ROLLA, Mo. – Lewis University's women's basketball team bounced back with a hard fought 87-80 win at Missouri S&T on Saturday afternoon in Rolla, Mo.
Jessica Kelliher (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha North) led four Flyers (21-6, 14-3 GLVC) in double figures with 31 points. Kelliher passed Darcee Schmidt for the school record for most points in a single season at 679.
Lewis trailed by as many as seven points in the opening quarter but was able to cut the deficit to four by the end of the first quarter. The Flyers shot 46 percent in the opening quarter but was just 5-for-10 at the foul line.
Lewis trailed for most of the second quarter but came back to take a 35-33 lead after a layup from Kelliher with 1:22 left in the half. The Lady Miners (8-16, 3-13 GLVC) though closed the half scoring seven of the final nine points to take a 40-37 lead into the locker room.
S&T opened the third quarter on a 10-4 run to build its largest lead of the game after a three-pointer from Maddie Raley with 7:28 to play in the quarter. The Flyers responded with a 14-5 run over the next four minutes to tie the game on a free throw from
Gabby Green (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI). The two sides went back-and-forth the next two minutes but Lewis ended the quarter scoring six of the final eight points to take a 65-61 lead into the final stanza.
Janie Arand cut the Flyer lead to one with a three-pointer to open the fourth quarter but Lewis responded with a 7-2 run to build a six-point lead on a three-pointer by
Chrissi Ekhomu (Bolingbrook, Ill./Joliet Catholic). The Flyers led by one near the midway point of the quarter then began to pull away thanks to a 10-2 run in a four minute stretch to build its largest lead of the game at 85-76 on a layup from Kelliher with 0:48 remaining.
Lewis hit 18-of-29 field goals (62 percent) in the second half to finish the game shooting 55 percent (31-for-56) for the game. It outrebounded S&T by a 35-to-26 margin and outscored the Lady Miners 21-to-9 in second chance points. Joining Kelliher in double figures was
Rachel Hinders (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) with 20 points while
Dajae Black (Chicago, Ill./Marist) and
Gabby Green (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) added 12 points apiece.
S&T shot 48 percent (28-for-58) from the field, was 9-of-17 from beyond the arc and shot 75 percent at the foul line. Arand led three Lady Miners in double figures with 22 points while Joe'l Bland and Jordan Kabetske added 18 and 12 points respectively.
The Flyers conclude the regular season next Saturday afternoon hosting Southern Indiana beginning at 1 p.m. Lewis will honor its two seniors in a ceremony prior to the start of the game.
