KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Lewis' men's basketball team clinched its first outright Great Lakes Valley Conference regular season title since the 2003-04 campaign with a 79-58 win at Truman State on Saturday afternoon. The Flyers improve to 23-4 overall and 15-3 in the GLVC while the Bulldogs fall to 14-14 and 9-9 in the GLVC.

Lewis used a 15-3 run over a six minute span in the first to break a 6-6 tie to seize control of the contest. Truman scored five quick points to cut the margin but the Flyers countered with an 18-7 run over the next six minutes to build a 39-21 advantage on a three-pointer by Adam Pischke (Cary, Ill./Marian Central Catholic) with 4:45 left in the half.

The 'Dogs got it back to 15 as Brodric Thomas answered with a three from the left wing on the ensuing possession. Lewis closed the half strong though scoring eight of the final 13 points to take an 18-point lead into the locker room at the break.

The Flyers shot 63 percent (19-for-30) from the floor in the half, including 5-of-8 from three and shot 80 percent at the foul line. They outscored Truman 28-to-10 in the paint and 20-to-2 in points off turnovers.

Donovan Oliver (Kewanee, Ill./Kewanee) led all scorers with 12 points in the stanza while Delaney Blaylock (Wyoming, Mich./Godwin Heights) and Kendale McCullum (Elgin, Ill./Elgin Larkin) added 10 points apiece.

Lewis' defense held the Bulldogs to just 41 percent (9-for-22) shooting in the half and 4-of-12 from three. Truman went to the foul line 13 times but only made seven of them. Cade McKnight led the Bulldogs with 11 points.

The Bulldogs opened the second half scoring the first five points to cut the Flyer lead to 47-34 on a layup by McKnight. Lewis responded 9-2 over the next 2:30 to push its lead back to 18 on pair of free throws from Oliver.

Truman cut the margin to 13 again on another layup from McKnight but that was the closest they got the rest of the game as the Flyers stretched the lead to 20 on a three-pointer from Blaylock with less than nine minutes to play.

The Bulldogs tried to make one final push cutting it 73-58 on a jumper from Thomas with 6:29 to play before Lewis closed it out by scoring the final six points of the game.

Blaylock led three Flyers in double figures with 23 points while Oliver added 20 and McCullum finished with 15. Lewis shot 56 percent (29-for-52) from the floor in the contest, was 11-of-20 from three and shot 83 percent at the foul line. It outrebounded Truman 30-to-27.

McKnight led the Bulldogs with 23 points while Thomas added 15. Truman shot only 39 percent in the contest, was 5-of-22 from three and shot 59 percent at the free throw line. The Bulldogs turned the ball over 20 times in the contest.

The Flyers begin play in the GLVC tournament next Thursday (March 7) as the number one seed at the Vadalabene Center on the campus of SIU Edwardsville in Edwardsville, Ill. The pairings and game times will be announced later.