As the scoreboard began its countdown to zero at the beginning of the third period, the University of Indianapolis and Lake Superior State University men’s basketball teams were at a 41-41 tie on Saturday, Nov. 21. The halftime break proved to help the Greyhounds as they scored 52 to the 34 points by the Lakers in the second half. The Hounds came away with their first win, 93-75, on their home court.
Leading the Greyhounds with points was sophomore guard Eric Davidson who racked up a career-high 26 points for the Greyhounds during the game. Senior guard Lucas Barker and fellow senior guard Jordan Loyd were second and third in command of the pack with 16 and 15 points, respectively.
The first half proved to be a back and forth battle between the two teams. The largest gap between the scores were six, with the Greyhounds having the advantage at 24-18, but after two missed lay ups and a missed jumper, the Lakers were right back in it with a one point lead, 25-24.
The second half did not prove much different, with neither team forming a gap on the scoreboard. It was not until Barker hit two free throws that the Hounds began to distance themselves from the Lakers. Barker’s two points made it a 65-60 game. The five-point difference quickly turned in to a 15-point difference, and remained in the double-digits through the final buzzer.
Before the Hounds won their first game of the season, they fell in their home opener. The Greyhounds faced Hillsdale College on Nov. 17 and fell 92-87.
Trailing 13 points at halftime, the Greyhounds were able to mount a comeback, but failed to secure a substantial lead to earn the win. Coming out of the locker room after halftime, UIndy was able to tighten the lead, scoring 58 points in the second half compared to 50 from the Chargers.
The home opener provided a much-needed wake-up call for the Greyhounds, according to Loyd.
“This past weekend was tough, but I think our preparation was pretty good, and so we felt good going into the game,” Loyd said. “We’ve got to try and get everybody [the players] to buy in, and we just have to get better, both in practice and off the court. We just have to use this as a learning lesson. And it’s still early in the season, so we have time to turn it around.”
During the first half, the Chargers scored eight of their first 14 points with open jump shots. Head Men’s Basketball Coach Stan Gouard deemed that unacceptable for the team’s defense.
“I thought the coaches did a great job with the scouting report. We had a plan in place, but we didn’t stick to the script,” Gouard said. “We can put the plan together, but if we don’t follow it, it’s not going to work. Right now, everybody’s heads are hung, and they should be. But at the same time, we have got to pick up the pieces and move on to the next game.”
Despite the loss, there were several players who scored more than 15 points apiece. Loyd finished the game with 21 points, 15 of which came from free-throws, seven assists and two steals during 35 minutes of play. Senior guard Joe Retic ended the game with 17 points, two assists and three steals during his 37 minutes. Sophomore guard Eric Davidson came away with 17 points, 15 of which were three-pointers. All of his points came in the second half of the game. Freshman guard Jimmy King finished with 16 points and a steal in his 28 minutes of game time.
According to Gouard there are areas of the team’s style of play that can be developed and improved throughout the season.
“Our defense [and] our physical and mental toughness are where we need improvement. We also have to do a better job of making reads,” Gouard said. “Our shot selection was very poor. We panicked and didn’t understand the floor of the basketball game, and so we settled for three-pointers all night. They [Hillsdale] were smart, they have a good coach and they can make shots. They did more dribbling and less passing, which really extended us on defense. And they made some really good reads that picked us apart.”
The Greyhounds also lost to the Ashland University Eagles 75-67 on Nov. 14. However, UIndy’s first game of the season on Nov. 13 against the Lake Erie College Storm ended in the Hounds favor. UIndy pulled away with a 72-69 win. Senior guard Lucas Barker’s last-second three-pointer prevented the game from going into overtime to ensure a Greyhound win.
The Greyhounds will travel to Tiffin, Ohio from Nov. 27-28 to compete in the Tiffin University Thanksgiving Tournament. UIndy’s first game will take place on Nov. 27 against Seton Hill University with tip off at 4 p.m. The second game will be on Nov. 28 against Tiffin University or West Virginia State University depending on the results of the first game. Tip off time is to be determine.
