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St. Louis, Mo. - Lewis University junior guard Jeff Jarosz (Lyons, Ill./Morton) scored 18 of his game high 22 points in the second half - including the go-ahead jumper with six seconds left - to lift the No. 17 Flyers to the 82-80 win over Missouri-St. Louis at Chuck Smith Court on Saturday (Jan. 11) afternoon.

Jarosz was 8-for-13 from the field and had seven rebounds, five assists, one turnover and one steal in the win. He scored 16 of the Flyers' last 21 points over the final 6:07 of the contest.

"Jarosz made huge plays down the stretch," Lewis head men's basketball coach Scott Trost said. "He wanted the ball and found a way to get the ball in the hoop.

"As well as Jeff played today, this (victory) was a total team effort."

Lewis junior guard Ryan Jackson (Bolingbrook, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield) had 16 points, while Flyer junior forward Julian Lewis (Flossmoor, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) posted a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. Lewis senior guard Nick Valla (Tinley Park, Ill./Marist) had 11 points and five assists.

With the win, Lewis improves to 11-1 overall and 3-1 in GLVC action, while the host Tritons drop to 9-4 on the campaign and 3-2 in conference play.

UMSL senior guard Femi John pitched in a double-double with a game-high 22 points and 11 rebounds, including four assists. John's fellow senior guard  Darian Cartharn added 16 points.

UMSL's free throw shooting proved to be its downfall, as the Tritons converted just 52.6% (10-for-19) of their attempts. The Tritons, however, stayed in the game thanks in part to their three-point shooting. UMSL, led by four three-pointers from Cartharn, knocked down 12 trifectas on the afternoon.

Lewis' ability to take care of the ball, coupled with Jarosz's heroics, was a deadly combination. For the third time in the last four games the Flyers had less than five turnovers, as they only had four miscues against the Tritons on Saturday. Lewis also rebounded from its worst shooting performance of the season against Maryville on Thursday night, shooting 52.5% (31-for-59) from the field.

Neither team was comfortable, as the GLVC contest featured 18 tie scores and 32 lead changes. UMSL's biggest lead was a five-point advantage in the first half, while Lewis' largest advantage was four in the first half.

Four of those lead changes came in the final 42 seconds of the contest. Jarosz broke a 75-all deadlock with a lay-up at the 52 second mark to give Lewis the 77-75 lead.

That lead was short-lived as John drained a three-pointer to put the Tritons ahead, 78-77, with 43 ticks remaining.

On the ensuing possession, Jarosz drew a foul from junior guard Neil Branham and drained both of his free throws to help the Flyers retake the lead at 79-78 with 25 seconds left.

UMSL had another answer on their next possession, as John converted a lay-up with 14 seconds left to push the Tritons ahead 80-79.

The Flyers kept the ball in the hot hands of Jarosz, as the Morton, Ill., native pulled up in the paint and drained the game-winning jumper for the win.

The Tritons had a chance for a game-winning shot, but UMSL senior guard Michael Weber (9 points) turned the ball over with one second left to clinch the game for the Flyers.

Lewis returns to action on Thursday (Jan. 16), as they head to Lebanon, Ill., for a 7:30 PM showdown with McKendree.