Detroit, Mich. – Arius Alijosius (Riverside, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield) poured in a career-high 28 points to help propel the Lewis University men's basketball team over Wayne State, 86-83, in intercollegiate men's basketball action Saturday afternoon at the Wayne State Fieldhouse.
With the win, the Flyers improved to 2-6 while Wayne State dipped 3-4.
IMPACT PLAYERS
Along with his 28 points, Alijosius snagged a team-best six boards in the win.
Cale Cosme (Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice) tallied 15 points and team-best three assists with
Vinko Polovic (Milwaukee, Wisc./Bosco Institute) adding in a career-high 10 of his own. As a team, Lewis went 32-of-58 (.552) compared to 26-of-51 (.510) for Wayne State.
Jordan Briggs led the Warriors with 22 points while Cooper Craggs nabbed a game-high seven rebounds. Jalen Jenkins chipped in five assists in the loss.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Down one, 80-79, with 1:50 left after a free-throw make from the Warriors, Lewis took the lead for good as Alijosius drained a jumper to give Lewis an 81-80 edge. A minute later, the Flyers gave themselves a two-possession lead as Durkin buried a 3-pointer to make it 84-80 with 21 seconds to play.
Both sides exchanged free-throws over the next few seconds with Lewis clinging to an 86-83 lead with 4.4 seconds to play. After a missed shot from the charity stripe, the Warriors attempted a heave from halfcourt to force overtime that went wide, sealing the win for Lewis.
Earlier in the contest with the score tied 18-18 midway through the first half, the Flyers gained some breathing room as a triple from Alijosius ushered in a 10-5 run that gave Lewis its largest lead of the half, 28-23, with 7:33 to play.
Still, the host Warriors flipped the script and outscored Lewis, 16-8, the remainder of the first stanza to enter the locker room with a 39-36 edge.
Out of the halftime break, the Flyers began to chip away at the Wayne State lead and a 7-0 run midway through the half gave them a 60-55 lead that set the stage for their late game win.
GAME NOTES
- Today marked the 19th all-time meeting between both sides and the first contest in Detroit since Nov. 18, 2023.
- It is the first road win in Detroit for Lewis since the 2018-19 campaign.
- There were 45 total fouls with 25 on Lewis and 20 on Wayne State. Free-throws were also plenty with 23 for Lewis and 39 for Wayne State.
- Alijosius has now tallied 20-or-more points with five-or-more rebounds in two consecutive contests
- Cosme notched 10-or-more points for the first time in his Lewis career.
POSTGAME COMMENTS
UP NEXT
The Flyers return home to face another GLIAC foe in Ferris State. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on Dec. 16.
For the latest news and updates on Lewis men's basketball, visit LewisFlyers.com and follow the Flyers on social media at @lewisflyersmbb on Instagram and @Lewismball on X.
