The University of Indianapolis women’s basketball team bounced back from a loss earlier in the week to beat University of Wisconsin-Parkside on Saturday, Feb. 20, 69-59. The loss was to Lewis University on Thursday, Feb. 18.
UIndy opened the game against UWP with two baskets during its first two possessions to make it 4-0, but that was the only lead the Greyhounds would have until the end of the third. The fourth quarter was all Greyhounds. UIndy held the lead through the 10 minutes of play and went on a 14-0 run to close out the game.
Senior guard Princess German totaled 31 points in the win, while junior forward Nicole Anderson had 15. Sophomore guard Sarah Costello had her second career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
The 64-55 loss to Lewis opened up with a first period score of 25-8 in favor of the Flyers. Even with another quarter of play, the Hounds could not close the gap, which meant that the score at the half was 33-18. Out of the break, UIndy was able to close the gap to single digits. The score stood at 39-32 going into the final quarter. Although the Hounds outscored the Flyers in the fourth quarter alone it was not enough to put them ahead of the Flyers overall. The game ended 64-55.
UIndy had four players reach double-digit figure for the first time this season.
While facing William Jewell College on Feb. 13, the Greyhounds gained an 8-point lead in the first quarter, 18-10. The Cardinals attempted a comeback towards the fourth, but UIndy was prepared to fight until the 40 minutes were over and won with a two-point lead. Costello was the Hounds’ top scorer, setting a career high with 21 points. UIndy won 56-54.
Previously at Rockhurst, the Hounds lost 70-68 on Feb. 11. UIndy managed a lead until the last couple of minutes in the fourth quarter, when they lost by two points. German was UIndy’s top scorer of the game, with a game-high 25 points.
Despite the tough loss to Rockhurst, the team used it as a lesson and kept their eyes on the next game, which was William Jewell, according to Head Women’s Basketball Coach Constantin Popa.
“We fell apart at the last minute or so and lost the lead that we had,” Popa said. “And it came down to the last shot, and it just didn’t happen. It was unfortunate. It was a tough loss…. We kind of panicked a little bit against a full court press, and we didn’t quite follow the game plan the way we set. That’s the one thing we need to make sure [of], that we play 40 minutes. Just the fact that we had a seven- [or] eight-point lead, doesn’t mean the game is over. Hopefully we learn from that, learn from the mistakes we made in the last minute or so, and pretty much just take care of the ball and make sure we understand that every position is really precious at that point in time.”
While this season may not have been the season they hoped for, the women have refused to give up the fight. Popa credits the women for their strong mindsets this season.
“It has been a rough season, and the one thing about the players is that they keep fighting,” Popa said. “It’s not easy to stay positive and to stay upbeat on this type of season, but they definitely do not give up, and they keep fighting. We keep fighting…. Hopefully, we can turn the court and get two wins in a row. That’s the one thing I never really question is their fight, and I can live with that. It would be a lot easier to fall and give it up, but they didn’t. So hopefully, we can sustain that fight.”
The team has its eyes set on conference as its end goal. German believes the team can make a comeback, just in time.
“I just want us to win conference so bad, and I know that we can. If there’s a team that can come from the bottom and have a struggle season and then go back and win it, I think we can,” she said.
UIndy will host Saint Joseph’s College tonight at 5:30 p.m. for Senior Night.
