Basketball finishes strong
The University of Indianapolis men’s basketball team completed its regular season schedule with an 81-76 upset win over No. 21 Northern Kentucky University (19-7, 12-6 GLVC) on Feb. 17 at Nicoson Hall.
Senior guard Darius Adams prepares to shoot against No. 21 Northern Kentucky players during the Coaches vs. Cancer game on Feb. 17. Adams scored 36 points on his senior night upset victory in Nicoson Hall. Photo by Elizabeth Wheeler.
The evening included the team’s senior night and UIndy’s Coaches vs. Cancer game. Fans were encouraged to wear black to support the event.
“It’s for a great cause,” said head coach Stan Gouard.
In addition to the Coaches vs. Cancer game, the team also helped with the women’s Pink Zone game, which aimed to raise breast cancer awareness, by donating part of its ticket sales.
Senior guard Darius Adams led the team with 36 points and six assists. Freshman guard Leland Brown scored 14 points and junior guard Adrian Moss added 13 points and nine assists in the win.
The Greyhounds were down by 13 points in the game but pulled off a come-from-behind win against a nationally-ranked opponent, their second of the season.
With the postseason on everyone’s mind, this win held significance for UIndy. The top eight teams in the region compete in the NCAA tournament. The Greyhounds are currently ranked eighth, while the Norse are fourth.
This win helped solidify the Greyhounds’ chances of competing in the national tournament.
“I think we have a chance,” Gouard said. “The players see it. I’m really straight up with them and don’t try and hide anything from them.”
Regional rankings are released every Monday.
Gouard said that expectations have been very high since the 10-game winning streak earlier this season.
“This time of year teams start getting really good,” Gouard said. “We’re playing really good basketball on the offensive end right now.”
In addition to the upset win, the game was highlighted by the Coaches vs. Cancer game events organized by the UIndy Administration of Athletics class.
Sports Management major Alicia Dalrymple, who was part of the class’s advertising and marketing committee for the event, explained that Coaches vs. Cancer is an organization formed by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the American Cancer Society. The organization’s purpose is to help fight cancer by raising awareness and money and also honoring those in basketball who have been affected by cancer.
As part of the event, the class sold t-shirts throughout the week and hosted games for fans during media timeouts, with prizes from sponsors. They also advertised the event via Facebook.
Donations for the American Cancer Society were accepted at the game and part of ticket sale proceeds were donated to the organization.
“The main goal of the game was to raise awareness about cancer and to increase student attendance at the games,” Dalrymple said.
The Greyhounds fell to GLVC regular season champions Bellarmine University (24-2, 17-1 GLVC) on Valentine’s Day in Louisville, Ky. Despite leading part way into the second half, the Knights pulled off the win with a final score of 80-70.
Moss led the team with 20 points and seven assists while Adams contributed 17 points. Junior center Wilbur O’Neal was also in double digits with 15 points.
Just two days earlier, UIndy came back from an 18-point deficit to defeat Kentucky Wesleyan University (17-8, 10-8 GLVC), 82-66, on Feb. 12. The come-from-behind win featured four different players in double-digits. Adams led with 23 points, senior forward DeWann Squires added 18, O’Neal had 12 and Moss finished with 11 points.
Now that the regular season is over, the Greyhounds will play the first round of the GLVC tournament at home against Lewis University (16-13, 9-9 GLVC) on Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m.
“It is very important to have home court advantage,” said Gouard.
He noted that the atmosphere of the No. 2 Bellarmine game on Jan. 17 had the ideal energy for a home court game. He hoped that Nicoson Hall will have the same atmosphere for the first round of the GLVC tournament.
If the Greyhounds make it past the first round, they will travel to St. Louis, Mo. for the GLVC Conference Tournament Finals.
“The goal right now is to win a conference championship,” Gouard said.
