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INDIANAPOLIS- The University of Indianapolis women's basketball team (17-7, 11-5) celebrated Senior Night by holding off a pesky Lewis squad for a 81-73 win.
Megan Gardner, UIndy's lone active senior, sank three 3-pointers in her final regular-season home game.
Said UIndy Head Coach
Constantin Popa, “I'm happy with the win, especially for our seniors. It was Senior Night tonight and they had a chance to celebrate that, so I'm very happy for them.”
The victory snapped a two-game mini skid, as the Greyhounds amassed a season-high 53 combined points on free throws and 3-pointers. UIndy shot 17-for-21 from the line and shot 52 percent from the floor in the second half.
Junior
Kristin Turner added six rebounds and six assists to her game-high 25 points. With 462 points on the year, Turner is on pace to record just the seventh 500-point season in program history.
With freshman Kelley Walter pouring in 13 of her career-high 21 points in the final period, UIndy led by a game-high 17 points midway through the second half.
But Lewis (6-18, 4-12) did not go away, trimming the deficit all the way down to four at the 2:16 mark.
“We made some runs. They made some runs. It was just a game of runs,” explained Popa. “Sometimes that's just the way it goes. We opened up the second half and went up by 17, and then it was their turn to make a run, and we just couldn't make adjustments fast enough for a while there, but eventually we did.”
UIndy was finally able to hold off the Flyers by connecting on all six of its free throw attempts in the final 33 seconds to seal the win.
Six Greyhounds finished with at least five rebounds, as UIndy won the battle of the boards, 45-31.
“We did a great job on the boards,” commented Popa. “We out-rebounded them by 14, so it was great to see. Hopefully we keep building on that.”
Popa was also happy to see
Sydney Weinert on the court, as the 6-1 junior forward returned after a three-game absence due to injury. Weinert, who earlier this season broke the school's single-season blocks record, finished with six rebounds and one blocked shot in 10 minutes of action.
The teams traded punches throughout the first half as well, as the GLVC East rivals combined for five times and five lead changes. With the Flyers up 18-15, UIndy knocked down five consecutive threes to fuel a potentially-crippling 17-3 run, but Lewis shook off the blow and managed a 12-1 rally to knot it at 33 before the score settled at 37-37 at the half.
Gardner (pictured) finished with nine points, two boards and a steal. The Bishop Chatard product has hit 50 3-pointers as a collegian, good for 19th all-time at UIndy.
Fellow-senior
Cayla Keegan was also honored. The Castalia, Ohio native has been sidelined this season due to injury.
The Greyhounds, ranked seventh in the Midwest Region poll, travel to division-leading Wisconsin-Parkside this Saturday for a 2 p.m. Eastern tip.