PDF Box Score / HTML Box Score

Postgame Press Conference (video) / Highlights (video)

HOUGHTON, Mich. – Senior Alexus Grayer (Washington, Ill./Washington) made three 3-pointers in a less than two-minute span in the second half to help No. 4 Lewis women's hoops pull away from UW-Parkside and defeat the Rangers 80-66 in the opening round of the NCAA Midwest Regional on Friday (March 13).

The win for Lewis improves the Flyers to 29-2, a new school record for single season wins. Lewis advances to play the No. 6 seed Wayne State (MI) on Saturday (March 14) at 5 p.m. ET in the Midwest Regional Semifinals at Michigan Tech University. Lewis fell to Wayne State last season in the same round.

The second seeded Flyers were aided by first half foul trouble by the seventh seeded Rangers. It helped Lewis hold a 36-31 lead at the break. UW-Parkside pushed back and less than three minutes into the second half had tied the score at 42.
 
It was a 50-49 game when Grayer picked up an assist on a 3-pointer by junior Jamie Johnson (South Holland, Ill./Marian Catholic) to put Lewis up 53-49. Then Grayer went off. The next three Lewis shots were all by her beyond the arc and they all went in. She helped Lewis take a 62-54 advantage with 7:43 remaining. Senior Kristin Itschner (Metamora, Ill./Peoria Notre Dame) and Johnson each followed with baskets to give the Flyers a 14-point advantage and all but end the game.

Johnson finished with a game-high 26 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Junior Mariyah Brawner-Henley (Skokie, Ill./Niles North) had a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds. Grayer finished with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting, 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Reinhart pitched in 13 points for Lewis.
 
"I though we did a good job today of in stretches being who we are," Lewis head coach Lisa Carlsen said. "We are a team that likes to score in bunches and push the pace a little bit and I thought our key kids did what they do and what they've been doing all year."

The Flyers shot 45.9 percent (28-of-61) while limiting UW-Parkside to 36.7 percent (22-of-60) shooting. Lewis out-rebounded UW-Parkside 40-36.
 
"When it came down to it I thought we did a really nice job of getting stops and rebounding the basketball," Carlsen said.
 
The Flyers earned 19 assists to only eight turnovers. Johnson had six of the 19 assists.

UW-Parkside concludes the season 22-8.