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INDIANAPOLIS – For the second time this season against a top-15 opponent,
Tyrae Robinson stepped to the free throw line in the final seconds with his team trailing by one. For the second time, he knocked down both free throws and UIndy earned the upset, 72-70, over No. 13 Wisconsin-Parkside, 72-70, at Nicoson Hall on Saturday afternoon.
Robinson's driving lay-up with 1:08 remaining pulled the Greyhounds (18-7, 10-7 GLVC) within one, 70-69, after trailing by nine, 68-59, with 3:15 to play. The Rangers (19-6, 14-3 GLVC) missed a three-pointer on the next possession and Robinson was pushed out of bounds after securing the rebound to go to the line.
He knocked down both freebies with 28 seconds left to give UIndy the lead, 71-70, but the Rangers still had plenty of time. Parkside passed the ball cross court to Andy Mazurczak who tried to drive, but lost the ball and Robinson jumped on it to create a jump ball that went to the Greyhounds. He was fouled again after the inbounds to shoot 1-and-1 with 9.8 seconds left.
Robinson hit the first, but missed the second to give UWP one more shot. The Rangers would never get a look at the basket as
Brennan McElroy stepped into the passing lane for a steal to preserve the victory.
UIndy ended the game on a 13-2 run in the final 3:04 to add another marquee win to its NCAA Tournament resume. Robinson scored seven points, while
Reece Cheatham hit back-to-back three-pointers during the run. The first came with 2:59 to play after he forced a turnover on the inbounds and then McElroy found him for a three-pointer in the left corner. The next triple was on a hand-off from
Daniel Daudu with 1:57 to play to cut the lead to one, 68-67.
Robinson finished with 21 points, four assists and three rebounds, while Cheatham scored 12 points with eight coming in the final five minutes. He added three rebounds and three steals.
Daniel Daudu came off the bench to score 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting, including two three-pointers. Robinson shot 6-of-7 from the field, including making all three of his three-pointers.
The Greyhounds shot 51.2 percent (22-43) overall and 8-of-17 (.471) behind the arc, while also adding 20-of-24 free throws to overcome committing 19 turnovers for the second game in a row. The Rangers shot 47.3 percent (26-55) with eight three-pointers, but made just 10-of-17 free throws.
Jeremy Saffold led all players with 22 points and six rebounds, while Conrad Krutwig scored 14. McElroy led all players with 10 rebounds for the Greyhounds.
The Greyhounds controlled the early going by jumping to a 13-point lead, 24-11, with 10:34 to play, but the Rangers slowly chipped away. UWP was within three, 32-29, with under two minutes to play in the half when the Greyhounds went on another run.
A blocked shot by McElroy created a fast break lay-up for Daudu to start a 6-0 run to hit the half. McElroy added two free throws after a steal by
Cole Adair and Robinson ended the half with a floater in the paint as the horn expired for a nine-point lead, 38-29.
Another three-pointer by Robinson pushed the lead back to 13, 44-31, less than two minutes into the second half, but the Greyhounds couldn't pull further away. Again Parkside whittled away at the lead as UIndy was up six, 56-50, with 9:38 to play after Daudu drove and found
Joe Daniels for an easy lay-in.
Colt Grandstaff answered 16 seconds later with a lay-up to start a 16-1 run that put UW-Parkside up by nine, 66-57, with 5:01 left on Nick Neari's jumper. A Cheatham driving lay-up stopped the run, but Krutwig's lay-up with 3:15 left kept the margin at nine to set up the dramatic conclusion.
The Greyhounds play their final regular season home game on Thursday at 7:45 p.m. against in-state rival Saint Joseph's (6-18, 4-13 GLVC). The game will be televised live across the state on HTSN.
