ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – A late 29-10 run from the Lewis Flyers spelled doom for the visiting UIndy Greyhounds, resulting in a 101-89 loss in Neil Carey Arena Thursday night.
After losing
84-70 earlier this season in Nicoson Hall, the Flyers (19-7, 11-5 GLVC) returned the favor by shooting 67 percent (20-30) in the second half of Thursday's win, knocking down 10 of their final 11 – five of which came from 3-point range.
The Greyhounds (18-6, 12-4) got a career-high 25 points from senior
Joe Retic and an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double from teammate
Lucas Barker, but again allowed their hosts to finish with a lofty shooting percentage.
"We scored enough to win, but we gave up 101 points. That's horrendous," Head Coach
Stan Gouard told WICR afterward. Lewis finished 37 for 62 (.597) from the floor and 10 for 17 (.588) from long range.
"Our defense is disappointing right now," Gouard continued. "If we want to win ball games down the stretch we can't go on the road and give up 90, 100 points."
In its last four road games, UIndy has surrendered 101, 98, 89 and 101 to opponents.
For their part, the Hounds filled up the bucket, as well, reaching at least 87 points for the fifth game in a row.
After a back-and-forth opening period, the two squads went into the break with Lewis maintaining a slim 45-44 edge. Both sides shot at least 50 percent in the first half, and the game already featured 17 lead changes. Sophomore
Alex Etherington carried a team-high 12 points into the intermission.
Lewis jumped out to the game's first double-digit lead at 58-48 following a traditional 3-point play from Delaney Blaylock at the 16:15 mark.
But UIndy clawed away at the deficit, and minutes later reeled off a 17-5 run to retake the lead, 72-70. Retic scored or assisted on 15 straight points to fuel the comeback.
Trailing 76-72 with just under six minutes left, Lewis' Blaylock hit the first basket in the Flyers' game-sealing 29-10 run. The freshman guard would score 13 during the final stretch, tying a career-high with 27 points.
It took only a few minutes for the Flyers to gain the upper hand, and their final burst pushed them over the 100-point mark for the first time since Jan. 17, 2009 against Wisconsin-Parkside.
UIndy was outrebounded 36 to 31, but did haul in 16 offensive boards which led to 23 second chance points. The Hounds also turned in an impressive 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, totaling 14 dimes and only 7 turnovers.
For the second time in as many games Retic set a new career benchmark, finishing with 25 points on 9-for-18 shooting, adding four rebounds and four assists in 34 minutes.
Etherington totaled 15, hitting a trio of 3-pointers, and senior
Jordan Loyd recorded 12 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Barker's double-double is his second of the season, and his 10 boards matched a career-high. The senior guard also had three assists, three steals and a block while playing a team-high 37 minutes.
The road only gets tougher for the Hounds, who travel to Somers, Wis., to meet No. 14 Wisconsin-Parkside. Tip-off from DeSimone Gymnasium is set for 4 p.m. ET. Â
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