Box score

INDIANAPOLIS-  The 18th-ranked UIndy women's basketball team dropped its third straight with a 73-50 loss to Saint Francis (Ind.) Thursday night at Nicoson Hall.  The Greyhounds (4-3) scored just 16 points in the second half on the way to their largest defeat in nearly two years.

The hot-shooting Lady Cougars (9-2) sank 55 percent of their attempts in the first half and led by as many as 11 before the break.  Ranked eighth in the NAIA Division II Coaches Poll, Saint Francis now has three wins over GLVC teams this season.

The Greyhounds spread the floor early and got some open looks from 3-point range, but the jumpers weren't dropping, as UIndy finished the first half 1-for-8 from downtown.

Indianapolis found success inside, though, effectively feeding the post and using dribble penetration to rack up 24 points in the paint by halftime.

UIndy cut it to five with 2:45 left in the first, but the Cougars surged with five straight points, including a triple from Julie Seiss.  The margin would settle at 10 by the halftime buzzer, as St. Francis took a 44-34 lead into the locker room.  Seiss, a Butler transfer, finished the half with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting.

Out of hte break, UIndy crept within seven before the first media timeout.  Senior Katie Lyons and junior Cayla Keegan hit back-to-back buckets 51-44 with 15:46 to go.

The offense stalled from there, however, as the Greyhounds would score just six more points to rest of the way.  The Hounds had scoring droughts of seven minutes and five minutes, separated only by a long two from Samantha Meissel at the 6:50 mark.

UIndy's second-half field goal percentage of .250 produced just 16 points, as the Hounds went 0-for-10 from long range and did not shot a free throw in the final twenty minutes.

The loss ensured UIndy's first three-game skid since January of 2007.

For the second time in as many games, Lyons paced the team in scoring, finishing with 11 points on 5-for-9 shooting.  Freshman Megan Birchmeier (pictured) had eight points while freshman Katy McIntosh added six points, five rebounds and four assists.

Seiss finished with a game-high 22 points.

Though the road may not get any easier for the Greyhounds, it does get warmer.  UIndy gets eight days off before traveling to Lakeland, Fla., to face Florida Southern and Tampa on back-to-back days.  Though neither team is ranked, both are receiving votes in this week's USA TODAY ESPN Coaches' Poll.