The University of Indianapolis women’s basketball team started off its season with a 3-1 record, its best since its 2013-14 season. Last week, the team traveled to Ohio to battle the Tiffin University Dragons on Nov. 16 and Ashland University Eagles on Nov. 19.
On Wednesday, the team battled Tiffin University in their first away match of the 2016-17 season. To start off the game, the team scored 10 points and did not allow a single point from the Dragons. Later in the first, Tiffin fired back with a 13-2 run at the end of the quarter. Moving into the second quarter, the lead continued to flip between the teams until UIndy took the lead going into halftime.
The Hounds kept their lead for the remainder of the game and was extended to double digits when senior forward Nicole Anderson scored in the fourth quarter. The team wrapped up the game with a 67-55 win.
On Saturday, the team suffered its first loss of the regular season against the fifth-ranked Eagles. The Eagles took the quick lead 9-0 in the first 1:36 before junior guard Martha Burse scored the Hounds first points. The Hounds racked up a few more points to close up the Eagles’ lead and finished the quarter 23-19. UIndy stayed close to Ashland for the remainder of the half. Anderson scored with 5:22 left in the second, taking the score to 29-27. The Eagles made a 13-4 run and ended the half with a 24-31 lead.
In the second half, the Eagles continued to advance their lead, which reached up to 24 points. The Hounds took home their first loss, 88-66. Burse reached double-digit scoring for the fourth game in a row, scoring 14 points. Junior guard Sydney Brackemyre led the Hounds in scoring, with a career high of 26 points.
The team began its season the previous weekend when it hosted the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference/Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament Nov. 11-13. The team had the opportunity to play the University of Findlay Oilers and the Walsh University Cavaliers during the weekend.
The Hounds battled the Oilers on Nov. 11 in their first game of the tournament. UIndy took the lead the first half with a score of 35-24 going into the break. After the halftime break, UIndy took an even bigger lead, getting 19 points over the Oilers with two minutes left in the third quarter. The Oilers pushed back and brought the Hound’s lead down to eight points multiple times throughout the fourth quarter. To take the double-digit lead back, sophomore guard Jordan Cole and junior guard Sarah Costello scored the last few buckets of the game, making the final score 70-59.
The Greyhounds faced the Walsh University Cavaliers in their second game of the tournament on Nov. 13. Burse contributed eight points in the first 10 minutes of the game. Costello and junior guard Devin Ferguson hit back-to-back three-pointers, sending the Greyhounds to a 20-14 lead. To end the half, Walsh went on a 9-3 run that took UIndy into halftime with a 29-24 lead. After battle from both teams, Burse put the Greyhounds on top with a buzzer-beating layup that put the score at 42-40.
Going into the fourth quarter the Hounds were up two, and Burse scored three buckets to put the lead at 46-43 with eight minutes left in the game. In the final seconds, Burse was fouled and was able to score on both of her free throws. Brackemyre blocked the ball in the final seconds, giving the Greyhounds the second win of the season.
Costello commented on breaking her record and said she hopes to continue the success.
“It’s nice because everyone is looking for me and getting me the ball,” Costello said. “I just have to continue to knock down shots.”
Head Women’s Basketball Coach Kristin Drabyn gained her first wins as head coach in the tournament.
“It was really exciting,” Drabyn said. “I was so happy for the girls. They have been working so hard… I think the biggest difference [from last year to now] is that we are a team. The coaches and players are a team and work together for a common goal. We still have a lot to work on…. But if they come with that energy and effort, we are going to be able to accomplish a lot.”
The Greyhounds will be on the road this weekend, starting with a game
against St. Edwards University in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Nov. 25 at 1p.m.
