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Romeoville, Ill. - The defense of the Lewis University men's basketball team was on display, as the Flyers held Olivet Nazarene to 36.7% shooting (18-for-49) and forced 20 turnovers on their way to the 75-49 victory over the visiting Tigers at Neil Carey Arena on Wednesday (Dec. 3) night.
The 49 points was the fewest allowed by a Flyer squad since a 67-42 win over Saint Joseph's on February 18, 2012. The 20 turnovers was the most by a Flyer opponent since they forced 20 Southern Indiana miscues on March 7, 2013. Lewis scored 24 points off of the 20 Tiger miscues. This is the third time this season that Lewis has held their opponents to under 40% shooting.
"I thought defensively, we really made it tough on (Olivet Nazarene)," Lewis head men's basketball coach
Scott Trost said. "We came out with a lot of energy at that end of the floor and we wanted them to feel a little uncomfortable and take them out of their rhythm.
"We were aggressive and got some easy transition baskets," Trost continued. "It's a good win against a team that will probably win 20 games at the end of the year."
With the win, Lewis improves to 5-1 on the campaign, while the Tigers drop to 6-4.
While playing solid defensively, the Flyers had a mere six turnovers on the evening and saw six different players score at least eight points in the victory.
Lewis freshman guard
Max Strus (Hickory Hills, Ill./Stagg) led four players in double-figures for the Flyers with 15 points, followed by 14 points and seven rebounds from senior forward
Julian Lewis (Flossmoor, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor). Senior guard
Ryan Jackson (Bolingbrook, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield) chipped in 13 points, while senior forward
David Niggins (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) came off the bench to score 12 points, including two three-pointers, and grab five rebounds.
Olivet Nazarene's Aaron Larson led all scorers with 16 points, while junior center Zach Wagner added 11 points in the defeat.
Lewis returns to action on Saturday (Dec. 6), as the Flyers welcome Cedarville to Neil Carey Arena for a 3 PM tipoff.