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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The No. 11 UIndy men's basketball team built a big lead in the first half before having to hold off host Rockhurst, 86-74, at Mason-Halpin Field House on Saturday afternoon.
The Greyhounds (10-0, 2-0 GLVC) shot 53 percent (27-51) with 10 three-pointers in the Great Lakes Valley Conference match-up against the Hawks (1-8, 0-2 GLVC).
2012-13 Men's Basketball at Rockhurst Gallery
James Hollowell led the way with 22 points and eight rebounds, while
Reece Cheatham chipped in 18 points, five assists and four rebounds.
Tyrae Robinson came off the bench to contribute 17 points, four assists and three steals.
The Hawks also shot 50 percent (27-54) and made 13-of-14 free throws to hang around. They put four in double figures, led by Brandon McCann with 16 points.
The Greyhounds grew their 16-point halftime lead to 21, 58-37, with 15:26 to play after a driving reverse lay-up by Cheatham, but then Rockhurst took over. The Hawks made 11-of-15 to field goals to start the second half to pull within six, 61-55, with 9:46 to play.
UIndy was able to push the lead back to double digits, 67-57, with 6:36 left, but the Hawks wouldn't go away and closed within six again, 73-67, with 3:23 on the clock. UIndy picked up its pressure and forced back-to-back turnovers as they scored six in a row to increase the distance, 79-67, on
Brennan McElroy's tip-in with 2:36 to play. The Greyhounds then knocked down 7-of-8 free throws in the final 1:14 to close out the game.
After making their first three shots, all behind the arc, the Greyhounds were still tied with the Hawks, 9-9, before taking control. UIndy held Rockhurst without a field goal for 5:31 as it went on an 18-2 run to take the lead, 27-11, with 10:50 left in the half after
Leland Brown went coast-to-coast for a fast break lay-up.
The Greyhounds continued to pull away and went up by 24, 42-18, after Hollowell converted on a three-point play followed by Robinson draining his third triple from the right wing with 4:54 left in the first period. UIndy was unable to hit another field goal the rest of the half as the Hawks pulled within 16, 44-28, at halftime.
UIndy didn't turn the ball over in the first 17-plus minutes as it shot 48 percent (14-29) overall, including 7-of-17 (.412) behind the three-point line and 9-of-9 at the free throw line in the first half. UIndy also forced five turnovers that they turned into 11 points.
The Greyhounds return to Indianapolis and will host a pair of games next week against Drury on Thursday at 7:45 p.m. and Missouri S&T on Saturday at 3:15 p.m.
