryan Jackson (Bolingbrook, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield) (Bolingbrook, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield) and Chris McClellan (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Wheeling) (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Wheeling) provided the scoring for the Flyers, as they combined for 38 of the 62 points on the evening. Jackson posted 21 points, including a 9-for-10 performance from the charity stripe, while McClellan pitched in 17 points in the loss.

With the victory, Bellarmine improves to 25-2 and awaits the winner of the final GLVC Quarterfinal match-up between Indianapolis and Southern Indiana. Lewis will now await word to see if they have qualified for the Division II NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament on Sunday (March 4) night.