Women’s Basketball Focuses on Defense and Rebounding
PDF Brian Neal, Assistant Sports Editor
Photo above courtesy of sxc.hu.
The Flyers have gotten off to a fast start, winning their first two games of the year on the road by double digits.
“It’s obviously early,” head coach Lisa Carlsen said. “But I thought we played hard and competed, which is a great advantage.”
Their first game of the year was Nov. 10 at Saginaw Valley State. They won 70-60, and were led by sophomore forward Jess Reinhart, who posted a double-double with 19 points and 16 rebounds.
As a team, Lewis dominated the glass 56-35, which provided them with the necessary opportunities to pull away.
That stat was key because this is a unit that needs to get out and run. A half-court game isn’t their forte, and rebounding well is absolutely essential, Carlsen explained.
Following that game, Lewis took on Northwood and got the victory 91-77. The Flyers played a great game all around, out-shooting their opponent 47.8 percent to 34.2 percent and out-rebounding them 47-41.
Again, Reinhart led the team with 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting (9-of-10 from the free throw line) and eight boards. She was also named the GLVC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for Nov. 5-11.
“Jess is definitely the focal point of where we need the ball to go, and she proved that this weekend,” Carlsen said, according to the Lewis Athletics website. “She did a nice job of being aggressive around the basket and got to the free throw line. She was a big key to two big victories.”
Also having good games for the Flyers were sophomore guard Kristen Itschner (15 points, eight rebounds, three assists, one block), sophomore guard Nikki Nellen (14 points, five boards, five assists, one block) and senior forward Sam Rinehart (12 points, four rebounds, five assists, one steal).
Now that opening weekend is over, the Flyers will look ahead. After playing this past Saturday against Wayne State in Detroit, they will host their first home game of the year on Saturday, Nov. 24, against Central Missouri at 3 p.m.
The weekend following, they’ll play another road game, this one versus St. Francis — which is a local game in Joliet. Then the Flyers play on Thursday Dec. 6 against Judson at home before they have a 10 day break from games.
About the Author
Brian Neal is a junior in his second year at Lewis University. Neal has a passion for sports, and one day hopes to be a prominent NFL and NBA analyst.
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