ST. LOUIS, MO. – No. 8 ranked Lewis outscored the University of Missouri-St. Louis women's basketball team, 17-6, in the fourth quarter en route to a 59-45 victory on Saturday in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.
The Flyers avoided the Tritons' upset bid by limiting UMSL to 21.4 percent shooting in the final 10 minutes and ended the game on a 12-2 run. Lewis also owned a 47-29 rebounding advantage in the game, including a 15-8 edge on the offensive end, and outscored the Tritons, 15-1 in second chance points.
The Tritons slip to 7-8 overall, including 2-5 in the GLVC, while Lewis improves to 16-1 and 7-0 in the league with its 11
th straight win.
The Flyers jumped out to an early 10-1 lead and led 16-8 after one quarter played. UMSL then outscored the Flyers, 17-10, in the second quarter behind 50 percent shooting and pulled within 26-25 at the break. UMSL ended the opening half on a 10-2 run, while holding Lewis to just one field goal in the final four minutes and just two points on a pair of free throws in the final three minutes.
The Tritons took their first lead of the game at 33-31 on a
Shea O'Brien three-pointer at the 5:34 mark in the third quarter and led again at the 2:48 mark on a pair of
Simone Gillum free throws at 37-35, but the Flyers ended the frame on a 7-2 run for a 42-39 advantage.
Redshirt sophomore
Jordan Fletcher brought UMSL within 47-43 midway through the final quarter, but the Tritons would go 1-of-6 from the field the remainder of the game.
Senior
Kelly Kunkel scored a team-high 10 points, while nine players got into the scoring column. Gillum added seven points and pulled down five rebounds. Junior
Sydney Bloch dished out five assists, while junior
Robneisha Lee collected five steals.
UMSL shot 30.8 percent, while Lewis connected at a 42.4 clip. The Flyers were led by Mariyah Brawner-Henley's 22 points and Jessica Kelliher's 19 points. The duo helped Lewis to a 40-18 advantage in points in the paint.
The Tritons are back in action on Thursday, traveling to Truman State.
