ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The Truman State men's basketball team delivered a commanding performance Wednesday evening, defeating Lewis University 74-40 at Neil Carey Arena. The Bulldogs improve to 7-9 overall and 4-4 in conference play, while the Flyers drop to 4-11 and 2-5 in league standings.
Lewis opened with a 6-0 lead over the first four minutes, but the Bulldogs responded emphatically. Marquis Carver-Smith sparked the comeback with a fast-break layup at 13:18, cutting the deficit to 6-2. Ja'Vion Byers hit a three-pointer at 11:11 to make it 8-7, then converted three free throws at 9:12 to give Truman its first lead at 10-8. The Bulldogs never trailed again.
The defensive pressure intensified as the half progressed. Brennan Lovette converted a steal into a fast-break layup to push the lead to 16-10, then assisted on a Ja'Vion Byers dunk to extend it to 24-12. Drew Kingery fueled a critical stretch with a three-pointer at 3:29 and a driving layup at 3:11, helping build a 34-14 advantage. The Bulldogs took a commanding 39-16 lead into the break, holding Lewis to just 26.9% shooting (7-26) from the field and 0-10 from three-point range in the opening period.
Truman continued to pull away in the second half. Quientan McCafferty was dominant inside, scoring on multiple shots, including consecutive baskets at 19:42 and 18:11 to help build the lead to 48-18. The Bulldogs' largest advantage came at 69-31 with 7:03 remaining after Julian Brown converted a pair of free throws. Truman maintained control throughout the second half, never allowing Lewis to mount any serious threat.
The defense was suffocating all night, forcing 15 turnovers and converting them into 21 points. The Bulldogs shot 44.4% from the field and dominated the paint with 34 points to Lewis's 22.
Team Statistics
| Category |
Truman State |
Lewis |
| Final Score |
74 |
40 |
| Field Goals |
24-54 (44.4%) |
16-53 (30.2%) |
| 3-Point FG |
6-28 (21.4%) |
2-20 (10.0%) |
| Free Throws |
20-25 (80.0%) |
6-15 (40.0%) |
| Rebounds |
46 |
20 |
| Offensive Rebounds |
11 |
3 |
| Assists |
10 |
4 |
| Steals |
9 |
8 |
| Blocks |
1 |
0 |
| Turnovers |
17 |
15 |
| Points in Paint |
34 |
22 |
| Second Chance Points |
10 |
6 |
| Fast Break Points |
21 |
5 |
| Points off Turnovers |
21 |
14 |
| Bench Points |
26 |
8 |
Bulldogs Leaders
Points:
Rebounds:
Assists:
Steals:
Blocks:
Up Next:
The Bulldogs look to make it a perfect weekend tomorrow against Upper Iowa at 3:00 PM. Truman will look to end a three-game losing streak against the Peacocks.
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