Romeoville, Ill. – A furious late rally by the Maryville men's basketball team narrowly fell short as Lewis held on to defeat the Saints 69-61 in the opening round of the 2022 Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament. The Saints used an 18-3 run but were unable to come all the way back.
 
What Happened:
Trailing 12-6, the Saints scored eight straight points to grab the lead. JT Morgan drilled a 3-pointer, and Ari Jackson followed from deep. Cameron Scales' layup gave Maryville a 14-12 edge. However, the Flyers tallied 12 straight points to take a double-digit lead. Daniel Farris scored on a layup to end the Lewis run. The Saints closed to within 30-24 at halftime.
 
Maryville sank three of the first four buckets in the second half and drew to within 33-30 after three minutes. Lewis pushed out to its largest lead of the day at 60-39 before the Saints put on a late flurry. Ben Palacios nailed a 3-pointer that ignited an 18-4 run. Jackson scored on a layup, and Dylan Ingram knocked down a triple.
 
Lewis hit one basket but the Maryville rally continued when Kelvin Swims scored on a layup. Palacios and Jaeden Smith splashed in back-to-back triples to pull the Saints to 62-55. Farris' layup trimmed the deficit to 63-57 with 1:07 left. However, Lewis made four straight free throws in the final minute to hold off the Maryville charge.
 
Statistical Leaders:
Points: Daniel Farris - 13
Rebounds: Ari Jackson and JT Morgan - 6
Assists: Daniel Farris - 6
3-Pointers: Ari Jackson and Ben Palacios - 2
Steals: Kelvin Swims - 3
Blocked Shots: Kelvin Swims - 1
 
Records:
Maryville: 12-17
Lewis: 15-10