| Gouard Interview

INDIANAPOLIS – Two days after scoring his 1,000th point for the Greyhounds, senior Reece Cheatham tallied two of the biggest points of his career Saturday afternoon.  The Indianapolis native knocked down two clutch free throws with 4.7 seconds on the clock, lifting the 19th-ranked UIndy men's basketball team (11-1, 3-1 GLVC ) to a hard-earned 84-82 win against visiting William Jewell at Nicoson Hall.
 
After trailing nearly the entire first half, Jewell (6-7, 2-3) seized the lead with 15:33 left in the second and maintained it for the next 12 minutes.  The Hounds never relented, however, finally tying it at 77-77 with a corner three from Jared Grady with three minutes to go.
 
Later, UIndy went up three after Joe Lawson got the ball in the post and battled through a triple team to sink a tough lay-up and make it 82-79 Hounds with just 1:27 left.
 
The Cardinals answered with a big 3-pointer from Alexander Hutson to knot it once again.  A UIndy turnover followed and with 49.3 seconds on the clock, Jewell suddenly found itself with the ball in a potential two-for-one opportunity.
 
Sophomore Avery Harmon squelched that notion, however, with a steal at midcourt.  Now with 30 seconds on the clock and the score still tied, UIndy called a timeout to set up perhaps the final shot.
 
UIndy head coach Stan Gouard turned to his senior leader, Cheatham, who dribbled the clock down to under 10 before making his move, then drew a blocking foul after the Cardinals tried to hedge on a screen.
 
With 4.7 to go, WJC called a timeout to try to ice the veteran guard, but Cheatham, a career 83-percent foul shooter, calmly knocked down the freebies to put the Hounds up a deuce.
 
Jewell had one last chance to tie or take the lead, but an errant pass allowed Harmon to come up with the loose ball and seal the win.
 
Cheatham finished the afternoon with 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting, including three 3-pointers.  Junior Brennan McElroy grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, and senior Tryae Robinson added 10 points and five assists.
 
UIndy has a tough road trip ahead, as the Greyhounds head to No. 2 Bellarmine Thursday, followed by a meeting at eighth-ranked Southern Indiana Saturday.
 
 
Note: Prior to the game, Cheatham was presented with the game ball from Thursday night, commemorating his 1,000th career point.