Skip To Main Content

Lewis University Athletics

No. 9 Lewis Women's Hoops Hosts Bellarmine On Saturday In First Place Tilt

Tiana Karopulos
Steve Woltmann
Tiana Karopulos had nine points on Thursday vs. Southern Indiana.

Women's Basketball | 1/22/2016 11:59:00 AM

No. 9 Lewis Flyers (17-1, 8-0 GLVC) vs. Bellarmine Knights (13-1, 7-1 GLVC)
DateSaturday, January 23, 2016
Time1:00 p.m. CT
LocationRomeoville, Ill. - Neil Carey Arena (1,100)
VideoGLVCSN - www.LewisFlyers.com/watch
RadioWJOL 1340 AM
Live Statshttp://sidearmstats.com/lewisu/wbball/
Social Media@LewisWBBall

Complete Game Notes (PDF)

VS. THE KNIGHTS - Lewis is 23-39 all-time against Bellarmine. The Flyers have won the last three meetings, including a 73-54 win at Bellarmine last season. The Knights' last win in the series came Jan. 19, 2013 in Louisville 74-70. The Flyers are 15-7 against Bellarmine since the 2003-04 season. That is much better than the 5-29 record Lewis had against the Knights from 1986 to 2003-04. That stretch included 22 straight wins for Bellarmine from 1986 to 1996.

GREATS FROM THE 1980s - Lewis will honor the 1980's All-Decade Team at halftime of Saturday's game. The team includes: Susie Bosch, April Calvert, Krista Eshoo, Julie Fruendt, Candy Hummel, Mary Niego, Terry Niego, Donna Obradovitz, Chris Toscas and Rosemary Turner.

WWWWWWWWWWWW - Lewis has won 12 consecutive games. It is the fifth win-streak of 10 or more games in program history. The Flyers won exactly 10 in 1984-85 and 1997-98. The 2006-07 Flyers won 13 games in a row while last season's 2014-15 squad set the program record by winning 23 games to open the season.

IT IS A SIMPLE GAME - Lewis has recorded a better field goal percentage than their opponent in every game this season.

DEFENSE, DEFENSE - Only three opponents have reached 40 percent shooting against the Flyers this season. Wayne State put together the best shooting performance against Lewis this year, finishing with a 42.6 percentage.

DEFENSE LIKE IT'S 1998 - Lewis is limiting opponents to 55.9 points per game. The last time Lewis finished a season with opponents averaging in the 50's was the 1997-98 season when Lewis gave up 55.4 points per game.

20 OR LESS - Five straight opponents, starting with the contest vs. Drury, have failed to make 20 field goals against Lewis.

SECOND HALF IS FOR WINNERS - Of late, the second half has been when Lewis has put games away. Lewis trailed at halftime to Cumberland (34-33), Missouri S&T (32-31) and Maryville (32-31) before rallying to defeat all three teams. Lewis and UW-Parkside were tied at 31 at the break in Lewis' 67-63 win on Jan. 2. The Flyers led UMSL 26-25 at halftime, before winning 59-45.

TOP 10 OR MORE - Jessica Kelliher (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha North) has recorded double-digit points in 16 consecutive games.

GLVC IS FOR MBH - Mariyah Brawner-Henley (Skokie, Ill./Niles North) is the only player in the GLVC averaging 20 points per game and 10 rebounds per game in conference play thanks to her 20.9 points and 13.3 rebounds average.

MOUSE IN THE HOUSE - Alyssa Dengler (Chicago, Ill./Trinity), or 'Mouse' to her teammates, is leading the league in GLVC games only in assist/turnover ratio at 2.50. She has 25 assists for 10 turnovers.

"MO" BLOCKS - Mariyah Brawner-Henley (Skokie, Ill./Niles North), or 'Mo' to her teammates, ranks second all-time in Lewis career blocks with 124. She is unlikely to catch first place Julie Fruendt's (1981-85) 215. She passed Jenny Turpel's (2007-11) 123 on Jan. 21 vs. Southern Indiana with a pair of blocks.

SINGLE-GAME BOARDS - Lewis senior Mariyah Brawner-Henley (Skokie, Ill./Niles North) grabbed a career-high 23 rebounds on Jan. 7 vs. Drury. It also tied the Lewis school record for single-game rebounds. Julie Fruendt also grabbed 23 rebounds in a game against Valparaiso during the 1984-85 season.

CAREER BOARDS - Mariyah Brawner-Henley (Skokie, Ill./Niles North) made Lewis history on Dec. 30 vs. Cumberland when she became the program's leader in career rebounds. She passed Julie Fruendt's total of 1,043 from 1981-85 with her 10th rebound of the game in the third quarter. Brawner-Henley now holds the record with 1,127 boards.

GLVC RECORD - If you were wondering, the career rebounding record for a GLVC player is Sloan Haughey's 1,187 for Saint Joseph's from 1989-93.

1,500 & 1,000 - Mariyah Brawner-Henley (Skokie, Ill./Niles North) recorded her 1,500th career point and 1,000th rebound in the contest vs. Indianapolis (Dec. 5). She is one of only four active women's basketball players in NCAA DI, DII or DIII with 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds.

HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE - Since the start of the 2012-13 season, Lewis is 44-2 at home.

WBCA POLL - Lewis has been ranked in the USA TODAY/WBCA NCAA DII Poll for 33 consecutive polls, dating back to Jan. 14, 2014.

FREE FOR THE FROSH - Freshman Jessica Kelliher (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha North) has shown a propensity for getting to the free throw line. Of her 304 points on the season, 78 have come from the charity stripe. She is 78-of-101 (77.2 percent) for the season including a 10-of-10 performance against Ferris State on Nov. 29, 2015. Her 95 free throw attempts are the most in the nation.

FROSH FROM THE FLOOR - Jessica Kelliher (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha North) has been nearly as effective when being guarded, as she ranks second in the nation in field goal percentage at 65.2 percent (118-of-181).

FRESHMEN FLYERS - Jessica Kelliher (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha North) is averaging 17.4 points per game. She is in rare territory as the last Lewis freshman to average that many points was Chris Toscas' 23.7 points per game in 1988-89. No freshman has averaged 14.0 points or more since Toscas.

IN THE NATION - Lewis is...
3rd in field goal percentage (49.8)
5th in opponent field goal percentage (33.4)
7th in 3-point field goal percentage (39.6)
12th in rebound margin (9.1)
14th in scoring margin (18.7)

10 OR MORE - Mariyah Brawner-Henley (Skokie, Ill./Niles North) has started 79 games in her Lewis career. She has scored in double-digits in 77 of them. Her two starts where she came up short, she had eight points.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE QUEEN - Mariyah Brawner-Henley (Skokie, Ill./Niles North) won the NCAA DII double-double title with 23 in 2013-14 and shared it in 2014-15 with 25. This year she has 12, good for second behind Northwood's Jordyn Nuerenberg's 13.

DOUBLE TROUBLE - Mariyah Brawner-Henley (Skokie, Ill./Niles North) owns 62 career double-doubles. Here is how she ranks all-time in NCAA DII history. Even if she records a double-double in each game all the way to the NCAA National Championship game, she can't catch the all-time leader.
1. 84 - Celeste Trahan (Elizabeth City St.) 05-08
2. 64 - Carlita Jones (Clarion) 92-95
3. 62 - Mariyah Brawner-Henley (Skokie, Ill./Niles North) (Lewis)

MAKING BASKETS - Mariyah Brawner-Henley (Skokie, Ill./Niles North)'s 148 field goals this season are the second most in NCAA DII behind Mary's Brittney Dietz.

WAITING IS THE HARDEST PART - Alyssa Dengler (Chicago, Ill./Trinity) has played in 111 career games, but her first career start didn't come until her 99th career game on Nov. 25 against GVSU.

QUARTER OR MORE - Lewis has won 18 games by 25 points or more since the last time they lost a game by 25 points (94-59 at Central Missouri on Dec. 16, 2011).

SPEAKING NATIONALLY - Of all current players in NCAA Division II, Mariyah Brawner-Henley (Skokie, Ill./Niles North) leads the nation in career double-doubles (62), rebounds (1,127) and made field goals (696). She is third in scoring (1,709).

TONIGHT'S TOP 10 LIST - Mariyah Brawner-Henley (Skokie, Ill./Niles North) is seventh in career scoring at Lewis. She could rise up the top 10 scoring list this season. For context, Darcee Schmidt (2003-07) is Lewis' all-time leading scorer with 1,968 points. Mary Moskal (2003-07) ranks fifth with 1,761 points.

PERFECT X2 - A pair of Flyers put together perfect shooting games in consecutive days. Freshman Jessica Kelliher (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha North) was 7-of-7 from the floor and 6-of-6 from the free throw line against Davis & Elkins (Nov. 21). The following day Alyssa Siwek (Palos Heights, Ill./Mother McAuley) shot 7-of-7 from the floor and 1-of-1 from the free throw line against Alderson Broaddus (Nov. 22).

20/20 - Jessica Kelliher (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha North) wasted little time earning her first career 20-point game, doing so in her fifth career contest with 20 against Davis & Elkins (Nov. 21). She earned her first 20-point contest well before her current All-American teammates did. Mariyah Brawner-Henley (Skokie, Ill./Niles North) did so in her eighth career game, but it was her only 20-point game of her freshman year. Jamie Johnson (South Holland, Ill./Marian Catholic) didn't have a 20-point game in her freshman year of 2011-12. She redshirted due to injury in 2012-13, and then it took another 10 games as a redshirt sophomore in 2013-14 before she scored 20 points. It was Johnson's 38th career contest.

FOUR IS ENOUGH - Lewis attempted only four 3-pointers on Wednesday (Dec. 30) against Cumberland. They made all four. The last time Lewis attempted four or fewer 3-pointers in a game was Jan. 25, 2014 at Bellarmine. In that game, Lewis missed all four attempts.

SEEING DOUBLE - Junior Alyssa Siwek (Palos Heights, Ill./Mother McAuley) recorded 11 points and 10 assists at Wayne State (Mich.) on Dec. 20, 2015. The last time a Flyer recorded a double-double in points and assists was Nikki Nellen (New Berlin, Wis./Pius XI) on Jan. 23, 2014 at home vs. Southern Indiana. Nellen, Lewis' all-time assists leader, had 11 points and 10 rebounds in Lewis 95-85 win over the Screaming Eagles.

50 IS ENOUGH - Lewis picked up a 54-41 win over Drury on Jan. 7. It was the first time Lewis won a contest while scoring less than 60 points since defeating Missouri S&T 50-42 on March 8, 2013 in the GLVC Tournament in Evansville, Indiana.

RECORD HIGH - Lewis' 111 points against Alderson Broaddus on Nov. 22 marked the most in a regulation game for the Flyers in program history. Lewis matched the number in an 111-105 triple-overtime win at Indianapolis on Jan. 30, 2014, but in 40 minutes of basketball, the Alderson Broaddus total is the best. The previous high for a regulation game was a 110-105 win over Chicago State in 1981.

FETED FLYER – Earlier this year, Jessie Tennant (Algonquin, Ill./Jacobs) won the Lincoln Academy of Illinois Laureate Award, this award honors individuals whose contributions to the betterment of humanity have been accomplished in or on behalf of the State of Illinois, or, whose achievements have brought honor to the state because their dedication exemplifies the great Illinoisan whose name it bears. Only one senior student at each of the four-year institutions in Illinois are honored for overall excellence, in both curricular and extra-curricular programs.

JOIN THE RANKS - Lewis' No. 2 ranking was the highest preseason ranking school history.

BEASTS OF THE EAST - Lewis has won the GLVC East Division for three straight seasons. In the 2015-16 GLVC Preseason Poll, the Flyers were picked to win it again.

THE COURSE TO THE COURT - The Flyers welcome sophomore Rachel Sweeney (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista) to the squad this season. Sweeney is known for her success on the Lewis women's golf team where she earned GLVC Freshman of the Year in 2014, as well as All-GLVC and WGCA All-East Region team accolades in 2015. In October of 2015 she was named the GLVC Women's Golfer of the Month. Sweeney's 75.1 career average is the best in school history.

GLVC POTY X2 - Lewis owns the last two GLVC Players of the Year. Mariyah Brawner-Henley (Skokie, Ill./Niles North) won the title in 2013-14. Jamie Johnson (South Holland, Ill./Marian Catholic) earned the honor in 2014-15. However Johnson is out the rest of the season with an injury.
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Nikki Nellen

#13 Nikki Nellen

G
5' 8"
Senior
Mariyah Brawner-Henley

#24 Mariyah Brawner-Henley

F
6' 0"
Senior
Alyssa Dengler

#20 Alyssa Dengler

G
6' 0"
Senior
Jamie Johnson

#5 Jamie Johnson

G
5' 8"
Redshirt Senior
Alyssa Siwek

#25 Alyssa Siwek

G
5' 8"
Junior
Jessie Tennant

#22 Jessie Tennant

F
5' 11"
Senior
Jessica  Kelliher

#52 Jessica Kelliher

F
6' 0"
Freshman
Rachel Sweeney

#12 Rachel Sweeney

G
5' 9"
Redshirt Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Nikki Nellen

#13 Nikki Nellen

5' 8"
Senior
G
Mariyah Brawner-Henley

#24 Mariyah Brawner-Henley

6' 0"
Senior
F
Alyssa Dengler

#20 Alyssa Dengler

6' 0"
Senior
G
Jamie Johnson

#5 Jamie Johnson

5' 8"
Redshirt Senior
G
Alyssa Siwek

#25 Alyssa Siwek

5' 8"
Junior
G
Jessie Tennant

#22 Jessie Tennant

5' 11"
Senior
F
Jessica  Kelliher

#52 Jessica Kelliher

6' 0"
Freshman
F
Rachel Sweeney

#12 Rachel Sweeney

5' 9"
Redshirt Sophomore
G