JOLIET, Ill. – Lewis' women's basketball team raced out to an early 10-0 lead and never looked back on its way to a 75-54 win in an exhibition contest at St. Francis on Thursday evening. The Flyers were led in scoring by
Rachel Hinders (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) with 17 points.
Lewis knocked down three of its first shots from the floor including a pair of three's to open the contest while holding the Saints scoreless for the first 3:30 minutes. USF got back-to-back three's from Jordan Pyle and Kaitlin Aylward to cut the Flyer lead to four with less than three minutes to play in the opening quarter but Lewis closed the quarter strong scoring six of the final eight points to take a 16-8 lead into the second quarter.
The Flyers extended their lead to as many as 15 points thanks to a 9-2 run over a two minute span midway through the second quarter.
Lewis shot 43 percent (13-for-30) from the field in the first 20 minutes, was 4-of-13 from three and hit all five of their free throws. Williams led all players in scoring with 13 points while
Dajae Black (Chicago, Ill./Marist) added six and Hinders added five.
The Flyer defense held the Saints to just 27 percent shooting (9-for-33) including 3-of-15 from three. Aylward and Andriana Acosta led USF with five points apiece.
Lewis hit its first four shots, including three three's, from the floor to begin the second half to extend its halftime lead to 50-31. USF responded with a 9-2 run to cut the Flyer lead to 12 with 2:30 left in the quarter but the Flyers closed the quarter scoring four of the final five points to take a 15-point lead into the final 10 minutes.
Lewis extended its lead to as many as 23 points on a three-pointer from
Lindsay Harrison (Yorkville, Ill./Yorkville) with 1:42 remaining in the contest.
10 different Flyers scored in the contest with Hinders and Williams reaching double figures. Lewis finished the contest shooting 50 percent (26-for-52) from the field, was 10-of-24 from three and shot 93 percent (13-for-14) at the foul line.
The Saints ended the game shooting 29 percent (20-for-70) from the field, was 5-of-26 from downtown and shot 64 percent (9-for-14) at the foul line. Aylward finished with 16 points.
The Flyers wrap up the first half of their schedule next Wednesday (Dec. 18) taking on Parkside at 5:30 p.m. in Somers, Wis.
