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PDF Box ScoreROMEOVILLE, Ill. – No. 1 Lewis women's basketball overcame an early nine-point deficit to defeat Saint Joseph's 88-51 on Thursday (Jan. 29) at Neil Carey Arena in a Great Lakes Valley Conference contest.
The win gives Lewis their ninth 20-win season in program history. The Flyers have now won 20 games in a season for three straight years, a first for the program.
The Flyers had their coldest start to a game all season by falling behind 13-4 over the game's first seven minutes. All told Lewis committed 11 turnovers in the first half with four in the game's first two minutes. However Lewis used a 24-2 run over a 10-minute span to take a 32-20 lead with 3:37 left in the first half. By the break Lewis held a 40-25 lead thanks to a 3-pointer by senior
Alexus Grayer (Washington, Ill./Washington) at the buzzer. Grayer and senior
Jamie Johnson (South Holland, Ill./Marian Catholic) each had three treys in the first half.
Despite the slow start, Lewis shot 58.6 percent (34-of-58) in the game while limiting the Pumas to 33.3 percent (21-of-36) shooting. The Flyers made 12 3-pointers for a second consecutive game. Grayer finished with 17 points and tied a career high for made 3-pointers with a 5-of-6 performance from beyond the arc.
Johnson also had 17 points. Junior
Mariyah Brawner-Henley (Skokie, Ill./Niles North) recorded a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Senior
Jess Reinhart (Normal, Ill./Bloomington Central Catholic) pitched in 14 points. Senior
Nikki Nellen (New Berlin, Wis./Pius XI) tied a career high with 10 assists.
"We have a real confident group on the offensive end," Lewis head coach
Lisa Carlsen said. "I didn't think we started the game with the defensive intensity we needed but thanks to Jamie and Lexi (Grayer) hitting some big shots in the first half we were able to recover and control most of the final 30 minutes."
The victory is Lewis' 34
th straight overall at home and 26
th straight in the GLVC at home.
Lewis improves to 20-0 (10-0 GLVC). Saint Joseph's falls to 8-12 (4-6 GLVC). The Flyers welcome Indianapolis to town on Saturday (Jan. 31) for a 1 p.m. tip. Lewis' 1970's All-Decades Team will be honored at halftime.
