Women’s basketball wins regular season opener
The University of Indianapolis women’s basketball team defeated Lake Superior State University Lakers 79-48 on Nov 10 at Nicoson Hall.
The Greyhounds were led by Redshirt sophomore Kirsten Gliesmann, who had 11 points and 12 rebounds in her first regular-season game with UIndy. Senior guard Kristin Turner was 6-for-8 from the field and led the team in points with 17.
The Greyhounds hit 55 percent from the floor, while the Lakers were only able to hit 25 percent of their shots.
The Greyhounds were able to establish a double-digit lead in less than six minutes, and never allowed the Lakers to pull any closer for the rest of the game. UIndy took advantage of the Lakers in their transition game with 20 points and added 24 points from their bench as well. The Greyhounds, however, made mistakes in the turnover category, turning it over 15 times compared to the Lakers 11.
The Greyhounds traveled to Xavier University on Nov. 3 for an exhibition game and lost to the Musketeers 67-51.
In the first half of the game, the Greyhounds kept the score close. With seven minutes remaining in the first half, the Greyhounds led by seven over the Musketeers. The Musketeers came back to take a one-point lead over the Greyhounds, with just over two minutes left, and finished the half on a 9-3 run to take a 31-24 lead.
At the beginning of the second half, Xavier opened up with a 3-pointer and took control from there, maintaining a large lead for the remainder of the game. The Greyhounds were able to cut the Musketeers’ lead to seven following a pair of threes from sophomore guard Kelly Walter, but the Musketeers returned the favor with a 10-0 run that the Greyhounds could not match.
During the game, the Greyhounds were led by junior guard Katy McIntosh, who had 13 points and six rebounds, and senior guard Kristin Turner, who had 11 points and hit three 3-point attempts. Gliesmann led the team in rebounds with nine, while senior forward Sydney Weinert added eight rebounds of her own with four blocks. In the turnover battle, the Greyhounds made mistakes that resulted in 24 committed turnovers compared to the Musketeers, who only had 13.
The Greyhounds traveled to Wright State University on Nov. 1 for their first exhibition contest of the season and lost to the Raiders 66-57.
In the first half, both teams kept the score close, with eight lead changes and three ties, and neither team ever leading by more than six points. After the Raiders took a 25-19 lead late in the half, UIndy regained the lead with an 8-0 run led by junior forward Dajana Jovanovic, who scored six of the points during the run. The Raiders took the lead at the conclusion of the first, however, after a 3-pointer on their last possession made the score 32-30.
The Greyhounds began the second half on a slower note, scoring only two points in the opening six minutes. The Raiders took advantage of that time, gaining a 40-32 lead over the Greyhounds. UIndy answered back, following its slow start, by scoring five points from a pair of free throws by McIntosh and a 3-point play by Turner. Following a 3-pointer by junior forward/center Eliza Wortman that brought the Greyhounds within four, turnovers began to plague UIndy, and Wright State pulled away with the lead and eventually the win.
The Greyhounds were led statistically by redshirt sophomore forward Kirsten Gliesmann, who had 15 points in the game. Turner and McIntosh also finished with double digits in scoring, with 14 each and four assists apiece.
Head Women’s Basketball Coach Constantin Popa said that he was impressed with his team early in the season and viewed the two exhibition games as a learning experience.
“So far, so good,” Popa said. “Good things come from exhibition games. You get to see where the girls are at.”
Popa also said that while the exhibition games were helpful to the team, he did not feel they required much preparation.
“We do not use preparation for the exhibition games. I let them just play,” he said.
According to senior forward Nickole Gonser, this freedom on the court relaxes the players and improves their game.
“Exhibition games are more comfortable when we just play,” she said.
Gonser said that she believes Popa is doing a great job coaching the team, and she has high hopes for where the season could go.
“He [Popa] is doing well with fitting the girls together as a team,” she said. “We are building off last year’s season. We are just as strong if not stronger.”
The Greyhounds’ next game will be at Nicoson Hall on Nov. 17 against the Ferris State University Bulldogs. The game starts at 1 p.m.
