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Lebanon, Ill. – Seniors Labrenthia Murdock (Round Lake, Ill./Round Lake) (Round Lake, Ill./Round Lake) and Sam Rinehart (Marion, Iowa/Marion) (Marion, Ill./Marion) both scored 19 points to lead the Lewis University women's basketball team to a 69-55 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory over McKendree on Thursday (Jan. 17).
 
The Flyers improve to 11-2 on the season and 4-1 in GLVC play while the Bearcats go to 5-8 on the year and 0-5 in conference play.
 
“This was a good team road win,” Lewis head women's basketball coach Lisa Carlsen said. “We shot the ball well and got some buckets in transition.”
 
After a rough start that saw the Flyers with four team fouls before the first media timeout and sophomore guard Nikki Nellen (New Berlin, Wis./Pius XI) (New Berlin, Wis./Pius XI) on the bench, Lewis was able to use their fast-paced offense to bounce back from a 7-2 deficit. Murdock hit back-to-back three-pointers to help the Flyers regain the lead, 8-7.
 
Rinehart tied up the game at 10-all with a jump shot fed by Jess Reinhart (Normal, Ill./Bloomington Central Catholic) (Normal, Ill./Bloomington Central Catholic) at the 11:49 mark. The Flyers would take over the rest of the half to build an 11-point lead, 36-25.
 
Murdock scored 13 of her season-high 19 points in the first half to lead the Flyers into the locker room up 36-27 at halftime. She also led the Flyers with a season-high eight rebounds in the contest.
 
In the second half the Bearcats were able to cut the Flyers' lead to four points, 41-37, at 17:18. The momentum swung back to Lewis as the squad was able to go on a 10-2 run over the next eight minutes before McKendree made two free throws, 51-39. The Flyers got two buckets each from Murdock and Reinhart and a three-pointer from junior Alexus Grayer (Washington, Ill./Washington) (Washington, Ill./Washington) while on the run.
 
The Flyers lead ballooned to 22-points on a layup by Reinhart fed by Nellen who picked McKendree's Liz Gilman's pocket for her second steal of the game. Reinhart had 13 points and five rebounds in the game.
 
Rinehart led the Flyers in the second half with 10 of her career-high matching 19-points. Sophomore Kristin Itschner (Metamora, Ill./Peoria Notre Dame) (Metamora, Ill./Peoria Notre Dame) posted a career-high eight assists as she logged 31 minutes as Nellen got into early foul trouble.
 
“We have to rebound in order to run,” Carlsen said. “When we rebound we are a pretty good basketball team.”
 
The Flyers held a slim, 36-34, rebounding lead over the Bearcats in the contest, 30 coming on the defensive end.
 
Lewis stays on the road in conference action, heading to Louisville, Ky., to take on the Bellarmine Knights at 1 PM ET on Saturday (Jan. 19).