ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The Lewis University men's basketball team fell to Drury 79-78 in a crushing overtime loss on Thursday, January 12. The Flyers battled back from a seven-point deficit with 1:18 remaining in the second half, the Flyers managed to tie the game with a pair of free throws at the end of regulation to force overtime. The game came down to one final shot as time expired and Lewis came up just short.

LEWIS LEADERS
Points: Atakan Sahinkaya (Istanbul, Turkey/Troy State) (21), Beau Frericks (Cary, Ill./Cary Grove) (16), Terry Ford (Toledo, Ohio/Mineral Area JC) (13)
Rebounds: Vlado Zrnic (Greendale, Wis./Don Bosco Prep) (8), Ford (7), Sahinkaya (5), Devon Vanderheydt (Washington, Ill./Washington) (5)
Assists: Ford (4), Frericks (4)
Steals: Vanderheydt (5)
Blocks: Sahinkaya (2)

RECORDS
Drury University (6-9, 2-5 Great Lakes Valley Conference) | Lewis (5-9, 1-6 GLVC)

SUMMARY
To start the game that eventually came down to the last shot at the buzzer in overtime began with Drury getting out to an early 5-0 lead. Lewis would respond immediately with a 10-0 run over the next three minutes. Beau Frericks (Cary, Ill./Cary Grove) knocked down back-to-back jump shots before Sahinkaya made a point-blank layup to cap the 10-point stretch.

Lewis capitalized on the Drury's cold streak and eventually extended its lead to 12 after two layups by Vlado Zrnic (Greendale, Wis./Don Bosco Prep) and a 3-pointer by Colin Kenney (Michigan City, Ind./Furman). The Flyers led by 12 with six minutes left in the first half and seemed to have all the momentum in their favor.

The Panthers were able to keep the game close at the end of the first half thanks to Logan Applegate. Applegate scored all eight points for Drury in the final four and a half minutes of the first half. He hit two timely 3-pointers and sunk a pair of free throws to cut the lead to five.

To start the second half, Drury went on a 6-0 run to retake the lead. Anthony Sayles Jr. (Evanston, Ill./Norte Dame Prep) and Vanderheydt of Lewis each answered back with a 3-pointer that helped the Flyers regain the lead.

After Lewis reached its largest lead of eight in the second half, Drury went on a 8-0 to tie the game at 48 with 10:50 remaining in regulation.

Drury managed to outscore the Flyers 19 to 12 over the next nine minutes of play and found themselves up seven with 1:18 left. Lewis' Terry Ford (Toledo, Ohio/Mineral Area JC) sunk two much needed free throws and Sahinkaya canned a deep 3-pointer from the left wing to bring the game within two points.

Trailing by two and at the free throw line, Frericks made the first and missed the second, but luckily Elijah Williams (Lawrenceville, Ga./Illinois State) was able to coral the rebound. Williams was fouled while securing the rebound and was able to calmly knock down both free throws and send the game into overtime.

With an extra five minutes of basketball to determine the winner of a GLVC thriller at the Neil Carey Arena, the Flyers seemed to be going into overtime with new found momentum. Half way through overtime, Lewis was trailing by three before Frericks sunk a 3-pointer to tie the game at 74.

In the final minute and seven seconds, Drury was able to hit all five of its free throw attempts to not only chip away at the lead but have a one-point advantage with four seconds left. The Flyers had to go the length of the floor and managed to get an open look at a 3-pointer but it came up just short.

Drury managed to hold on and win. Lewis shot 25-of-64 (39.1 percent) from the field and 7-for-24 (29.2 percent) from 3-point range.

UP NEXT
Lewis looks to respond as the Flyers host Missouri S&T on Saturday, January 14 at 3 p.m. CT inside Neil Carey Arena.