ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Lewis University's women's basketball team was edged by No. 18 Grand Valley State 65-60 on Monday afternoon at Neil Carey Arena. The Flyers drop to 3-7 on the season while the Lakers improve to 10-1.
Lewis came out of the gates on fire knocking down its first four shots and led by as many as six after Shawnton Brown (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Central) hit 1-of-2 free throws with 4:09 remaining in the opening stanza. GVSU closed the quarter on a 12-4 run to take a 21-19 lead into the second quarter.

The Lakers scored the first two points of the second frame but the Flyers answered with a 10-2 run to take a four-point lead after a jumper in the paint by Brown with 3:43 left until halftime. GVSU ran off five points in a row to retake the lead at 30-29 highlighted by an old fashioned three-point play from Hannah Kulas.

Kathryn Schmidt (Hampshire, Ill./Burlington Central) put Lewis back in front with a layup in the paint and then after the Lakers tied the score on a free throw Schmidt hit two more free throws to send the Flyers into the locker room with a 33-31 lead.

Grand Valley opened the third quarter on a 9-4 run to regain the lead at 40-37 but Lewis countered with six straight points behind four points from Kae Barth-Lofton (St. Paul, Minn./Maranatha Christian Academy) and two more from Schmidt. The Lakers retook the lead with five quick points but Grace Hilber (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie) was fouled on a shot before the end of the quarter and hit both free throws to knot the score at 45 heading into the final 10 minutes.

Grand Valley outscored the Flyers 12-5 over the first 6:30 minutes of the final stanza to take its largest lead of the stanza on a pair of free throws from Rylie Bisballe. Lewis scored five straight points to trim the Laker lead to two as Hilber hit a three and Schmidt knocked down a jumper with 2:19 to play.

Grand Valley extend its lead back to five as Bisballe converted an old fashioned three-point play with 1:24 remaining. Hilber scored the final five points for the Flyers with a jumper and a three to bring Lewis within two points with 0:13 but Lewis was forced to foul and the Lakers hit three of their last four free throws to seal the victory.

Hilber led the way for the Flyers with 20 points while Schmidt added 17 and Lily Courier (LaGrange, Ill./Lyons Township) finished with nine. Lewis shot 43 percent (22-for-51) from the floor for the contest including 5-of-16 from three and shot 73 percent at the foul line.

Bisbaille led all scorers with 22 points and she was joined in double figures by Kulas with 14 points while Qay Stanton added 10 points. GVSU finished the contest shooting 41 percent (24-for-59) from the field, 3-of-18 from three and shot 82 percent at the foul line. It outrebounded the Flyers 34-33 and forced 15 turnovers which they turned into 20 points.

Lewis returns to the court on Sunday (Jan. 2) resuming Great Lakes Valley Conference action hosting Illinois Springfield at 1 p.m. at Neil Carey Arena.