ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The Lewis University women's basketball team finished the regular season with a 72-64 win over Upper Iowa Saturday (Feb. 28) at Neil Carey Arena. Lewis finished the regular season with a 17-11 record overall, 13-7 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, while Upper Iowa finished 14-14 overall, 10-10 in the GLVC.
 
IMPACT PLAYERS
Mallory Ramage (Mattoon, Ill./Loyola Chicago) led the Flyers with 24 points. Yahaira Bueno (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) added 14 points, while Ally Cesarini (La Grange, Ill./Lyons Township) had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Ellie Foster scored 25 points and Ava Privet tallied 23 points for the Peacocks.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Lewis scored the first eight points of the game as Mercy Lasu (Winnipeg, Canada/D'Youville) and Ramage had three-pointers sandwiched around a Cesarini basket. The Peacocks went on a 13-0 run later in the quarter to lead 15-11 with 4:29 left in the period.
 
The Flyers came right back with the next 11 points to take a 22-15 lead after a Bueno three-pointer. Lewis led 24-18 after the first quarter.
 
The lead grew to 11 points at 40-29 with 3:42 left in the half after another Bueno three-pointer. Lewis led 42-32 at the half.
 
Lewis continued to grow its lead to 13 points at 52-39 and the later to 59-43 with 2:05 left in the third quarter. The Peacocks scored the final five points of the quarter to make it 59-48 after three quarters.
 
The Peacocks continued to chip away at the lead, cutting the deficit to four points at 66-62 with 4:55 left in the game. A pair of free throws from Ramage and a layup from Justina Hernandez (Carol Stream, Ill./UW-Milwaukee) built the lead back up to eight at 70-62 with 2:01 remaining.
 
An Upper Iowa basket with 1:13 left made it a six-point game once again, but a basket by Hernandez with 31 seconds finished off the Flyer win.
 
GAME NOTES

• Ramage eclipsed the 20-point mark for the eighth time this season.
• Cesarini recorded her fourth double-double of the season.
• The Flyers shot 51.9 percent (28-of-54) from the floor.

UP NEXT
Lewis earned the No. 5 seed in the GLVC Tournament, where it will take on No. 4 seed McKendree (18-8, 15-5) at 12 p.m. Friday, March 6 in St. Louis. The two teams split their regular season matchups.