ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The Undy men's basketball team (1-0) opened the 2014-15 season with a convincing 87-66 region win versus a quality Malone University team Friday night at the GLIAC/GLVC Challenge.  The four-team event, which concludes tomorrow, is being hosted in Romeoville, Ill., at Lewis University.
 
Blending a core group of returners with a talented bunch of newcomers, the Greyhounds led by as many as 35 points while shooting 54 percent from the field.  Four Hounds finished in double figures, led Joe Lawson's game-high 21 points.
 
The Hounds led wire-to-wire, jumping out to an early double-digit lead and not looking back.  They used a crippling 18-0 run to seize control, while Malone (0-1), which advanced to the GLIAC Tournament semifinals last season, had more turnovers than points through the first 12 minutes of the game.
 
"We got off to a great start," said head coach Stan Gouard.  "I thought our starters set the tone, and it kind of trickled down once the other guys came into the game.  I'm happy with the way we came out of the gate."
 
The Hounds' up-tempo offense and pressure "D" yielded paired well together, especially in the first half.  UIndy took a 46-26 lead into the break, outshooting the Pioneers 55 percent to 38 percent.
 
The lead grew to 35 midway through the second half before Malone whittled it down the the final margin of 21.
 
Lawson (21 pts, 10 reb) and Brennan McElroy (16 pts, 11 reb) each notched a double-double on the night.  The UIndy frontcourt tandem combined to shot 15-of-20 (.750) from the floor, including seven dunks.  Both had one blocked shot while McElroy added six assists and five steals.
 
Senior Kendall Vieke totaled 11 points, leading a 30-point output from the UIndy bench.  Freshmen Martyce Kimbrough and Eric Davidson chipped in nine points and eight points, respectively, as the trio of reserve guard combined to sink six 3-pointers.
 
In his first official game as a Greyhound, Kentucky Wesleyan-transfer Lucas Barker amassed nine points, eight assists and two steals.
 
UIndy takes on another in-region opponent in Northern Michigan tomorrow afternoon.  Tipoff from Lewis University is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.