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NCAA Midwest Regional Quarterfinal
7 Northern Michigan (21-9)
vs. 2 Indianapolis (26-3)
Houghton, Mich.
Mar. 12, 2:30 p.m. EST
Audio Webcast | Live Stats | Video Webcast |  WICR 88.7 FM


On tap: For the third consecutive year and sixth time in the last eight seasons, the fifth-ranked UIndy women's basketball team received an invitation to the NCAA Division II Championships.  The second-seeded Greyhounds (26-3) open tournament play with a first-round match-up against seventh seed Northern Michigan (21-9) Friday, Mar. 12.

Midwest Regional:  Fresh off winning the 2010 GLIAC title, top-seeded Michigan Tech (28-2) will serve as the host of the region's top eight squads.  In a rematch of last year's regional semifinal, the defending Midwest champs will host Northern Kentucky in the first round.  The Norse grabbed the eighth and final spot in the field, good for their fifth consecutive NCAA berth.

The winner of that game will face the winner of the four/five match-up, as Wisconsin-Parkside (23-7) takes on Findlay (21-8).  The Rangers, who downed UIndy in the GLVC Tournament semis, are making just their second-ever NCAA appearance, while the Oilers are making their first apearance.

The UIndy/Northern Michigan winner is rewarded with a meeting with the Drury/Southern Indiana winner.  In the region's only intra-conference match-up, the third-seeded Drury Lady Panthers (26-6) - this year's GLVC champs - are making their eighth straight NCAA appearance.  USI earned its eighth overall NCAA berth and first since 2004.

Click here for the complete tournament bracket.

About Northern Michigan:  Fresh off a slim four-point loss to Michigan Tech in last Saturday's GLIAC Tournament final, NMU earned the seventh seed in the regional to earn its first NCAA berth since 2002.  Earlier in the year, the Huskies handed Tech its first and only home loss of the season with a 53-47 win at SDC Gym on Jan. 2.

Hounds vs. Wildcats:  UIndy and Northern Michigan have faced off just one previous time -- first round of the 1995 NCAA Tourney.  The Huskies earned a 91-71 win on its home court to eliminate the Hounds in just their second NCAA appearance. 

Last Time Out:  After downing Missouri-St. Louis in the quarterfinals, the Greyhounds fell 66-58 to Wisconsin-Parkside in the GLVC Tournament semifinals last Saturday.  The second half featured six ties and 13 lead changes, but the Rangers managed a game-ending 15-3 run to slip by UIndy and advance to the conference final.

Head Coach LeAnn Freeland:  In her third season at the helm, UIndy women's basketball head coach LeAnn Freeland enters play this week sporting a 72-21 career record, good for a .774 winning percentage - highest in program history. Freeland has guided UIndy to three straight NCAA berths, including its first-ever NCAA “Sweet 16” appearance last year.

Hounds at the Big Dance:  UIndy is 5-7 in seven previous NCAA trips, including apearances in 1993, 1995, 2003-05 and 2007-08.  The team's deepest run came just a season ago when the Greyhounds bounced a pair of top-10 teams in No. 3 Hillsdale and No. 9 Quincy before falling 69-52 to 22nd-ranked Michigan Tech in the regional final.

Hounds vs. the Field:  UIndy is a combined 6-2 versus this year's field of 64, including a 5-2 mark against the other seven Midwest teams.  The Greyhounds are 2-0 versus NKU this year, 1-0 against Drury, and 1-1 versus both Wisconsin-Parkside and Southern Indiana.  The Hounds have not yet faced the three GLIAC schools at the regional this season, but did earn a victory at South Region seventh-seed Lynn back in December.

NCAA Tourney Records:  Below is the list of UIndy NCAA Tournament single-game records.

Stat	#	Name	Opponent	Date
Points	33	Jessica Canary	vs. Quincy	3/14/09
Rebounds	13	Amanda Norris	at Grand Valley St.	3/12/05
Assists	9	Katie Dewey	vs. Hillsdale	3/13/09
Steals	6	Melissa Graham	at Northern Mich.	3/7/95
Blocks	4	Eileen Patton	vs. Mich. Tech	3/11/05
FG Made	11	Samantha Meissel	vs. Hillsdale	3/13/09
3FG Made	7	Sara Riedeman	at Grand Valley St.	3/12/05
FT Made	15	Amy Wisser	vs. Wayne State	3/14/03

Saturday's Possiblities:  Should the Hounds be victorious Friday, their regional semifinal opponent is guaranteed to be a familiar foe, as UIndy would face either Southern Indiana or GLVC-champ Drury.  The Greyhounds split two regular season games with USI, while defeating Drury in the lone meeting with the Lady Panthers.

Sam, I Am:  Junior forward Samantha Meissel, who recently became just the sixth Greyhound woman to surpass 1,500 career points, needs just 14 points to break her own single-season UIndy scoring record.  The 2010 GLVC Player of the Year racked up a school-record 581 points last season and enters NCAA Tournament play with 568 points this year.  The GLVC's leading scorer is one of only two Greyhounds to notch two 500-point seasons and could become the first 600-point scorer in program history.

Indy 300:  Senior point guard Katie Dewey enters play this week one steal shy of becoming just the second Greyhound ever to record 300 career steals.  Dewey -- who ranks first in the GLVC and 21st in the nation in steals -- currently has 299 career thefts, 28 less than the school's all-time leader, Melissa Graham (1991-95).

All-America Finalists:  The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced the finalists for the 2010 State Farm Coaches' All-America Team for Division II, with UIndy student-athletes Jessica Canary and Samantha Meissel among the list of 40.  The players are now in the running for selection to the 10-member State Farm Coaches' All-America Team, voted upon by WBCA member coaches and announced Mar. 22 at the D-II Championship banquet.

Court & Classroom Success:  Senior Jessica Canary, who maintains a 3.90 cumulative GPA in Elementary Education, was named to the 2009-10 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® College Division Third Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).  As the first-ever UIndy women's basketball player to earn the honor, Canary is the 43rd Greyhound to garner Academic All-America accolades and 31st since 2000.  The versatile guard ranks in the league's top 17 in scoring, rebounding, assists, blocks and free throw percentage.  She is also just 11 points shy of becoming the first player in program history to amass over 1400 points, 600 rebounds & 400 assist in a career.

Statistically Speaking:  UIndy ranks well statistically in numerous national categories.  Heading into this week, the Hounds rank second in Division II in scoring margin, second in assists per game, seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio, ninth in field goal percentage, and 19th in scoring offense.  Individually, Sam Meissel ranks 10th in field goal percentage and 16th in points per game, Katie Dewey is 18th in steals per and 20th in assists per, and Jess Canary sits in 23rd in assists per contest and 32nd in assists-to-turnover ratio.

Foul Play:  The UIndy roster sports three 80-percent free throw shooters in Jessica Canary (.816), Sarah Fenneman (.810) and Katie Lyons (.800).  All three rank in the top 12 in the conference in FT percentage, leading UIndy to its highest team percentage (.755) since 2004-05.  Samantha Meissel could be the fourth to hit 80 before the season's out, as the senior guard is sitting a 79.1 percent for the year.

All-GLVC:  UIndy took home a bevy of league honors with the announcement of the All-Great Lakes Valley Conference Teams.  Headlining the honorees was forward Sam Meissel, the 2010 GLVC Player of the Year.  Also garnering mention were seniors Jessica Canary (first team) and Katie Dewey (third team), and Head Coach LeAnn Freeland (Coach of the Year).

It marked the fifth time two Hounds made the First Team, and first time since 1995.  Meissel is the fourth Greyhound woman to garner conference player of the year honors (Kristen Lowry '03, Courtney Sands '93, Laura Foreman '86), while Freeland is the fourth coach of the year winner for UIndy (Teri Moran '03, Chuck Mallender '93 & '88).

2009-10 All-Great Lakes Valley Conference Teams
First Team
Lindsay Ballweg, Sr., Drury
Jessica Canary, Sr., Indianapolis
Samantha Meissel, Jr., Indianapolis
Casse Mogan, So., Northern Kentucky
Jenny Turpel, Sr., Lewis

Second Team
Brittany Beyer, So., UW-Parkside
Brittany Edelen, Sr., Bellarmine
Brittany Hogen, Jr., UW-Parkside
Courtney Shuman, Jr., Quincy
Ellen Young, Jr., Southern Indiana

Third Team
Kylie Brady, So., Bellarmine
Katie Dewey, Sr., Indianapolis
Amanda Gibson, Sr., UW-Parkside
Ja'Nell Jones, Jr., Drury
Amie Newhart, Jr., Southern Indiana
Melanie Oliver, Sr., Drury
Tatiana Ortiz, So., Saint Joseph's
Katie Pritchard, So., Drury
Brandi Rayburn, Sr., Northern Kentucky
Lindsey Stellflue, Sr., Quincy

GLVC Player of the Year:  Samantha Meissel, Indianapolis, Jr.
GLVC Freshman of the Year:  Jalissa Chatlos, Bellarmine, Fr.
GLVC 'Chuck Mallender' Coach of the Year:  LeAnn Freeland, Indianapolis

Poll Position:  Despite their GLVC semifinal loss, Indianapolis remained in the top five for the 12th consecutive week in the USA TODAY ESPN Division II Coaches Poll, falling just two spots to No. 5.  Click here to view the latest poll, and look below for a week-by-week breakdown of the Greyhounds' position in the coaches' poll this season.

WEEK	RANK
Preseason Poll (Nov. 4)	11
Week 1 (Nov. 24)	10
Week 2 (Dec. 1)	8
Week 3 (Dec. 8)	5
Week 4 (Dec. 15)	4
Week 5 (Jan. 5)	3
Week 6 (Jan. 12)	3
Week 7 (Jan. 19)	3
Week 8 (Jan. 26)	2
Week 9 (Feb. 2)	2
Week 10 (Feb. 9)	2
Week 11 (Feb. 16)	4
Week 12 (Feb. 23)	3
Week 13 (Mar. 2)	3
Week 14 (Mar. 9)	5

1,000-Point Club:  Canary and Meissel joined the 1,000-point club this season, becoming the 17th and 18th Greyhound woman, respectively, to reach the milestone.  However, the two are the first UIndy tandem to do so in the same game, as both hit quadruple digits in the Hounds' 77-59 victory at Saginaw Valley State Nov. 21.

Spreading the Wealth:  Indianapolis enters the week as the Division II leader in assists per game, thanks partly to a generous display in the GLVC quarterfinals.  The Hounds dished out a season-high 31 helpers versus UMSL, good for the highest team assist total in the GLVC this year.  The sum is also just the third total in the 30s for UIndy this decade (31 vs. Grace, 11/28/08; 35 vs. Fisher (Mass.), 12/30/04).

Double-Doubles:  The Greyhounds have a collective seven double-doubles this season, led by Canary's four.  Meissel (2) and Dewey (1) have also turned the trick this year, but Canary is the only player in the GLVC to record both a points/rebounds and points/assists double-double this season.

Hounds on the Web:  Get all the up-to-date information on the Greyhounds ANYTIME, day or night at http://athletics.uindy.edu.  The official home of Greyhound athletics, you can find rosters, schedules, stats, news, media information and weekly releases.  Follow the Hounds on Twitter:  twitter.com/UIndySID

Hounds on Radio:  Once again, the Greyhounds will be broadcast on WICR 88.7 FM live!  Join the crew as they bring you all the play-by-play action.  You can also catch the Greyhounds on the Internet via live streaming.  Get details at http://wicr.uindy.edu.