Feb. 21, 2004

Box Score

Romeoville, Ill. - It often is said that champions find a way to win when things aren't working quite the way they were planned.

After earning a 65-59 victory over Southern Indiana Saturday before an overflow crowd at Neil Carey Arena, that's exactly what the Lewis University Flyers are.

Champions.

Despite shooting season-low marks of 32.8 percent overall and 12.5 percent from 3-point range, and being outrebounded 45-37, Lewis gutted it out and got the victory that clinched a tie for the program's first Great Lakes Valley Conference title in 16 seasons.

The Flyers (21-4, 15-3), ranked 20th nationally in NCAA Division II and first in the Great Lakes Region, own a two-game GLVC lead over second-place Southern Indiana (20-5, 13-5) with two games to play.

By virtue of its season sweep of USI - ranked 13th nationally and second in the region -- Lewis has assured itself of being the No. 1 seed for the March 5-7 GLVC Tournament in Evansville, Ind.

The Flyers try for the outright league title Thursday night at Quincy before closing the regular season Saturday at Southern Illinois Edwardsville.

Saturday's victory gave the Flyers a 14-0 regular-season home record. Lewis, the GLVC's only unbeaten team at home this year, is 28-1 at Neil Carey Arena the past two seasons.

Against USI, it was GLVC Player of the Year candidate Monta McGhee who sparked the Flyers again.

McGhee scored 20 points, including a 9-of-10 effort at the foul line, and collected 10 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals. The senior forward has scored 20 or more points in five successive games and has six double-doubles in his last nine outings.

Demitrius Hunter tallied 11 points, a season-high seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Austin Real, playing on a very painful knee, had a courageous 11 points, six rebounds and two blocks.

Other solid contributors were Steve Turner (nine points) and Sidney Holmes (six points, six rebounds).

USI didn't shoot much better than the Flyers. The Screaming Eagles, who came in leading the GLVC in scoring (86.2 ppg), finished at 36.8 percent overall and 28.6 percent from beyond the arc and posted their lowest point total of the season.

Foul shooting and turnovers played a huge role. The Flyers were 23 of 31 at the stripe - including nine of 13 in the final minute - to USI's 11 of 15.

The Flyers forced 20 Eagle turnovers while committing just nine themselves, their seventh single-digit turnover game of the season.

Southern Indiana led most of the first half and held a 25-18 cushion with 4:52 left before intermission. McGhee scored all eight of his first-half points to lead a 14-3 Flyer run that gave Lewis a 32-28 halftime lead.

The Eagles scored the first eight points of the second half to claim a 36-32 lead at 18:03. Lewis tied it 38-all with 16:04 left on baskets by Real and Hunter and two McGhee free throws.

USI built a 47-42 advantage with 11:09 remaining and had chances to expand the lead. But the Eagles managed to score just three points during the next seven minutes, while Lewis gained ties at 48 and 50 before taking the lead for good, 52-50, on two McGhee free throws at the 4:41 mark.

From there, Southern Indiana had two chances to tie but turned the ball over both times. The Flyers' foul shooting took care of the rest.

2/21/04