ST. CHARLES, Mo. – A career-high 32 points from junior
Jordan Loyd helped the 13th-ranked UIndy Greyhounds defeat the Lewis Flyers, 70-61, in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinal. The win secured the program's third conference tournament semifinal appearance and first since 2004.
Loyd's 32 also set a Greyhound record for points in a GLVC Tournament game, breaking Andy Foster's 28 set back in 2001. The junior from Atlanta, Ga., went 9-for-18 from the field and converted 11 of his 12 free throws against the Flyers, shining offensively in what was otherwise a defensive struggle.
Both squads faltered on offense to start the game, combining to turn the ball over 22 times in the first 20 minutes. UIndy's 12 turnovers were the most in any first half this season, and tied for most in any half.
Lewis (21-8) held a slim lead during the early stages of the game, and on a Ryan Jackson jumper with 10:15 remaining the Flyers' lead was 14-11.
The Hounds (23-4) were able to close the frame strong, however, using a 16-9 run over the final 10 minutes to take a 27-21 lead going into the half. UIndy held Lewis to just 29 percent (7-24) for the half, including a 1-for-9 mark from long range, leading to the Flyers' lowest first-half total of the season.
"We did hold those guys to 21 points in the first half," Gouard told WICR following the quarterfinal win. "We kept defending. But in our guys' defense, we couldn't make a shot. We got the looks we wanted. This is a new arena for us, and we only got twenty-five minutes to shoot here today. So I think that contributed to a lot of missed shots that we usually make."
Head Coach
Stan Gouard credited his team's work on trapping the pick and roll for turning the tables of the two squads' regular season meeting – a
70-61 Flyer victory.
"A couple things that I wanted to do with the ball screen defense is we wanted to make sure we kept the ball out of (Jeff) Jarosz's and Ryan Jackson's hands," Gouard noted. "Once those guys do turn the corner, we wanted to protect the diver. We talked about when they drive, they dive. The first game, every time they dribbled baseline, they got a lay-up or a dunk. We worked on that all week, and I commend my guys for carrying that over to this basketball game today."
After relying on its defensive effort in the opening 20 minutes, UIndy controlled much of the second half through efficient shooting (52 percent from the field) and work at the charity stripe (14-for-17). Loyd netted 23 of his 32 in the final 20 minutes, including all 11 of his freebies.
The game finally opened up for UIndy early in the second half, when Loyd fed
Joe Lawson for a breakaway dunk that gave the Hounds their first double-digit lead of the game at 35-24. The Greyhounds would lead by double figures for most of the remainder, never letting Lewis closer than eight points
"In the second half, we exploded," Gouard said. "This year, we've been a pretty good second half team, and I'm just happy we defended in the first half, because had we not, we'd have been in trouble in the second half."
The Hounds forced Lewis to commit a season-high 19 turnovers, leading to 17 points, and held the Flyers to their second-worst shooting performance of the season at just over 39 percent (19-48).
Lawson recorded 18 points, nine boards and a pair of blocks for UIndy, and guard
Lucas Barker added eight points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals.
Brennan McElroy matched Lawson with a team-high nine rebounds, chipping in five points and three assists.
UIndy meets a familiar foe in the semifinal game Saturday, squaring off with top-seeded Bellarmine for the third time this season. Gouard's Greyhounds fell to the Knights in the quarterfinal of last year's GLVC Tournament.
"With Bellarmine, it's mind over matter right now," he said. "We have to be the smarter basketball team. We have to slow down and think about offensive tendencies – what they like to do on certain plays. I know these guys like the back of my hand. I mean, I can probably recite their whole playbook right now, and I'm sure they can ours, but it's going to be mind over matter."
He continued: "The motivation is there. We know that Bellarmine is an intense rivalry, and we have to come out tonight and tomorrow and do a great job in preparation for Saturday."
Tip-off is set for Saturday at 1 p.m. ET at Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo.
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