Feb. 27, 2008

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - The Lewis University women's basketball team hosts Bellarmine on Thursday night and can clinch a Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament berth with a victory over Bellarmine combined with a Southern Illinois Edwardsville loss.

The Flyers are coming off a 74-44 victory over Saint Joseph's on Saturday. Sophomore Amy Smith came off the bench to set career-highs with 14 points, 12 rebounds and five steals. Junior Jenna Mooberry hasn't missed a shot in two straight games. She made all three attempts at Indianapolis last Thursday and shot a perfect 8-for-8 from the floor, including two 3-pointers plus two three throws, against Saint Joseph's.

Junior Lauren Martens leads the team in scoring (11.5) and rebounding (6.3). Junior Kelly Dianis and freshman Jenny Turpel are also averaging in double-figures. Dianis, fifth in the conference with 51 made 3-pointers, is averaging 11.1 points per game. Turpel has scored double-figures in 13 of her 17 starts.

The Knights enter the game ranked fifth in the region. A victory will clinch their spot in the GLVC Tournament. A key to the game will be slowing down the high powered Knights' offense. Bellarmine averages 75.6 points per game, second in the GLVC. The team features four players averaging double-digit points. Shooting guard Angela Smith leads the team in scoring and was named GLVC Player of the Week last week for the third time this season. The senior helped Bellarmine to victories over Northern Kentucky and Kentucky Wesleyan. She helped the Knights top Northern Kentucky 73-60 with 18 points and a career-best nine rebounds. On Saturday, she led the Knights to a 78-72 win at Kentucky Wesleyan by nearly posting a triple-double. She finished her night with 18 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Smith has 1,588 career points as a Knight, third on the school's all-time list. Teammate Denasha Mondy may not be averaging double-figures but she does lead the conference with a 2.02 assist/turnover ratio. They need to win both games and have either Indianapolis drop their final game or Northern Kentucky drop one of their two remaining games to earn a first round home conference playoff game. The Knights could also host a first round game if they go 1-1, but one of the other teams lose twice.

The Flyers gave Bellarmine all they could handle earlier this season at Bellarmine, taking a four-point lead into halftime. Senior Jennifer Green set career-highs with 21 points and eight rebounds, but in the second half the Knights pulled away for a 94-78 victory. Now that the Flyers have the Knights at home they will look to finish the job.

Lewis hosts Northern Kentucky on Saturday at 1 p.m. Jennifer Green will be honored during Senior Day festivities.