Box Score

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Wilbur O'Neal led all players with 27 points and six rebounds, while Darius Adams added 24 points, five rebounds and five assists as UIndy men's basketball won at King, 92-82, on Monday night in a NCAA Division II non-conference tilt.

Adrian Moss added 16 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and DeWann Squires scored 10 points for the Greyhounds (4-2) against the Tornado (4-6).

The Hounds couldn't be slowed as they shot 60 percent (36-60), including 52.6 percent (10-19) behind the three-point line. O'Neal led the charge by converting 11-of-14 from the field. King also shot well by making 50 percent (28-56) of its attempts, including 13-of-28 triples. The Greyhounds forced 14 turnovers into a 25-14 lead in points off turnovers.

King had all five starters reach double figures, led by Mark Dockery with 23 points

UIndy took the early lead, 6-0, by feeding O'Neal for buckets on the first two possessions and then Moss took a steal the length of the court. The Tornado came back to tie, 8-8, but five quick O'Neal points put the Greyhounds back in front, 13-8.

UIndy couldn't pull away as King closed within one, 13-12, with 15:08 to play. The Hounds answered with a bucket by Paul Corsaro to start a 9-0 run over 2:32 to go up by 10, 22-12, after Corsaro's triple with 12:30 left in the opening half.

King quickly rallied with eight in a row to cut its deficit to two, 22-20, and eventually tied the game, 28-28, with 8:13 left in the half on a three-pointer by Brian Hewitt. The teams traded buckets to keep the game tied, 30-30, when UIndy went on another run. The Greyhounds ended the half on a 21-7 burst to lead by 14, 51-37, at halftime after DeWann Squires connected on a three-pointer from Moss with two seconds to play.

The Greyhounds shot 65.6 percent (21-32) in the opening half, while King converted on 48.1 percent from the field (13-27), including 7-of-15 three-pointers. The Greyhounds also converted nine turnovers into 14 points in the first half.

Squires hit another three-pointer and O'Neal added to his total as UIndy scored the first five points of the second half to build its lead to 19, 57-36, with 17:47 to play. The Tornado was able to close within 13, 75-62, with 9:34 left, but UIndy pulled away again. Over the next 2:20, Adams connected on 4-of-4 three-pointers to push the lead to 22, 87-65, with seven minutes remaining to put the Tornado away.

The Greyhounds will return to Nicoson Hall on Saturday at 7 p.m. against Mt. Vernon Nazarene. Once again, UIndy's previously scheduled game on Wednesday, Dec. 8 against Millikin has been cancelled.

Q&A with Head Coach Stan Gouard

What was the difference in the game?

"I thought we did a good job from the start and jumped on top of those guys. Then we made some adjustments at halftime to defend the three-point line better. Darius got hot in the second half from behind the arc and Moss and O'Neal were unbelievable the entire game."

What was the challenge in playing King?

"The challenge was coming into a hostile environment and play the way we did. They played USI and Kentucky Wesleyan to single-digit losses on the road. Give our guys credit. King can really shoot the basketball and get up the court real quick. They do a great job in transition and shooting and making contested shots. They are going to be a force to be reckoned with."

What has been the reason for Wilbur O'Neal playing so well recently?

"He's being physical right now. In the first half at NKU he wasn't physical, but he has been since then. I didn't think we had a post presence last year and Will gives us that. Also, Moss is more conscious of the post and getting it to him because it opens things up on the perimeter. Tonight, that made a big difference. They also pressed a lot and we were able to break the press and Will finished."

Why are you optimistic moving forward?

"I want to talk about Cory Zackery.  After the NKU game we got back at 12:30 and he shot till 2:30 in the morning. That's what makes good players great. That says a lot about the kind of person he is and what kind of player he wants to be. If we keep doing those kinds of things, we'll be the team I think we're capable of."