Box score
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.- Led by sophomore Braxton Mills' double-double effort, the Greyhound men's basketball team made it three straight wins with a 73-62 win over visiting Saginaw Valley State on Sunday afternoon at Nicoson Hall. Mills had 13 points to go with his game-high 12 rebounds and added three assists, a block, and a steal in the victory.
The Greyhounds only trailed at the onset of the contest, but a 10-2 spurt got the Hounds off to a 10-5 lead after a sluggish opening by both teams. A pair of Mills layups followed by threes from DeAndre Brock and Scott Strahm helped garner the advantage. SVSU eventually whittled away at the lead and eventually tied the game at 22-22, but the Greyhounds ran off nine straight points to take the lead for good.
In the opening half, UIndy (4-2, 2-1 GLVC) outscored the Cardinals, 43-34, thanks in part to the Hounds limiting SVSU to just 37 percent shooting from the floor. For the game, the Cards hit just 31.7 percent of their shots and made only 5-of-27 (17.2 %) from three-point range.
Despite a double-digit lead, the Greyhounds never completely took control of the contest, allowing SVSU to remain in the ball game. The Cards would close the gap to as little as eight with just under two minutes remaining but got no closer.
Mills' all-around effort was punctuated by an emphatic block in the closing minute of the game to help seal the win and give UIndy its first three-game winning streak since the 2004-05 season. Mills was one of four Greyhounds to tally double digits in points, led by Brock's team-high 14 points. Tristan Rogers added 13 and Justin Barnard had 10 for Indianapolis.
Saginaw Valley (4-5) was led by Lawrence Ross, who poured in a game-high 16 points and had 11 rebounds.
The Greyhounds head to Detroit, Mich. on Wednesday for the GLIAC/GLVC Challenge, hosted by Wayne State University. The Hounds battle Ferris State at 5:30 p.m. on the 20th, followed by a duel with the host Warriors on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. Both games can be heard live on WICR 88.7 FM.
Notes: Sunday's win over SVSU was UIndy's first over a GLIAC opponent since Jan. 2, 2005 (vs. Hillsdale), snapping a five-game lsoing skid to GLIAC foes (including playoffs) ... Mills' double-double was the third of his career ... UIndy is 3-0 in those games.
