ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Lewis' men's basketball team knocked off the defending national champion and 14th ranked Ferris State 87-79 on Saturday afternoon at Neil Carey Arena. Kendale McCullum (Elgin, Ill./Elgin Larkin) led the Flyers (4-1) with 20 points while Donovan Oliver (Kewanee, Ill./Kewanee) added 19 points and Delaney Blaylock (Wyoming, Mich./Godwin Heights) dropped in 13.

Lewis shot 51.4 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes and led by as many as 11 points at 39-28 after a three-pointer from Oliver with 6:40 to go in the opening half. The Bulldogs (5-3) cut the lead to 43-37 after a pair of free throws from Mason Pline with 4:16 left in the half.

The Flyers extended their lead back to nine thanks to five straight points from Frank Vukaj (Davison, Mich./Davison) and Adam Pischke (Cary, Ill./Marian Central Catholic). Vukaj started the run with a dunk and was fouled on the play and hit the free throw and then Pischke hit a layup after a steal from Vukaj.

Ferris State cut the lead to 46-43 with six straight points but Blaylock countered with a three with 1:08 remaining in the half to push the lead back to six points. The Bulldogs evened things at 49 with back-to-back threes from D'angelo Hughes and Armani Tinsley to send the teams to the locker room tied at the intermission.

Ferris State was able to overcome Lewis' hot shooting by shooting 48 percent from the three-point line and shot 73 percent at the foul line. The Bulldogs also had a 19-to-15 edge on the glass.

The Flyers used a 12-5 run over a four minute stretch early in the second half to turn a one-point deficit into a 66-60 lead on layup from McCullum with 13:24 left in the contest. Lewis stretched its lead to as many as seven after a three-pointer from
McCullum but Ferris State battled back thanks to a 16-9 run to tie the game at 78 with less than five minutes to play.

Neither side scored for the next 2:15 until McCullum hit a driving layup to put Lewis back in front 80-78 with 2:30 to play. The Bulldogs had a chance to tie the score again on the ensuing possession but Taylor Adway made only 1-of-2 at the line to keep the Flyers in front. Anthony D'Avanzo (Harwood Heights, Ill./Notre Dame) extended the lead hitting a jumper from near the top of the key with 2:03 remaining.

Lewis got back-to-back stops on the defensive end and Ferris State was forced to foul. Blaylock hit 1-of-2 at the charity stripe to push the lead to 83-79 and then after another stop Adam Pischke (Cary, Ill./Marian Central Catholic) hit two free throws with 0:07 left to put the Flyers up 85-79. After another turnover, D'Avanzo iced the game hitting two free throws for the final margin.

Lewis finished the game shooting 52.4 percent (33-for-63) from the floor, it was 10-of-18 (56 percent) from three and shot 79 percent (11-for-14) at the foul line. Oliver was 8-for-8 from the field including 3-of-3 from three. The Flyers outscored the Bulldogs 38-to-16 in the paint and 18-to-16 in points off turnovers.

Ferris State ended the game shooting 23-for-57 (40.4 percent) from the floor, shot 46 percent (11-of-24) from three and hit 22-of-33 free throws (67 percent). It outrebounded Lewis 32-to-31 in the contest and its bench outscored the Flyers 45-to-19.

Jaylin McFadden led four Bulldogs in double figures with 15 points. Tinsley added 14, Pline finished with 12 and Hughes dropped in 11.

The Flyers are back at home on Saturday (Dec. 1) as they open Great Lakes Valley Conference action hosting Indianapolis at 3 p.m.