ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - The Lewis University men's basketball team took control of its Great Lakes Valley Conference opener midway through the first half  and went on to win 71-64 against Illinois Springfield Tuesday (Dec. 3) at Neil Carey Arena. The win evened the Flyers' record at 3-3, 1-0 in the GLVC, while UIS fell to 5-2 overall, 0-1 in the GLVC.

The two teams traded baskets early in the contest as the score was 13-13 at the 12:24 mark of the first half before the Flyers went on a 13-0 run, as Austin Boucher (Markle, Ind./Fort Wayne North Side) finished the run with the final eight points, thanks in part to a pair of three-pointers. Jake Reinhart (Bloomington, Ill./Central Catholic) extended the lead to 17 points at 34-17 on a three pointer with 6:58 left in the half.

The lead grew to as big as 20 points on two occasions in the first half before the Flyers settled for a 44-34 lead at the half. 

The two teams traded baskets for the early portion of the second half as the Prairie Stars slowly clawed their way back into the game, getting to within five points at 58-53 with 9:23 left. But Lewis' defense buckled down, not allowing a point for more than five minutes as Lewis extended the lead to 66-53 until UIS finally scored on a layup with 4:17 remaining to cut the lead back to 11.

UIS got back to within seven at 66-59 with 3:36 remaining, but Adam Pischke (Cary, Ill./Marian Central Catholic) came right back on the next possession and hit a three-pointer to regain a double-digit lead the Flyers would hold till the final seconds.

Pischke led the Flyers with 19 points and six assists, while Anthony D'Avanzo (Harwood Heights, Ill./Notre Dame) had 10 points and 12 rebounds and Boucher totaled 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting. Lewis shot 25-for-52 (48.1 percent) from the floor, while UIS was 22-of-60 (36.7 percent).

Next up for the Flyers is a trip across town to take on St. Francis at 7 p.m. Dec. 12.