INDIANAPOLIS - Senior
Joe Lawson delivered a game-high 31 points while junior
Lucas Barker dished out a career-best 15 assists in the UIndy men's basketball team's
84-67 win against visiting Southern Indiana Saturday afternoon. The third-ranked Greyhounds (15-0, 7-0 GLVC) bumped their win streak to 15 while remaining unbeaten on the season.
Lawson scored 17 points by halftime before falling one shy of his personal-high point total. The Indy native did his damage on a ridiculous 12-of-14 shooting (.857), adding nine rebounds and a blocked shot.
Meanwhile, Barker racked up the highest assist total in the GLVC this season, coming two short of the school record. He entered the day second in Division II in assists per game but could very well regain the top spot after today's output.
The win comes less than 48 hours after a hard-fought 66-62 victory against fourth-ranked Bellarmine Thursday. UIndy head coach
Stan Gouard wasn't completely pleased with his team's performance in the first 20 minutes but liked the way they responded after the break.
"We played hard, but in the first half we were just so flat," said Gouard. "Maybe we were a little bit tired from the other day (versus Bellarmine), but we had no legs. Our minds were not in the right place.
"But I think we made some adjustments at halftime, like putting
Dai-Jon Parker on the ball, that really set the tone for the outcome of the basketball game. I think they shot the ball 50 percent in the first half, but in the second half we did a really good job with our defense. They shot the ball 38 percent the second half so I'm really proud of that."
UIndy built an early 22-12 lead with some hot shooting, sinking eight of its first 10 shots from the floor. Four different Hounds connected from long range during that stretch, including the first of three triples from Parker.
But after the lead twice hit 13, the Screaming Eagles (11-3, 4-2) managed a 7-0 run to cut it to six. USI senior Gavin Schumann, who finished with a team-high 18 points, bookended the spurt with a 3-pointer and short jumper.
After the score settled at 43-34 at the break, the margin first hit 20 at the 13-minute mark after
Jordan Loyd completed a conventional three-point play. Parker found his high school teammate cutting down the lane, and Loyd finished despite the contact with his ensuing free throw making it 60-40 UIndy.
The climax came later when the Greyhounds threw down dunks on back-to-back possessions in one half-minute span. With 7:27 on the clock, Barker found senior
Brennan McElroy on their now-patented lob play, and just 24 seconds later, Lawson tomahawked a one-handed breakaway jam following a McElroy steal.
For good measure, Lawson had another wide-open jam shortly thereafter, flushing it with two hands after Barker kicked it ahead following a missed shot.
Loyd amassed 18 points, six rebounds and four assists; McElroy added nine points and six boards while
Salim Gloyd added seven and three from the bench.
UIndy concludes its four-game homestand with two more games in Nicoson Hall next week, starting with a face off against McKendree Thursday, Jan. 22. Tip is scheduled for 7:45 pm ET.
