TRUMAN:
Lewis tearing it up in the MAAC
Tyrone hitting his shots for the Purple Eagles
By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor
When Harry S Truman basketball standout Tyrone Lewis donned the black and gold for the Tigers, he was one of the best in Bucks County.
Things are no different now that Tyrone is playing for Niagara University’s Purple Eagles.
This season, one of the best ever at Niagara, Lewis ranked third in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) with 16.3 points-per-game. Tyrone led the conference with 86 three-pointers.
Lewis opened the season by blocking eight jump shots against Towson and recorded at least three steals in 16 games. The 5-foot-11 junior guard led the Eagles in scoring 12 times while tallying double figures in 28 of the team's 31 games.
For the season, Tyrone was tops in the conference while ranking fourth in the nation with 85 steals. He ranked second on the team with 27 blocks, adding 4.6 rebounds per game to his season effort.
What’s more, the effort of the Truman graduate can be seen in the win-loss column. Niagara’s regular season record of 24-7 is the best since John ‘Taps’ Gallagher’s 1948-49 team recorded the same record.
The 24 wins is the second most in school history, behind the 1921-22 team’s 27 victories. Niagara’s 14-4 record in MAAC play is the best in program history.
***
Niagara celebrated Senior Day in style March 1 with an 80-72 victory over Marist. The victory gave the Purple Eagles a 24-7 overall record, the best regular season mark in 60 years.
"We are ready for the second season," Niagara head coach Joe Mihalich said, referring to the MAAC Tournament, where his Purple Eagles have earned the No. 2 seed. "We are proud of what we have accomplished this season; 24-7 is very special. But we broke our huddle in the locker room talking about getting ready for the second season."
On Senior Day, the Red Foxes had no answer for Niagara's lone senior, Nigerian native Benson Egemonye, a 6-foot-10 guard from Benin City. The big man bid farewell to the Gallagher Center crowd of 2,182 with a team-high 19 points. Most of his damage came from the foul line as Egemonye shot 13-for-17 from the charity stripe.
Niagara fell behind early in the contest but used a 15-0 run midway through the first period, keyed by seven straight points by Anthony Nelson to seize control of the contest. The Eagles led by as many as 19 points in the second half.
Nelson connected on a triple to bring the Eagles to within two with five minutes remaining in the opening stanza. He buried an open jumper on the next trip and executed a tough lay-up in transition to take a 26-24 lead. Niagara would extend the advantage to 33-24 before Marist could end the run. Nelson finished the game with eight points, six assists and five rebounds.
Three other players finished the day in double figures as the Purple Eagles again executed a balanced attack. The junior trio of Lewis, Bilal Benn and Rob Garrison chipped in with 16, 12 and 17 points, respectively, in the win. Benn added a game-high nine rebounds to finish with the rebounding title, averaging a MAAC-best 9.1 rpg.
***
Lewis, Benn Earn Postseason Praise
The postseason accolades continue to mount for the Purple Eagles with Lewis garnering NABC All-District and All-MAAC honors. On Wednesday, March 4, Lewis, of Bristol Township, Levittown, and Bilal Benn of Philadelphia, were named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District Team.
Both players were named to the District I Second Team. Lewis and Benn, who were named First-Team All-MAAC on March 2, are up for MAAC Player of the Year and MAAC Defensive Player of the Year.
Benn led the conference in rebounding with 9.1 rpg while ranking second in steals with 76. The Philly native led the MAAC with 11 double-doubles and ranked in the top 10 in eight statistical categories. Benn finished the regular season with 14.1 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 87 assists and 78 steals while shooting .448 from the floor, .324 from behind the arc and .713 from the charity stripe.
Niagara matched last season's win total on Feb. 8 with a 75-50 win over Fairfield. The Eagles forced 21 turnovers in the win and shot a blistering 65.2 percent from the floor in the second half.
Niagara's defense, which has been the story all season long, held Fairfield to 50 points on 34.5 percent shooting. The 21 turnovers by the Stags was a season-high for Fairfield.
"I may sound like a broken record," Head Coach Joe Mihalich said, "but we always say that defense wins championships. Our defense was real good today."
The Purple Eagles tied a season high with 16 steals, led by Benn's four and Lewis' three. Niagara totaled double-digit steals in its previous five games, all wins, averaging 13 thefts during that span.
"No disrespect to anyone else in the league," Mihalich added, "but I don't know if there are two better defensive players in the league than Tyrone and Bilal."
Both players joined senior Benson Egemonye on the All-MAAC Team. Benn and Lewis earned First-Team All-MAAC honors while Nigerian native Egemonye was named to the All-MAAC Second Team. It was the first all-conference honor for Benn and Egemonye, and the second for Lewis, who earned Second-Team All-MAAC last season.
Lewis, Benn and the rest of the Purple Eagles begin the MAAC Championships 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 7 against the winner of the Iona/Marist game that takes place Friday.
The Purple Eagles split the regular season series with both clubs.
Labels: men's basketball, Truman
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home