Box Score

INDIANAPOLIS – The UIndy men's basketball team earned a hard-fought win to open its 2013-14 season Saturday afternoon, holding off Cincinnati Christian, 80-77, at Nicoson Hall.  The Greyhounds' 13-point lead inside of eight minutes dropped to a single point with 18 seconds to go, but Reece Cheatham's clutch free throws and a missed last-second shot for the Eagles sealed the victory.
 
Despite not hitting a field goal in the final 7:39 minutes of play, the Hounds held off the scrappy Eagles, thanks in part to their proficiency at the charity stripe.  The Crimson and Grey combined to shoot 13-of-14 from the line down the stretch and never relinquished the lead.
 
In a game in which both team shot 50 percent from the field, the biggest drama came in the final 18 seconds when CCU's Nick Seibert nailed a 3-pointer to pull the Eagles within one.  On the ensuing in-bounds pass, the Hounds got the ball to their veteran guard Cheatham – an 83 percent career free throw shooter.
 
Cheatham calmly knocked down the freebies to make it a three-point game.  Cincinnati Christian managed to get a decent look in the waning seconds, but the long-range attempt fell short, ensuring the Greyhound win.
 
The game's (and season's) very first bucket was a slam dunk from senior Joe Daniels – the first of four dunks on the day for the Hounds.  The prettiest of the lot came early in the second half on an alley-oop from Cheatham to Brennan McElroy.

Junior Joe Lawson racked up a team highs with 22 points and eight rebounds, senior Tyrae Robinson added 19 points, while Leland Brown amassed 10 points and two steals.
 
UIndy travels to Midland, Mich., for an important in-region game versus Northwood Saturday, Nov. 16.