ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Lewis's women's basketball team goes for its fifth straight victory when it hosts the Bellarmine Knights on Thursday evening beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Neil Carey Arena. The Flyers ran their win streak to four with a 73-58 win at Truman State last Saturday while the Knights enter Thursday's contest with a mark of 7-6, 2-2 GLVC.
Thursday's game will be the third annual mascot game with local mascots from around the area playing at halftime of each game.
In the first meeting between the two clubs back in December Lewis opened the game on a 20-2 run and wouldn't look back on its way to an 81-55 win at Knights Hall.
Jessica Kelliher (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha North) scored 30 points in that contest while
Rachel Hinders (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) added 16.
Against Truman on Saturday, Lewis (11-4, 4-1 GLVC) held a two point lead at the end of the first quarter before breaking the game open by outscoring the Bulldogs 41-25 in the second and third quarters. Kelliher led three Flyers in double figures with 26 points and 11 rebounds.
Gabby Green (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) and Hinders added 11 and 10 points respectively.
Kelliher leads the nation in scoring averaging 25.3 points per game and is also averaging 7.7 rebounds per contest while Hinders is dropping in 13 points and grabbing 7.1 rebounds per contest. Green has dished out a team-high 65 assists.
ABOUT BELLARMINE: The Knights have lost three of their last four contests heading into Thursday's game. They dropped a 63-60 decision at William Jewell this past Saturday. The Cardinals led by 12 early in the fourth quarter but Bellarmine came back with an 18-6 run to tie the game at 58 with 2:32 to play. The Knights trailed 61-60 and had a chance to take the lead with 0:17 left in the game but Raven Merriweather's layup rimmed out. Kayla Harrell made a pair of free throws for Jewell to extend the lead to three points. After a timeout, Bellarmine missed a tying 3-point time at the buzzer.
Beth Bowers led the Knights with 17 points in the contest while Merriweather added 12.
The Knights are averaging 72.1 points per game and are led in scoring by Merriweather with 18 points per game. Mikayla Berry is dropping in 11.4 points per contest while
Bowers is scoring 10.3 points per outing. Merriweather also leads the team in rebounding pulling down 6.6 boards per contest and Breia Torrens has dished out a team best 38 assists.
