HILLSDALE, Mich. – The Lewis women's basketball team fell in a close game against Northern Michigan 62-56 in its season opener on Saturday afternoon at the Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena. Lewis is 0-1 on the season.

Jessica Kelliher (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha North) led the Flyers with 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds while Kaitlyn Williams (Homer Glen, Ill./Joliet Catholic) chipped in with 11 points and Gabby Green (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) finished with nine points.

Lewis trailed for a majority of the opening quarter but closed it on a 6-2 run over the final 2:44 to take a 15-14 lead into the second stanza. Dajae Black (Chicago, Ill./Marist) scored five of the six points in the run.

The Flyers extended their lead to four early in the second quarter on a three-pointer from Williams but the Wildcats responded with a 10-0 run to retake the lead at 24-18 on a layup by Darby Youngstrum.

NMU pushed its lead to seven midway through the second quarter but Lewis scored the final five points of the frame to cut the deficit to 27-25 at the break. Kelliher and Green accounted for the final five points of the half.

The Wildcats scored the first five points of the second half to extend its lead 32-25 but the Flyers were able to cut the deficit to 34-31 on an old fashioned three-point play by Tierney Lockett (Richton Park, Ill./Rich South) with 5:09 left in the third quarter.

NMU answered on the other end with a three-point play of its own to extend the lead back to six at 37-31. Lewis answered with an 8-3 run to cut the deficit to 40-39 on a layup by Stephanie Hart (Geneva, Ill./Geneva) with 2:32 left in the quarter.

Taylor Hoddell made a pair of free throws to extend the lead back to three and that's where it would stand heading into the final stanza.

The Wildcats opened the final period on a 7-2 run to push its lead back out to eight. The Flyers cut the deficit to four in the closing seconds but Northern Michigan went 3-for-4 at the foul line in the final 0:20 to hold on for the win.

Lewis shot only 34 percent (21-of-62) from the field, was 5-for-27 (19 percent) from three and shot 82 percent at the foul line. The Flyers outrebounded the Wildcats 36-35 and turned it over 13 times compared to 17 for NMU.

The Wildcats shot 43 percent (21-for-49) from the floor, were 6-of-15 from the three and shot 88 percent at the foul line. Youngstrom led three players in double figures with 18 points while Sydney Dillinger added 11 and Jessica Schultz finished with 10.

Lewis is back in action on Sunday afternoon taking on Hillsdale at 2:30 p.m. (CST).