ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - Demitrius Hunter scored 22 points and dished out nine assists Thursday night as Lewis University defeated Northern Kentucky University, 82-69, at the Neil Carey Arena.
Steve Turner came off the bench and added a career-high 21 points for Lewis, which improved to 5-1 overall, 3-0 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Monta McGhee finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Flyers, while teammate Sidney Holmes added 13 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks.
Lewis used a 41-26 rebounding advantage - including a 19-4 edge on the offensive glass - to snap an eight-game losing streak against the Norse. A year ago, NKU defeated Lewis three times.
Prior to Thursday, Lewis had not defeated NKU since Dec. 2, 1999, when the Flyers posted a 75-68 win over the Norse at the Neil Carey Arena.
Jesse Rupe scored 12 points in the first half as NKU took a 38-35 lead at the break. The Norse shot 55.6 percent from the field in the first half and led by as many as five points.
Lewis opened the second half with a 19-11 run and took a 54-49 lead when Hunter drove the length of the floor and converted a layup. Hunter scored 14 points after halftime to spark the Flyers.
After Adam Howell made a three-pointer with 10:29 left in the game to bring NKU within a point (56-55), Turner keyed a 14-4 Lewis run by scoring seven straight points to give the Flyers a 70-59 lead. Lewis eventually built a 15-point lead and coasted to the victory.
Turner, a 6-foot-3 junior, hit 10-of-17 shots from the field and scored 13 points in the second half. The Flyers also forced 17 NKU turnovers.
Rupe led NKU (5-4 overall, 2-1 GLVC) with 23 points and seven rebounds. Howell and Kevin Reinhardt each added 12 points for the Norse.
NKU will conclude the two-game road trip Saturday with a 4 p.m. contest at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
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Jesse Rupe |