ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – A pair of ranked foes are on tap for Lewis University's men's basketball team as it opens the 2020 portion of its schedule this weekend. The Flyers travel to Indianapolis on Thursday to take on the 15th ranked Greyhounds at 6:30 p.m. (CST) and then head to Louisville on Saturday to square off with top ranked Bellarmine at 2:15 p.m. (CST).
Last Time Out – The Flyers picked up their sixth straight win with an 84-57 win over Lake Superior State in its final game before the Christmas break on Dec. 21.
Artese Stapleton (Chicago, Ill./Kenwood) led four Flyers in double figures with 17 points while
Dre Bell (Detroit, Mich./River Rouge) added 14,
Anthony D'Avanzo (Harwood Heights, Ill./Notre Dame) finished with 13 and
Donovan Oliver (Kewanee, Ill./Kewanee) added 10 points off the bench. Lewis shot over 48 percent from the floor in the contest while outrebounding the Lakers 46-30.
Hot Shooting – During their six game winning streak the Flyers are averaging nearly 80 points per game and are shooting over 48 percent (168-for-344) from the field and nearly 46 percent (63-of-138) from beyond the arc. D'Avanzo is averaging 18.0 points per game in those contests while Bell is dropping in 14.0 points per game and
Adam Pischke (Cary, Ill./Marian Central Catholic) is contributing 13.3 ppg. D'Avanzo is averaging 6.5 rebounds per game in those outings and Pischke is averaging five assists per game in that span.
About UIndy – The No. 14/15 Greyhounds enter Thursday's game with a record of 8-1, 0-1 GLVC. The Hounds rallied for a 73-70 win at Lake Superior State in their final game before the break on Dec. 17. UIndy's lone loss of the season came on Dec. 3 against then ranked No. 3 Bellarmine 71-69 at Nicoson Hall. The Hounds are led in scoring by Trevor Lakes with 15.8 points per game. He's joined in double figures by Jimmy King (14.4 ppg), Marcus Latham (14.0 points per contest) and Jordache Mavunga (13.8 points per outing). Lakes also leads the team with seven rebounds per game.
Flyers vs. Hounds – Lewis holds a 47-34 advantage in the long-time series with UIndy, dating back to December of 1980. The Flyers have won six of the last eight contests, which includes both matchups from last season.
About Bellarmine – The Knights enter Thursday's contest against Illinois Springfield with a record of 8-0, 1-0 GLVC and are the top ranked team in Division II in both the NABC and D2SIDA Top 25 polls. Bellarmine wrapped up its first half schedule with an 81-63 over Christian Brothers on Dec. 18. The Knights are led in scoring by Alex Cook with 15.5 points per contest. Ben Weyer is adding nearly 14 points per game while Dyan Penn and Pedro Bradshaw are averaging 12.9 and 10.0 points per outing respectively. Cook also leads the team in rebounding with 5.4 per game.
Flyers vs. Knights – Lewis holds a 44-35 advantage in the long-time series with Bellarmine, dating back to the 1980s. The Flyers snapped a four game losing streak in the series with a 65-61 win over the Knights at Neil Carey Arena on Feb. 7 and then completed the season sweep with a 63-62 win at Knights Hall on Feb. 22. Lewis is one of only two teams to defeat Bellarmine in Knights Hall over the past four seasons.
Up Next – Lewis returns home for the first time in 2020 hosting Rockhurst next Thursday (Jan. 9) at 7:30 p.m. The homestand continues next Saturday against William Jewell at 3 p.m.
