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Romeoville, Ill. – The No. 13 Lewis University women's basketball came out of halftime with a renewed intensity that spurred them on to a 69-56 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory over UW-Parkside on Thursday (Feb. 27) at Neil Carey Arena.
 
The Flyers improve to 22-4 on the year and 16-2 in GLVC action while the Rangers fall to 8-18 on the season and 4-14 in league play.
 
Sophomore forward Mariyah Brawner-Henley (Skokie, Ill./Niles North) led the Flyers with 29 points, exploding for 21 points in the second half, and 12 rebounds for her 22^nd double-double of the season. Redshirt sophomore guard Jamie Johnson (South Holland, Ill./Marian Catholic) chipped in 13 points and four assists while junior guard Kristin Itschner (Metamora, Ill./Peoria Notre Dame) tallied 12 points and a career-high five blocks.
 
The Flyers closed the first half on a 10-2 run to overcome a five-point Ranger lead and take a 26-23 lead into the locker room. Brawner-Henley and Itschner both scored four points while guards Nikki Nellen (New Berlin, Wis./Pius XI) and Alyssa Dengler (Chicago, Ill./Trinity) each chipped in a bucket.
 
Lewis returned to the court after the intermission with a renewed sense of energy in the post, scoring 26 of their 38 points in the paint during the second half. The Flyers dominated the tempo on both ends of the floor as they pushed their lead out to 15 points by the final horn.
 
"We got better in the second half tonight," Lewis head women's basketball coach Lisa Carlsen said. "We did better on the glass, took care of the ball and executed down the stretch."
 
The Flyers shot 41.7% (25-of-60) from the field while holding the Rangers to 34.5% (20-of-58). Lewis also out-rebounded UW-Parkside 42-to-37, while cashing in 20 points on the Rangers 16 miscues.  
 
Gaby Bronson paced the UW-Parkside offense with 16 points and 13 rebounds while Maddie Johnston chipped in 13 points and seven boards. Tara Knapstein and Jennifer Blunt chipped in 10 points each.
 
The GLVC East Division Champion Flyers earned a first-round bye and wait to hear who their quarterfinal opponent will be at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind., on Thursday (March 6). Tip-off is set for 6 PM CT.