ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Jessica Kelliher (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha North) scored a career-high 40 points and made a season-high 17 field goals to lead Lewis to an 82-74 win over William Jewell on Thursday evening at Neil Carey Arena. The Flyers, ranked 10th in the D2SIDA Media Poll and 18th in the WBCA Coaches Poll this week, improved to 15-2 and 6-1 in the GLVC.

Kelliher recorded her seventh double-double of the season and 31st of her career as she grabbed 11 rebounds to go along with her 40 points. She was joined in double figures by Rachel Hinders (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) and Tierney Lockett (Richton Park, Ill./Rich South) with 13 points apiece. Stephanie Hart (Geneva, Ill./Geneva) registered a career-high seven assists.

Kelliher also moved into second place all-time in scoring in the GLVC record book. She passed Lisa Miller who scored 2,358 points in 111 games for Purdue Fort Wayne from 1988-92.

Thursday's game featured two of the top defensive teams from the perimeter with Lewis allowing its opponents to shoot 27.1 percent while the Cardinals (9-7, 3-5 GLVC) were holding opponents to 29.8 percent from beyond the arc.

There were seven ties and three lead changes in the opening quarter. Jewell regained the lead on a three-pointer from Antoinette Mussorici with 3:04 to go in the opening quarter. However, it would be there last lead of the game as the Flyers ended the quarter on an 8-2 run.

After Kelliher tied the game at 14, Lockett hit back-to-back layups to put them ahead and Gabby Green (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) capped the run with another layup. Lewis had two chances to extend its lead but missed a pair of jumpers in the final minute of the frame.

Sydney Offield cut the deficit to four hitting a runner in the lane near the end of the opening quarter.

The Flyers extended their lead to six on a bucket from Green less than a minute into the second quarter but the Cardinals responded with a 6-2 run to cut the lead to 24-22 after a layup from Kiara Bradley with 6:03 left in the half.

Lewis missed its first seven three's of the contest until Hinders buried one to push the lead to five near the midway point of the stanza. Hinders followed it up with a layup 73 seconds later to give the Flyers their largest lead of the half at 29-22.

Jewell answered with back-to-back baskets from Natalie Denzer and Macyn Wilbers to cut it to a three-point margin. Lewis had one final run in them though as Hinders and Kelliher teamed up to score their last six points of the half to take a 35-28 into the locker room at the half.

The Cardinals came out aggressive in the third quarter scoring 10 of the first 14 points to cut the Flyer lead to 39-38 after a three by Bradley less than two minutes into the frame.

The two sides traded baskets for the next 90 seconds before a quick 5-0 spurt gave Lewis a six-point cushion with 5:11 left in the stanza. Jewell trimmed the deficit to three but the Flyers countered with a 9-2 run over the final 4:05 of the frame to take a 10-point lead into the final quarter.

The Cardinals refused to go quietly scoring the first seven points of the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 57-54 on a layup from Mussorici with 7:43 remaining. Lewis extend the lead to as many as nine on three-pointer from Allison Utterback (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove) but once again Jewell wouldn't quit getting back to within three on a jumper from Denzer with 3:28 left.

The Flyers pushed the lead back to seven on a layup from Kelliher with 2:01 to play but the Cardinals responded with a 5-1 spurt to cut the deficit to three on a three-pointer by Kayla Harrell with 1:38 left.

Kelliher hit a layup on the ensuing possession to extend the lead to five and then the Flyers hit 7-of-8 free throws in the final minute to secure the victory.

Lewis shot 51 percent (32-for-63) from the field in the contest but was just 4-of-21 from three and shot 78 percent at the foul line. The Flyers forced 18 Jewell turnovers and turned those into 21 points and outscored them 20-to-6 in second chance points.

The Cardinals shot 50 percent (28-for-56) from the floor, was 6-of-13 from three and shot 92 percent at the foul line. Mussorici led four Jewell players in double figures with 19 points while Bradley added 16.

Lewis is back in action on Saturday afternoon hosting Rockhurst at 1 p.m. Saturday's game is also Alumni Day at Lewis and the inaugural class of the Lewis Academy of Coaches will be honored at halftime of the men's game with Rockhurst.