Sizzling Shooting Propels Lewis Men’s Hoops To 97-81 Win Over Benedictine

Flyers shoot season-high 62.5% (35-for-56); Dennis Thomas reaches 1,000 career points.

Romeoville, Ill. – Lewis University senior guard Dennis Thomas, Jr. (Milwaukee, Wis./Bradley Tech) scored 18 of his game-high 26 points, including his 1,000th career tally, to push the Flyers to the 97-81 non-conference victory over Benedictine University in the home opener at Neil Carey Arena on Tuesday (Nov. 23) night.

   Thomas was 7-for-10 from the field for the game and knocked down all four of his three-point attempts in the second half. The Milwaukee, Wis., native added four steals and three assists for good measure.

 
 “I thought Dennis played great tonight,” Lewis head men’s basketball coach Scott Trost said. “He was able to step behind some ball screens tonight and hit some good shots. He’s been focused and I think he can be an All-Conference player.”
  
Lewis junior forward Matt Toth (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) came off the bench to score 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting, including a team-best six rebounds, while junior point guard Chris McClellan (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Wheeling) finished with 15 points, including three trifectas.
  
With the win, Lewis improves to 3-3 on the campaign, while the Eagles fall to 2-2 on the season.
  
For the game, Lewis shot a season-high 62.5% (35-for-56) and converted 50.0% (9-for-18) of their three-point attempts. Benedictine shot the ball nearly as well, as the Eagles were 52.5% (31-for-59) from the field and only trailed 48-46 with 17:23 left in the game.
  
That’s when Lewis took over, as the Flyers went on a 14-4 run, led by five points from junior guard David Luster (South Holland, Ill./Seton Academy/Johnson County C.C.), over the next three minutes to push them ahead for good with a 60-48 lead with 14:23 remaining.
  
Benedictine guard Nate Green led five Eagle players in double-figures with 16 points and a game-high seven assists. Cameron Snelling and Terry Licht each scored 13 points for the Eagles, while Jerrell Tribble and Brian Genslinger both chipped in 11.
  
Despite the win, Trost believes that his squad is capable of a better performance.
  
“We shot the ball well and we did some good things, but we’re still not hitting on all cylinders, because we’re missing something,” Trost said. “We’ll keep working at it and we’ll keep getting better.
   “That’s all we can do.”
  
Lewis returns to action on Saturday (Nov. 23) afternoon, as they head to Michigan to square off with Hillsdale for a 3 p.m. (EST) tip-off.