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Romeoville, Ill. - Big runs, clutch shooting, timely free throws and stifling defense were all on display as the Lewis University men's basketball team went on a 11-2 spurt over the final 1:57 to come-from-behind for the 78-72 regional victory over Ferris State at Neil Carey Arena on Wednesday (Nov. 20) night.
Lewis junior guard
Ryan Jackson (Bolingbrook, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield) posted a game-high 22 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Flyers. It is the fourth time in Jackson's career that he has achieved that feat. He also dropped a career-high five three-pointers in the win
Juniors
Julian Lewis (Flossmoor, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) and
Jeff Jarosz (Lyons, Ill./Morton) each scored 11 points for the Flyers. Lewis added a game-high eight rebounds, while Jarosz pitched in a game-high five assists.
Junior forward
David Niggins (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) came off the bench to score 10 points and haul in seven rebounds in 18 minutes of action.
Ferris State guard Dietrich Lever led four Bulldog players in double-figures with 14 points, followed by 13 from fellow guard Drew Lehman. Bulldog center Jared Stolicker had 10 points and a team-best seven rebounds, while Matt Poches finished with 12 points and five boards.
With the win, Lewis moves to 2-0 on the season, while the visiting Bulldogs fall to 0-1 on the campaign.
In a game that featured 11 ties and seven lead changes, Ferris State held a 70-67 advantage over the Flyers with 2:24 remaining in the contest following a Stolicker lay-up.
Jackson answered on the Flyers' ensuing possession with a trifecta - his fifth and final one of the evening - from the corner to even the score up at 70.
Ferris State was unable to answer Jackson's trey, and senior forward
Nick Valla (Tinley Park, Ill./Marist) put the Flyers ahead for good at 72-70 with a lay-up with 1:02 left in the game. Valla - who also went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final 37 seconds - finished with eight points and tied a career-high with a game-high five assists.
"We have to give our guys a lot of credit," Lewis head men's basketball coach
Scott Trost said. "We made some plays down the stretch and we found a way to win."
In the final 3:10 of the game, Lewis held Ferris State to 16.7% (1-for-6) shooting and forced a turnover. The Flyers took care of the ball, as they dished out 18 assists and only turned the ball over seven times.
Lewis continues its run through the GLIAC, as the Flyers head to Marquette, Mich., for a 3 PM ET showdown with Northern Michigan on Saturday (Nov. 24) afternoon.