ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The sixth ranked Lewis women's basketball team closed out the 2018 calendar year with a 70-43 win over St. Francis on Monday afternoon at Neil Carey Arena. The Flyers (9-1) had 12 players score in the contest led by Jessica Kelliher (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha North) with 23 points.

Lewis held St. Francis to a season low 43 points and forced a season-high 25 turnovers in the contest.

The Fighting Saints (10-5) scored the first basket of the game but after that it was all Flyers as they ran off 11 in a row behind four points each from Kelliher and Tierney Lockett (Richton Park, Ill./Rich South) and a three-pointer from Kaitlyn Williams (Homer Glen, Ill./Joliet Catholic).

Lewis didn't let USF get closer than seven points the rest of the quarter as they shot 62 percent in the first 10 minutes and were 2-of-4 from downtown. Kelliher hit a pair of free throws in the closing seconds of the opening frame to give Lewis a double digit lead.

The Flyers opened the second quarter on a 13-4 run to extend its lead to 19 points but the Saints ended the quarter scoring five of the final seven points to cut the lead to 35-19 at the intermission. Kelliher had six in the stanza followed by Allison Utterback (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove) with three while Lockett, Rachel Hinders (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) and Morgan Glatzcak had two each.

Lewis continued to control play after the break outscoring USF 18-11 in the third quarter to build 23 point lead heading into the final 10 minutes. Kelliher had seven points and three rebounds in the frame as the Flyers shot 47 percent (7-for-15) in the quarter.

Lewis extended its lead to as many as 32 points on a steal and score from Alyssa Streeter (Chicago, Ill./Jones Prep) with 3:16 left in the contest. The Saints cut the lead to 24 on back-to-back threes from Allee Hernandez and Justene Charlesworth in the final couple of minutes. Reilly Olmstead (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) capped the scoring for the Flyers knocking down a three with 0:30 left.

Lewis finished the game shooting 52 percent (27-of-52) from the floor, was 5-for-17 from three and shot 79 percent at the foul line. It turned the 25 Saint turnovers into 29 points and outscored USF 40-18 in the paint.

The Saints ended the game connecting 36 percent of their attempts from the field, went 4-of-18 from downtown and shot 64 percent at the charity stripe. They outrebounded the Flyers 28-24.

Lewis returns to the court on Thursday hosting Truman State in a Great Lakes Valley Conference contest at 5:30 p.m.