UIS Game Notes (PDF)

Romeoville, Ill. - The Lewis University men's basketball team heads to the state capital as the No. 23 Flyers (12-1, 4-1 GLVC) take on Illinois Springfield (5-8, 1-4 GLVC) for a 3 PM tip-off at The Recreation and Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon.
   Live stats, audio and video streaming - provided by UIS - of Saturday's contest can be found at www.LewisFlyers.com.

ALL TIME SERIES - Since Lewis entered the Division II ranks, the Flyers hold a 5-3 advantage over UIS in their all-time series.  

LAST TIME WE MET - Lewis senior point guard Chris McClellan topped four Flyer players in double-figures, with a game-high 19 points as the visiting Flyers earned the 75-68 victory over UIS in the opening round of the GLVC Tournament at the TRAC on February 26, 2012.

LAST TIME OUT - Junior guard Jeff Jarosz (Lyons, Ill./Morton) scored 19 of his career-high 24 points in the first half, as the No. 23 Flyers rallied for the 85-78 GLVC win over McKendree on Thursday night.

CHARITY STRIPE - Lewis shot 93.5% (29-for-31) from the free throw line against Quincy on January 5, 2014. That is their best shooting performance since they hit all six of their attempts against Illinois-Springfield on December 6, 2004.

CLOSE CALLS - Lewis is 3-0 in games decided by five points or less this season. Last season, the Flyers were 4-4 in games decided by five points or less.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE - Lewis has recorded eight double-doubles this season - all of which have come in the last nine games. That is the most double-doubles by a Flyer squad since they had nine during the 2009-10 campaign.

TRIPLE THREAT - Lewis junior guard Ryan Jackson (Bolingbrook, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield) led the Flyers in points (21), rebounds (9) and assists (4) against Quincy on January 5th. That is the second time this season and the fifth time in his career that he has accomplished that feat.

ICE IN HIS VEINS - Lewis senior guard Nick Valla (Tinley Park, Ill./Marist) is shooting 93.8% (15-for-16) from the free throw line with less than two minutes remaining. He missed his lone free throw on purpose with one second left in the Flyers' 82-80 win over UMSL on January 11th.

EXTRA BASKETBALL - Lewis has played in two overtime games this season which is the most since the 2011-12 campaign. The last time the Flyers had three games with bonus basketball came during the 2007-08 campaign when they had four OT contests.

ROAD TRIP - Lewis' current five-game road trip is its longest since the beginning of the 2010-11 campaign.

MODEL OF EFFICIENCY - Lewis took a conference-low 36 shots against Northern Michigan (Nov. 24) and still came away with the 78-68 win. The Flyers shot 63.9% (23-for-36) from the field and 71.1% (27-for-38) from the free throw line.

MODEL OF EFFICIENCY (PART DEUX) - Lewis shot 67.4% (29-for-43) from the field in their win over Malone on Dec. 21st. That is the best outing by a Flyer squad since they converted 69.4% (34-for-49) of their attempts in an 84-65 win over Illinois-Springfield on December 6, 2004. It is also the best shooting performance by any team in the GLVC this season.

COMEBACK KIDS - Lewis has trailed in the second half in seven of its 12 victories this season.

TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK - As of January 17th, Lewis leads the country in fewest turnovers (112) and is second in turnovers-per-game (8.6). The Flyers have had eight games this season with less than 10 turnovers.

TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK (PART DEUX) - Lewis has committed five or fewer turnovers in four out of their last five contests.

NATIONALLY RANKED - Lewis dropped six spots in the NABC/Division II Coaches Poll on Tuesday (Jan. 13) ranking 23rd in the country. Last week's ranking of 17th was the highest for the Flyers since they concluded the 2003-04 campaign in 17th.

SMOKIN' HOT - Lewis has won 20 of its last 23 contests dating back to the 2012-13 campaign. During that stretch, the Flyers have defeated three teams that were ranked in the NABC/Division II Men's Basketball Poll.

ROAD WARRIOR - Junior forward Julian Lewis (Flossmoor, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) is averaging a double-double of 17.9 points and 10.6 rebounds-per-game away from Neil Carey Arena this season.

TRAVELING MEN - A win against UIS would match the most road victories (7) by a Flyer squad under head coach Scott Trost set in 2012-13.

MINUTE MEN - Jackson (34.3 mpg.) and Lewis (34.1 mpg.) are ranked third and fourth in the GLVC in minutes played.

CRASHING THE BOARDS - Lewis grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds against McKendree on Thursday. Those 16 caroms are the most by a Flyer player since Stephan Bolt collected 16 against Saint Joseph's in 2008.

OTHER SIDE OF THE COURT - UIS head coach Ben Wierzba served as an assistant coach at Lewis under former Flyer head coach Kyle Green from 2004-06.