SOMERS, Wis. – The No. 1-ranked UIndy basketball team tasted defeat for the first time this season, falling 72-68 at No. 20 Wisconsin-Parkside Thursday night.  The Greyhounds (17-1, 9-1 GLVC) trailed by 14 with just five minutes to play, but a late charge cut the margin all the way down to two.  UIndy could not get over the hump, however, as the host Rangers (16-2, 9-1) made enough free throws in the waning seconds to secure the "W".
 
Junior Jordan Loyd had 22 points to lead all scorers.  The Atlanta native drained all four of his 3-point attempts while adding seven rebounds, three assists and a block.
 
Despite Loyd's shooting performance, the Greyhounds finished 7-for-24 (.292) from behind the arc, contributing to a season-low .389 field goal percentage overall.
 
But even after a lay-up by Parkside's Jimmy Gavin made it 60-46 Rangers with 5:15 to go, the Hounds still nearly pulled out the win.  UIndy finished the game with a flurry, scoring 22 points in the final five minutes of play.
 
Loyd alone scored 10 straight points during that stretch, including completing a rare four-point play. 
 
The Greyhounds whittled the margin down to a deuce with 17 seconds left, but UWP junior Andy Mazurczak, an 85-percent free throw shooter, sank 4 of 4 foul shots in the final seconds to protect the lead.
 
"We played hard," said head coach Stan Gouard after the game, "and if we played the entire game the way we played the last seven, eight minutes, we win by 20.  But we kind of let those guys hang around and get confident and we paid for it."
 
The loss snapped the Greyhounds' 17-game winning streak while creating a three-way tie for first in the GLVC East Division standings.  Indianapolis, Parkside and sixth-ranked Bellarmine will enter play this weekend with matching 9-1 conference records.
 
Nevertheless, Gouard and his players remain upbeat.
 
"They're so positive in the locker room right now," said the Greyhounds head man.  "Nobody has their head down.  I'm not going to let them be that way.  When I was walking off the court, I was clapping for these guys, patting them on the back because we can't hang our heads over one loss.
 
"We've done some good things with this team so far, and I think the best is yet to come."
 
Senior Joe Lawson compiled 20 points and five blocks for the Hounds.  Junior Lucas Barker finished with 12 points and five assists while shooting 10 of 11 from the line.  Senior Dai-Jon Parker chipped in 10 points.
 
Before heading home, the Greyhounds will stop off in the Chicago area Saturday afternoon for a divisional match-up with the Flyers of Lewis University.
 
"I'm really excited about Saturday," Gouard said of UIndy's next game, "because I think we needed this bitter taste in our mouths.  I didn't want it, but I think you need it sometimes, and I think this is going to wake our guys up a little bit."
 
Tip time from Lewis is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET.
 
 
Notes:  The last (and only other) time the Hounds were ranked No. 1 came in 1996-97.  That team's first loss came at Wisconsin-Parkside on Feb. 1, 1997 – nearly 18 years to the day of tonight's loss ... UWP finished 25 of 29 (.862) from the foul line and committed just 10 turnovers.
 

No. 20 Wis.-Parkside upsets No. 1 @UIndyMBB 72-68 in Div. II basketball. First loss for Greyhounds (17-1). #GLVCmbb

— David Woods (@DavidWoods007) January 30, 2015