Drury Game Notes (PDF)

Romeoville, Ill. - The No. 19 Lewis University men's basketball team seeks its third win of the season over a Top Ten team, as the Flyers (19-3, 11-3 GLVC) meet No. 2 ranked and defending National Champion, Drury (21-1, 13-1 GLVC), on Saturday (Feb. 15) afternoon. Tip-off is set for 3 PM at the O'Reilly Family Event Center.
   Live stats, audio and video streaming - provided by Drury - of Saturday's contest can be found at www.LewisFlyers.com.

ALL TIME SERIES - Since Lewis entered the Division II ranks, the Panthers own a 10-1 advantage over the Flyers in their all-time series.

LAST TIME WE MET - No. 14 Drury used a 21-9 run to open the second half and shot 63.3% (31-for-49) from the field to cruise their way to the 84-59 GLVC victory over Lewis on January 3, 2013.

LAST TIME OUT - Lewis reserves David Niggins (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) and Capel Henshaw (Harrisburg, Ill./Harrisburg) each scored 13 points and combined for five three-pointers as the visiting Flyers earned the 75-60 GLVC win over Missouri S&T on Thursday (Feb. 13) 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.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE - Lewis has recorded 10 double-doubles this season. That is the most double-doubles by a Flyer squad since they had 18 during the 2007-08 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.

GETTING TO THE LINE - Lewis is 9-0 over the past two seasons when Jackson gets to the free throw line at least 10 times.

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.

SMOKIN' HOT - Lewis has won 27 of its last 32 contests dating back to the 2012-13 campaign for a winning percentage of .844. During that stretch, the Flyers have defeated five teams that were ranked in the NABC/Division II Men's Basketball Poll.

RANKED SCHMANKED - Lewis has defeated at least one nationally-ranked team in each of the last four seasons.

TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK - As of February 14th, Lewis is fifth in the country in both fewest turnovers (208) and turnovers-per-game (9.5). The Flyers have had 11 games this season with less than 10 turnovers.

TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK (PART DEUX) - Lewis joined five other teams in Division II this season with two or fewer turnovers in a game this season as they turned the ball over a mere two times against Southern Indiana (Jan. 23).

MODEL OF EFFICIENCY - Lewis took a conference-low 36 shots against Northern Michigan (Nov. 24) and added a 38-shot performance against Bellarmine (Jan. 25) and came away with victories in both games. The Flyers went to the free throw line a combined 80 times and converted 72.5% (58-for-80) of their attempts in the wins.

MODEL OF EFFICIENCY (PART DEUX) - Lewis shot a GLVC-best, 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.

NATIONALLY RANKED - Lewis moved up three spots in the NABC/Division II Coaches Poll on Tuesday (Feb. 11) ranking 19th in the country.

PROUD PROGRAM - Lewis is one of seven Division II schools in the country that has both their men's and women's basketball programs ranked in the Top 25. The Flyer women's team checked in at No. 15 in the USA TODAY Sports Division II Coaches Poll released on Tuesday (Feb. 11).

COMEBACK KIDS - Lewis has trailed in the second half in nine of its 19 victories this season.

CLOSE CALLS - Lewis is 4-0 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.

ICE IN HIS VEINS - Lewis senior guard Nick Valla (Tinley Park, Ill./Marist) is shooting 85.3% (29-for-34) from the free throw line with less than two minutes remaining this season.

DROPPING DIMES - Lewis, led by a career-high 10 helpers from Valla, dished out a season-high 28 assists in their win over William Jewell on February 8th. That's the most assists by a Flyer squad since they had 33 in 105-64 win over Lincoln Christian on January 9, 2006.

QUICK OUT OF THE GATES - With a win against Drury on Saturday, Lewis is off to its best season in school-history since they joined NCAA Division II beginning with the 1980-81 season.

TRAVELING MEN - A win against Drury would give the Flyers 10 road victories, which would be the most by a Lewis squad since they also had 10 in the 1985-86 campaign.

FROM WAY DOWNTOWN - Lewis is shooting 53.8% (21-for-39) from three-point range in its last two contests. Henshaw leads the Flyers during that stretch, as he has knocked down 75.0% (6-for-8) of his attempts. Prior to that, Henshaw was shooting 36.7% (11-for-30) from beyond the arc in Lewis' first 20 games.