EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - A big third quarter lifted the Lewis University women's basketball team past top-seeded Southern Indiana 88-72 Saturday (March 5) in a Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament semifinal contest at First Community Arena. The win puts the Flyers, seeded fifth in the conference, up against No. 2 seed Drury for the GLVC championship Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Flyers (16-14) entered the second half ahead 41-36. The two teams traded baskets in the first minute before a three-pointer by Taylor Gugliuzza (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West) and a layup by Lily Courier (LaGrange, Ill./Lyons Township) opened the lead to 48-38. 

The Screaming Eagles cut the deficit to seven points at 50-43 when the Flyers reeled off seven straight points to take a 57-43 lead with 5:14 left in the third as Gugliuzza scored the last five points in the 7-0 run.

The lead grew to as many as 16 points as Shawnton Brown (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Central) made a layup and Amelia Motz (Canton, Ohio/St. Vincent-St. Mary) sunk a free throw to make it 63-47 before the quarter ended with the Flyers ahead 63-48. In all the Flyers outscored the Screaming Eagles 22-12 in the third quarter.

A jumper and three-pointer by Grace Hilber (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie) helped Lewis to its biggest lead of the game, 73-54, with 6:41 left in the game and Southern Indiana (23-5) could get no closer than 13 points the rest of the game.

Southern Indiana jumped out to an early 6-2 advantage. A Kathryn Schmidt (Hampshire, Ill./Burlington Central) three-pointer cut the lead to 8-7 and Hilber gave the Flyers their first lead at 11-9 with a three-pointer with 5:43 left in the first quarter.

The Screaming Eagles came back to take a 16-12 lead, but back-to-back three-pointers by Schmidt and a jumper by Motz put Lewis ahead 20-16. The Flyers led 22-18 after one quarter.

Lewis pushed its lead to seven points at 25-18 early in the second quarter after a Stephanie Hart (Geneva, Ill./Geneva) free throw and a Gugliuzza jumper. Six straight points from USI cut the lead to a point later in the period at 29-28 with 6:12 remaining in the half. 

Gugliuzza stopped the run with four straight points and then a Hilber jumper made it six straight right back for the Flyers as they regained their seven-point advantage at 35-28. The Flyers went into the half leading 41-36.

Gugliuzza scored 27 points on 9-of-10 shooting to go with 3-of-3 shooting beyond the arc to lead Lewis. Grace Hilber (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie) added 25 points, five assists and four steals, while Schmidt had 16 points (5-of-10 three-pointers) and 12 rebounds.

Lewis shot 57.1 percent (32-of-56) from the floor and from beyond the arc (12-of-21), while Southern Indiana was 39.7 percent (25-of-63) from the floor and 21.1 percent (4-of-19) from beyond the arc. Lewis held a 35-31 rebounding advantage.

This will be the fourth time Lewis and Drury will meet for the conference title. The two teams split a pair of meetings this year, with Drury winning 75-61 on its home court and Lewis holding serve on its home court 87-79.