ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - The Lewis University men's basketball team picked up a 74-64 win over Missouri S&T Thursday (Feb. 25) in a Great Lakes Valley Conference contest at Neil Carey Arena. The Flyers moved back over .500 at 10-9 overall and in the GLVC with the win, while the Miners fell to 4-15 overall and in the GLVC.

Lewis grabbed its first lead of the game three minutes into the contest at 7-6 on a three-pointer by Beau Frericks (Cary, Ill./Cary Grove). The Miners grabbed their biggest lead of the game at 17-13 with 11:45 left in the half, but a pair of baskets by Artese Stapleton (Chicago, Ill./Kenwood) tied the game at 17-17.

Missouri S&T took the lead twice more, the final time being 21-19 before a three-pointer by Dre Bell (Detroit, Mich./River Rouge) gave Lewis the lead for good with 9:01 left in the half. It was the first of three straight Flyer threes as Stapleton and Connor Niego (Western Springs, Ill./Lyons Township) followed to give Lewis a 28-21 advantage.

Lewis took its biggest lead of the half on its final basket of the half, a three-pointer by Billy Durkin (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale South) for a 39-30 lead.

A Bell jumper extended the advantage to 44-33 with 16:06 left in the game. A 9-2 Miner run got them to within four points at 46-42 before a Marco Pettinato (Mokena, Ill./Lincoln-Way West) jumper stopped the run. 

The Flyers built their lead back up to nine points with 9:02 left in the game at 56-47 after back-to-back baskets by Stapleton, but six straight points from the Miners cut the deficit to three points at 56-53 with 7:33 left. 

Lewis though was able to put the game away with a 14-5 run over the next 5:19, which culminated with a Bell three-pointer. The Miners had two field goals and four turnovers during the stretch.

Stapleton led the Flyers with 17 points, while Niego had 16 points and 11 rebounds. Lewis shot 44.4 percent (28-of-63) from the floor, while Missouri S&T shot 50 percent (26-of-52). The Flyers had 10 steals in the contest and forced 21 turnovers, while committing just 13 and had 12 offensive rebounds to 6 for the Miners.

Lewis will play host to Maryville Saturday (Feb. 27) at 3 p.m. The Flyers will honor seniors Bell, Brandon McCombs (Jacksonville, Ill./Jacksonville), Pettinato and Christian Walker (Decatur, Ill./Douglass Macarthur) prior to Saturday's game with the Saints.