Romeoville, Ill. – The Lewis University men's basketball team ended their non-conference slate on a high note as they defeated East-West University, 96-49, in intercollegiate men's basketball action Tuesday evening at Neil Carey Arena.
The Flyers improved to 3-8 overall while the Phantoms slipped to 0-5.
IMPACT PLAYERS
Arius Alijosius (Riverside, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield) led Lewis with 27 points, one shy of his career-high 28, while
Ryan Hall (Kettering, Ohio/Kettering Fairmont) added in 23 points of his own.
John McCrear (Detroit, Mich./Woodford County) rounded out the Flyers double-figure scorers with 10 tallies of his own.
Billy Durkin (Hinsdale, Ill./Wheaton) hauled in a career-best 11 boards while
Cale Cosme (Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice) dished out a season-high six assists. Lewis shot 31-of-59 (.610) and was a 13-of-26 (.500) from beyond the arc compared to just 15-of-55 (.273) shooting from the Phantoms.
Mario Lawrence paced East-West with 16 points while Devine Conley added in 15 of his own along with a team-best seven boards.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Flyers led wire-to-wire in the win and early in the contest, commanded a 20-5 lead just over midway through the opening frame after a Hall 3-pointer. A pair of back-to-back East-West triples trimmed the Lewis lead to nine, 20-11, with 8:22 to play, but Lewis answered with another Hall make from beyond the arc to ignite a 14-1 run that expanded their lead to 22, 34-12, with 6:24 left in the half. Lewis continued to keep the East-West offense at bay entered the locker room with a 47-21 cushion and ended the first half shooting 9-of-18 (.500) from beyond the arc.
Out of the break, the two sides exchanged the opening handful of scores but an Alijosius layup spurned a 17-3 run that saw Lewis shoot a perfect seven-of-seven from the floor and lead 66-28 with 14:02 remaining. During the run, Alijosius knocked down a pair of triples while McCrear posted two dunks to highlight the Flyers offensive efforts. The Lewis offense never slowed down as they shot .736 (14-of-19) over the final 14 minutes to seal the 96-49 win.
POSTGAME COMMENTS
GAME NOTES
- Alijosius is the first player since Rob Stroud (Danville, Ill./Kankakee CC) to tally 15-or-more points over a five game span.
- The Flyers shot above .600 from the floor for the first instance since Feb. 15, 2025 at Maryville (Mo).
- Cosme's six assists also represented a career-high
- For the first time this season, every player that checked into the game for Lewis scored at least one basket.
- The Flyers second half shooting percentage of .750 (21-of-28) is the best shooting half this season for Lewis. It is the highest single half shooting percentage under either Nick Rocco or Scott Trost.
- Mac Hagemaster (Frankfort, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) tallied the first six points of his collegiate career in the win. He ended the contest going three-of-four from the floor.
- Lewis has now limited an opponent to a sub-.300 3-point percentage in five of their last six games dating back to Dec. 4 against UMSL.
UP NEXT
Lewis resumes GLVC play against McKendree on Jan. 2, 2026. Tip-off is set for 7:30 from Lebanon, Ill.
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.
