Women’s basketball brings winning streak to six games
The No. 5 University of Indianapolis women’s basketball team extended their regular season a streak to six games on Dec. 8, defeating the Cedarville University Yellow Jackets 64-46.
The Greyhounds were led in points by senior guard Kristin Turner, who had 23 points. Turner finished the game with eight of 16 field goals made, including one of seven in three-point shot attempts.
McIntosh also scored in double figures with 16 points, while senior forward Sydney Weinert and redshirt sophomore Kirsten Gliesmann put together a total of 32 rebounds. Weinert had 19 rebounds in the victory as well, which was two short of the school record for most rebounds in a game.
The Greyhounds only led by five at the end of the first half, but came back in the second and pulled away from the Yellow Jackets, outscoring them by 13 points.
On Dec. 4, the Greyhounds defeated the Trevecca Nazarene University Trojans, 77-38.
Sophomore guard Kelly Walter scored 20 points in 13 minutes in the second half, making seven of 10 attempts, six from behind the arc. Turner and McIntosh scored 16 points each, with a combined total of nine assists. Gliesmann finished with 14 points and four blocks for the Greyhounds.
The Greyhounds lost their final exhibition game of the season against the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix on Nov. 30, with a final score of 64-52.
Weinert was the lone Greyhound to score double figures with 11 points. She also contributed to the game with five rebounds and two blocks. Gliesmann and Turner added eight points each.
Senior guard Kristin Turner goes in for a layup against Xavier University in their second exhibition game. Photo contributed by Tim Sofranko.
The team seized two wins in Denver on Thanksgiving weekend at the Regis Thanksgiving Classic, defeating the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers, 67-50, and the hosting Regis University Rangers, 65-56, the next day.
Both victories for UIndy were led by McIntosh, who averaged a team-high 21.5 points between the two games. Weinert scored 15 points against the Orediggers, missing no shots.
The wins in Denver lifted the team to the No. 6 position in the USA TODAY Sports Division II Top 25 Poll from the team’s initial preseason No. 11 ranking. The following week, the Greyhounds moved up even further to No. 5. Head Women’s Basketball Coach Constantin Popa expressed hope and earnestness about the ranks.
“It’s not easy to get to the top, but it’s even harder to stay there… from not being ranked last year to being preseason No. 11, that was a pretty big jump,” Popa said.
Weinert said it is not only a surprise, but also an accomplishment to be on a highly-ranked basketball team.
“It’s definitely an honor to be ranked so high. And it’s exciting to be part of a team that everyone is chasing after,” Weinert said.
The Greyhounds defeated the Ferris State University Bulldogs 72-53 at home on Nov. 17.
Turner led the Greyhounds by scoring 19 points, along with eight assists and four steals. Walter sunk a total of five from behind the arc, finishing the game with a total of 17 points.
According to Popa, much of the Greyhounds’ success earlier on in the season can be attributed to the efficiency and friendliness between all members of the team, including the staff.
“We have a really good group of young ladies, and they all get along together and work well together—we all work together as a unit, coaching staff and the players—which is huge,” he said.
According to Weinert, the team’s chemistry transcends the court.
“We hang out with each other off the court, and we’re all pretty good friends with each other,” she said.
Although the team has been triumphant so far, Weinert said there is always work to be done.
“One way we could improve is better communication on the court, because you can get caught up in the game… that’s one thing we’ve really been stressing,” she said.
The Greyhounds’ next game will be against the No. 1 Ashland University Eagles on Dec. 14 at 5 p.m. in Nicoson Hall.
