Box Score /
PDF Box Score /
HTML Box Score
ROLLA, Mo. – Here we go again. The No. 12 seeded Lewis women's basketball team upset No. 5 seeded Missouri S&T on the road on Sunday (Feb. 26) afternoon in a 2012 Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament First Round contest 74-71.
The Flyers did it with the combination of senior
Madeline Kish (Oak Forest, Ill./Sandburg) (Oak Forest, Ill./Sandburg/Eastern Illinois) and freshman
Jess Reinhart (Normal, Ill./Bloomington Central Catholic) (Normal, Ill./Bloomington Central Catholic). Kish finished 5-of-7 from long range and added a 6-of-8 effort from the free throw line to total a career-high 21 points. Reinhart shot 9-of-14 from the floor for 20 points in her first career postseason game.
Their play helped Lewis never trail after the 13:30 mark of the first half.
“We worked on some things this week to get Jess touches underneath and run Kish off doubles,” head coach
Lisa Carlsen said. “I'll have to watch the video to see how many of our baskets were off those plays but I know when Jess got the ball in a good position today she went up strong. When Kish had a look, she was money.”
Lewis shot a blistering 7-of-13 from long range in the first half. The Flyers limited Missouri S&T to just 2-of-11 from beyond the arc and 38.9 percent (14-of-36) overall in the first half. Lewis' success beyond the arc was spurred by Kish. The senior guard made her first three attempts from 3-point land.
Reinhart scored nine of Lewis' first 11 points in the game but sat down for most of the first half after drawing her second personal foul with 11 minutes until halftime.
Reinhart returned to the floor to start the second half but didn't make a huge impact until she scored eight consecutive points over a two and half minute span midway through the second half. The Flyers would take their largest lead of the game of 16 points at 66-50 with 5:11 left on a Kish free throw. Then things got scary as two minutes and 28 seconds later Missouri S&T cut the Flyers' lead to just six points at 68-62.
Lewis kept Missouri S&T in it by making just 4-of-7 free throws in the game's final 2:22. However freshman
Jamie Johnson (South Holland, Ill./Marian Catholic) (South Holland, Ill./Marian Catholic) made the two biggest free throws of the game and the season thus far with 22 seconds left. Her charity shots increased Lewis' lead to 74-69 and extended the advantage back to two possessions.
Missouri S&T's Courtney Kemp hit a jumper with five seconds left to make the score 74-71, but Lewis was able to run out the game's final seconds before the Miners could foul a Flyer.
Lewis finished the game shooting 47.1 percent (24-of-51) from the floor and 52.6 percent (10-of-19) from beyond the arc. The Miners shot 39.4 percent (28-of-71) overall and 29.6 percent (8-of-27) from long range.
Junior
Labrenthia Murdock (Round Lake, Ill./Round Lake) (Round Lake, Ill./Round Lake) added 10 points. Johnson and freshman guard
Nikki Nellen (New Berlin, Wis./Pius XI) (New Berlin, Wis./Pius XI) each had six assists.
Kyesha Hall led Missouri S&T with 19 points.
The Flyers have been Missouri S&T's worst nightmare recently. Lewis has defeated Missouri S&T in the GLVC Tournament for three consecutive seasons. Additionally, Lewis is now 4-0 all-time in Rolla, Mo. against the Miners.
Following last season's run to the championship as the No.9 seed, Lewis' win on Sunday is the first by a No. 12 seed since the conference expanded the tournament to 12 teams in 2010. Lewis has won a GLVC Tournament game in four straight seasons.
Missouri S&T falls to 18-9 while Lewis improves to 8-19.
“Not everyone on the floor today was on the team last year but last year's run helped the confidence in the locker room,” Carlsen said. “It comes down to having one good week of basketball and we played like we had nothing to lose today.”
The tournament reseeds for the Second Round. As the lowest seed, Lewis is reseeded to play the No. 1 seed Quincy. Thursday's (March 1) game at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield, Ill. will start at 6 p.m.
