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Romeoville, Ill. - Lewis University junior guard Jeff Jarosz (Lyons, Ill./Morton) led five players in double-figures with a career-high 23 points, as the No. 22 Flyers surged past Truman State, 82-65, in the Great Lakes Valley Conference season-opener at Neil Carey Arena on Friday (Jan. 3) night.

"That's a really good team that we just beat," Lewis head men's basketball coach Scott Trost said. "Give Truman State a lot of credit, because they are going to win a lot of games in our league."

Jarosz was 9-for-14 from the floor and added three assists and three rebounds in the victory. His previous high of 19 points came earlier this season against Cedarville. Over his last four games, Jarosz is averaging 18.8 points-per-game and shooting 63.8% (30-for-47) from the field.

"Jeff was great tonight," Trost said. "He just took over and put the team on his back. He made plays at the rim, hit some three's, and again, he's the quarterback of our team and we had four turnovers tonight.

Senior guard Nick Valla (Tinley Park, Ill./Marist) posted a season-best 17 points, as he was 7-for-9 from the floor with four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Valla's backcourt mate Ryan Jackson (Bolingbrook, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield) added 13 points and six rebounds, while junior forward David Niggins (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) came off the bench to score a season-high 11 points.

Lewis forward Julian Lewis (Flossmoor, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) added his third double-double of the season, chipping in 10 points and 11 rebounds. The Flyers have had a double-double in each of their last five games.

With the win, Lewis (9-0, 1-0 GLVC) extends its winning streak to nine games, while the visiting Bulldogs drop to 8-2 on the season and 1-1 in conference play.

Truman State guard Reed Mells scored a team-best 14 points for the Bulldogs, while leading scorer Mike Carlson was held to 10 points. Carlson entered Friday's contest averaging 20.8 points-per-game. TSU guard Seth Jackson had eight points and a team-best 10 rebounds.

The Flyers committed a season-low four turnovers and forced 11 Truman State miscues, which led to 18 points. It was the fewest turnovers since they had three against St. Francis (Ill.) on December 11, 2010. Lewis also enjoyed an 11-4 advantage in offensive rebounds, which led to 18 second chance points. Truman State only managed two second-chance points all night.

Defensively, Lewis held Truman State to just 17 shots in the second half, and only allowed three field goals over the final 12:42 of the contest. As a team, Truman State still shot 50.0% (23-for-46) from the field, while Lewis drained 51.7% (30-for-58) of their attempts.

Lewis returns to action on Sunday (Jan. 5), as they welcome Quincy to Neil Carey Arena for a 3 PM tip-off.