Women’s basketball starts season at 4-1
The University of Indianapolis women’s basketball team upset the defending National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II Champion and then No. 15 Ashland University Eagles on the road Sunday, Nov. 17, 85-76.
Junior guard Kelly Walter and senior guard Shelby Wall led the way for the Greyhounds, combining for ten three-pointers by hitting five apiece. The Greyhounds also saw significant contributions from their bench, which provided 34 of the team’s points.
The Greyhounds improved their record to 3-1 a few days before on Friday, Nov. 15, after defeating the Lake Superior State University Lakers 72-65.
After trailing in the first half 31-27, the Greyhounds responded in the second, converting 20-of-22 free throws from the charity stripe to claim the victory.
UIndy claimed its second victory of the season the previous weekend on Nov. 10 against the Pittsburg State University Gorillas. Although the Greyhounds went into the half down 38-34, speed and pressure by UIndy wore down the Gorillas, leading to the victory, 82-73.
“I told them Pittsburgh State wouldn’t last running with us. They hit some really good shots in the first half, but I knew that was probably going to come to an end as well,” said Head Women’s Basketball Coach Constantin Popa. “I told them to keep pushing the ball, keep running, running, running and eventually they are going to get tired, and that happened.”
The Greyhounds instituted a full-court pressure defense against the Gorillas, which, according to Popa, was something he has wanted to do and finally has the personnel to institute. According to Popa, it was successful, and he looks forward to seeing it work well in the future.
The Greyhounds also were aided by efficient offense. Senior guard Katy McIntosh scored 26 points on just 13 shot attempts.
On the day before their second victory, the Greyhounds’ fast-paced offense and points off the bench were significant statistical factors in their win against the Montana State University Billings Yellowjackets on Nov. 9. UIndy was on top in a lopsided victory, winning 87-45. Thirty of the Greyhounds’ 87 points came off the bench, which impressed McIntosh and made her confident in the team for the rest of the season.
“We had a lot of injuries there, too, so it showed that even more people could step up,” McIntosh said. “I think that it [bench contribution] will be important for us, because we have so many people that can go in the game and put up big numbers.”
Besides being able to combat injuries with quality substitutions, Popa also sees his bench as a way to maintain the fast pace he hopes to continue throughout the season.
“It [bench contribution] will be really important, especially [with] the way we want to play. Going full court for most of the game, it’s very important to have a lot of depth on the bench,” Popa said. “Right now, we’re struggling a bit. A couple injuries here and there, nothing really major, but we’re still trying to get everybody healthy.”
The Greyhounds took a loss in the regular season opener on Nov. 8 at the hands of the Emporia State University Hornets, who defeated UIndy 76-48.
McIntosh led the Greyhounds with 21 of the team’s 48 points. McIntosh was recognized as the Tournament MVP, averaging 22 points and 3.6 assists per game over the weekend.
“That was a great personal accomplishment, but I definitely couldn’t have done that without everybody else,” McIntosh said. “I had some great passes to me from [sophomore guard] Princess [German], and then I was able to get a lot of assists to Kelly [Walter] and Shelby [Wall], so I definitely want to attribute that to my team.”
The Greyhounds will play their first home game of the season on Nov. 23 against the Purdue University Calumet Peregrines, with a starting time of 1 p.m.
