Senior forward Nicole Anderson’s 27 points against the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Rangers was not enough to pull out a win for the University of Indianapolis women’s basketball team.
After senior night celebrations, the Hounds kicked off the game, taking the early lead with a 7-2 run. The Rangers took the lead back until the second quarter, when the Hounds began to close the deficit. The Hounds went into halftime leading by two.
The Rangers quickly tied it back up before taking the lead back. The third and fourth quarters proved to be much like the second quarter, until the Rangers took the lead with 7:49 left in the fourth. They sustained the lead for the rest of the game and won 66-62.
Junior forward Ashley Montanez shot free throws during the game against Rockhurst University on Feb. 11. Photo by Badar Alageel
The women claimed a victory against the Lewis University Flyers on Feb. 16. Both teams were slow to score at the start of the first quarter, ending it with a score of 13-10 in favor of Lewis. To begin the second quarter, the Hounds snatched the lead with a three pointer from sophomore Jordan Cole. Lewis took it back halfway through the quarter sustained it until the end of the fourth quarter. With 2:10 on the clock, junior guard Martha Burse tied the game up. Burse secured the win with three free throws, ending the game 59-55.
A Rockhurst University fourth quarter comeback prevented the Greyhounds from taking home a win on Feb. 11.
The Hawks were the first to score with a free throw, then UIndy followed by picking up seven points before Rockhurst had another opportunity to score. The Hounds kept the Hawk’s score in single digits, and ended the first quarter with a score of 12-6.
The second quarter remained scoreless for the first two minutes. Senior forward Nicole Anderson opened the score for the Hounds with a layup in the paint, bringing the score to 14-4. The team continued to score, stretching its lead to 11 points with six minutes left in the first half. As the minutes drained the clock, the Hawks stopped the Greyhound offense and found three rebounds that brought the score to 20-15. The half ended with the Greyhounds leading by two points, 30-28.
At the start of the third quarter, the Hawks took the lead for the first time with a 3-pointer, bringing the score to 35-34. The Hounds’ defense scattered and the Hawks stretched their lead to five points. The quarter closed with a layup from Burse, making the score 45-50 in favor of UIndy. The Hounds scored six more points in the final minutes, and only allowed two from the Flyers, winning the game with a score of 59-55. This win solidified a winning season for the Hounds; the first since the 2013-14 season.
In the final quarter of the game, the Hawks kept the Hounds’ offense at bay. The Hawks scored seven unanswered points, stretching their lead to nine points with 7:27 remaining on the clock. With under 30 seconds left in the game clock, the Hawks scored three free throws, reducing the possibility of a Greyhound comeback. The game ended with a defeat for the Hounds, 74-68.
Drabyn said the Hounds let the Hawks take too many second-chance shots after the first half.
“Really, they started hitting shots,” Drabyn said. “We let their shooters get too many open looks, and we allowed too many second-chance points. We would defend for 28 seconds, they’d miss and then we [would] let them get the reroute back in. Doing those little things, we just didn’t cover in the second half that we were doing in the first half.”
Anderson led the team’s scoring with 30 points and 13 rebounds, her third 30-point career game. Burse also scored in the double digits with 19 points.
The previous Saturday, Feb. 9., the Greyhounds hosted the William Jewell Cardinals. The Hounds got off to a slow start in the game, and the Cardinals quickly took the lead. The team found momentum and scored seven unanswered points, snatching the lead from the Cardinals and making the score 9-7. The teams went back and forth during the second quarter. Two layups from Cole and Anderson made the score 29-25, reducing the Cardinals lead to the smallest in the quarter. The first half ended with a score of 37-30 in favor of William Jewell.
UIndy started the second half with a comeback, opening the quarter with a jumper from Burse and a fastbreak from Anderson, bringing the Cardinals lead to three points. Both teams struggled to make a clean shot until there were five minutes remaining with senior guard Maddie Nelson sinking two free throws.
The fourth quarter was an offensive rush for the Hounds. When the clock hit 7:40, Anderson hit a layup and tied the score 48-48, giving the Hounds an opportunity for a late comeback. The Cardinals fought back, regained their lead and
kept it until there was a little over a minute left in the game time. Burse claimed a steal and scored from the paint to even the score at 56-56. The hope for a comeback was short-lived, though as the Hounds made several fouls that gave the Cardinals 10 free throws in the last minute of the game. The game ended with a defeat for the Hounds 68-60.
The Hounds will travel to Rensselaer, IN., to face the Saint Joseph’s College Pumas on Feb. 23. Tip-off will be at 5:30 p.m.
