SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The No. 16 UIndy men's basketball team (9-1, 1-1 GLVC) endured its first loss of the season Sunday, falling at third-ranked Drury, 83-69.  The teams came into the day with a combined 19-0 record, but the Panthers (11-0, 3-0) pulled away in the second half to remain unbeaten and extend their Division II-best win streak to 34 games.
 
UIndy trailed by just two points at the break but shot just 30 percent from the field in the final period.  Head coach Stan Gouard liked his team's effort but not its execution.
 
"I didn't like how we approached the game mentally," Gouard told WICR after the game.  "I thought we fought hard.  We played hard, for the most part, but down the stretch we just lost our wits.

"We made so many mistakes down the stretch – turning the ball over, not executing what we wanted to do, especially on the defensive end because we wanted the take some things away going down the stretch.  We didn't do those things and that cost of the ball game."
 
In a fast-paced start, junior Joe Lawson accounted for the Hounds' first nine points, including a rare 3-pointer from the big man to open the scoring.  The two teams combined for 29 points before the first media timeout, with DU taking a 15-14 lead.
 
Drury sank five 3-pointers in the game's opening 10 minutes to maintain a slim 25-24 edge midway through the half, but a steal and a conventional three-point play from junior Brennan McElroy gave the lead back to the Greyhounds at  28-26.
 
Nevertheless, either team earned more than a four-point cushion in a first half that featured a whopping 16 lead changes and eight ties.  The score settled at 41-39 Drury at the break. 
 
Contrary to the game's initial pace, points were hard to come by early in the second.  Neither team scored in the opening two-and-a-half minutes of the final period, but after UIndy pulled back within two at 45-43, the Panthers orchestrated a 12-3 run to take the first double-digit lead of the game with under 12 minutes to go.
 
Facing a 12-point deficit with 10 minutes left, the Greyhounds slowly trimmed the margin to five.  The push included six made free throws by Tyrae Robinson and a 3-pointer by Jared Grady.
 
But with still five minutes to play, UIndy couldn't make enough plays down the stretch.  Empty offensive possessions and timely turnovers were too much to overcome.
 
Lawson managed just three points in the second half to finish with a team-high 16 points and six rebounds.  Robinson added 15 points while hitting 9-of-12 from the line, while Reece Cheatham amassed 11 points and five steals. 
 
Despite the loss, Coach Gouard recognized the potential of his team.
 
"It's a learning process," he said.  "We knew this game wasn't going to be easy, but at the same time we know we can play with these guys.  I thought in the first half we did a great job, and in the second half the adjustments we made didn't work out and we tried to go back to the original plan.  We have work to do, we understand that, and that's why you practice."
 
Next week, the Greyhounds return to their more-familiar Thursday-Saturday schedule, leaving just three days to prepare for Rockhurst.   Tip time Thursday from Nicoson Hall is scheduled for 7:45 p.m.
 
 
Notes: Drury's win streak started immediately after dropping a 72-69 final at UIndy on Jan. 10, 2013 … Cheatham needs nine points to become the 36th Greyhound to reach 1,000 career points.