Box score

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky.- The fourth-ranked UIndy women's basketball team (25-2, 16-2 GLVC) recorded a big road win in its regular season finale Saturday night, taking down a talented Northern Kentucky team, 80-69, at The Bank of Kentucky Center.  Coupled with their triumph over NKU back in December, the win gave the Greyhounds their first season sweep of the Norse in six years.

NKU (19-8, 13-5) came into the night allowing less than 58 points per game, but UIndy used a program-record-breaking 38 made free throws to hang 80 on the home team, marking just the second time all year the Norse have allowed at least 80 in a game.

After the Norse went up 8-7 early, UIndy used an 11-2 run to gain control.  The rally was book ended by baskets from Samantha Meissel, beginning with a transition lay-up and punctuated by her second 3-pointer of the period.

The Hounds led the remainder of the half.  The home team managed to cut it to a deuce at the nine-minute mark, but UIndy surged again, this time with a 15-4 run to earn a 13-point advantage shortly before the score settled at 35-24 Hounds at the half.

UIndy's one-two punch of Meissel and Jessica Canary finished the first twenty minutes with 10 points apiece.

Out of the break, the Norse slowly went to work on the margin by limiting the Greyhounds to just four points in the opening eight-plus minutes of the final half.

NKU trimmed it to four at 41-37, but with senior forward Brandi Rayburn picking up her fourth foul at the 12-minute mark, UIndy began to go back to Meissel in the post.

The Hounds' GLVC Player of the Year candidate scored the game's next six points to up the lead back to double digits and regain the momentum for the visitors.

UIndy led by at least eight the rest way, going 22-for-26 from the charity stripe in the final eight minutes to hold off Norse and snap its two-game skid.

Meissel finished with a game-high 24 points, Canary notched a double-double with 18 points and 10 boards, and Sarah Fenneman chipped in 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench.

As the 2010 GLVC East Division champion, UIndy is one of four schools to earn hosting duties for the first and quarterfinal rounds of the upcoming conference tournament.  St. Joseph's and Missouri-St. Louis square off at Nicoson Hall Saturday Feb. 27, with the winner advancing to face the Greyhounds the next day.  Both games are scheduled to tip at 1 p.m.


Note:  The Hounds previous record for free throws made in a game was 37, coming versus Kentucky Wesleyan back on Jan. 10, 1985.