EVANSVILLE, Ind. - In a game that did not feature a field goal in the final three minutes and thirty seconds, the University of Indianapolis women's basketball team (17-4, 9-4 GLVC) hit 9-of-10 free throw attempts down the stretch to defeat Southern Indiana, 63-56, at the Physical Activities Center Saturday.  In all, the Greyhounds connected on a season-high 90 percentage of their foul shots (27-of-30), including a perfect 13-for-13 from freshman Samantha Meissel.  Meissel finished with 17 points while senior Karla Mast had a team-high 19.

 

Neither team owned more than a three-point lead through the first ten minutes.  After a Mast triple put the Hounds up 12-10 at the 10:03 mark, USI (8-13, 3-10) ran off the next nine points to take its biggest advantage of the first half.  Just as quickly, the Greyhounds went on an 8-point run to retake the lead.

 

The lead continued to see-saw through the remaining minutes of the period before the Eagles took a 35-34 edge into the locker room.  The opening half featured 10 ties and nine lead changes.  The Hounds shot just 35 percent from the field, but overcame that with outstanding free throw shooting.  UIndy connected on 18-of-19 at the stripe in the first twenty minutes.  Meissel went 8-for-8 from the line and led all scorers with 13 first-half points.

 

The back-and-forth continued through the opening minutes of the second.  Three more ties came in the first four minutes, with the last coming at 41 apiece.  Jessica Canary found Mast for a bunny with 16:03 to go, sparking another 8-0 UIndy rally.  Two field goals from Katie Lyons and one from Deanna Thomson completed the mini-run and gave the Hounds a six-point lead, their largest yet.

 

The Hounds answered an Eagle three-pointer with one of their own, but Mast's triple would be the last Greyhound bucket in four minutes as USI managed to tie it at 50-all with 5:45 left in the game.

 

A minute later, Lyons scored in the paint to break the scoring drought and reclaim the lead for Indianapolis.  Mast hit another jumper at the 3:39 mark to make it 54-52 UIndy.  It proved to be the last field goal of the game.  The Hounds won the free throw contest down the stretch, outscoring USI 9-to-4 at the line in the final 3:09 to go on to the seven-point win.

 

In addition to their proficiency from 15 feet, the Hounds benefited from a strong defensive effort.  The Greyhound “D” held USI to 4-of-22 from the floor and 21 points in the latter period.  The Eagles' .308 field goal percentage for the game was the second lowest by a UIndy opponent this season.

 

Mast returned to her familiar role, leading the Hounds with 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting while Meissel parlayed 13 made free throws into 17 points.  For the second straight game, sophomore point guard Katie Dewey totaled seven rebounds while adding four steals and a block.  Jasmine Baines and Amie Newhart each scored 15 for the Screaming Eagles.

 

UIndy has two more away games before returning to Nicoson Hall.  The Greyhounds travel to the only other schools in the Eastern Time zone next week, as they face Bellarmine Thursday and Northern Kentucky Saturday.  The games loom large as all three teams are within a game of each other atop the GLVC East Division standings.