INDIANAPOLIS – The No. 8 ranked University of Indianapolis men's basketball team snapped a two-game slide on Saturday (Nov. 21) afternoon, using a big second half to pull away from the Lakers of Lake Superior State, 93-75, earning their first home win of the season and improving to 2-2 on the year.
 
Sophomore Eric Davidson came off the bench to finish with a new career-high of 26 points on 8-for-11 shooting, going 6-for-8 from long range. As a team, the Greyhounds shot 62.5 percent (15-for-24) from the floor, 71.4 percent (5-for-7) and 81 percent (17-for-21) in the second half alone to pull away from the Lakers (2-1) and earn the first win for any Uindy team on the new Ray Skillman Court inside Nicoson Hall.
 
"I thought the second half we did a really good job on the defensive end getting some stops and pushing the ball up the floor on offense," Head coach Stan Gouard said. "We also did a great job on the glass limiting their second chances. We knew coming in that they were a really good rebounding team and to out-rebound them by 17 played a big part in the win today."
 
The opening 20 minutes was a back-and-forth battle between the two squads that featured five tied and five lead changes. UIndy held their largest lead of the opening half with 6:53 to play in the half following a pair of free throws from Alex Etherington that made it 24-18 Hounds. But a quick 8-0 run from the Lakers put them right back in front with 4:50 to play.
 
Davidson and Jordan Loyd combined for 13 of the Hounds' 17 points to close out the first half as the two teams went into the break tied at 41.
 
Lake Superior State wasted no time grabbing the lead to start the second half and stretched their advantage to 53-48 after Akaemji Williams finished off a three-point play with 14:10 to go. Down by a pair with less than 10 minutes to play, the Hounds ripped off a game-deciding 15-0 run capped by a Davidson triple in transition that made it 73-60 with 6:54 to play.
 
That run proved to be too much for the Lakers to overcome as UIndy's lead remained in double-figures until the final horn sounded.
 
The Greyhounds shot a season-best 51.9 percent (27-for-52) from the field, hitting 50 percent (10-for-20) of their tries from deep and 87.9 percent (29-for-33) of their free throws. Lucas Barker finished with a season-high 16 points and pulled down a team leading six boards for the Hounds. Loyd was the only other Greyhound to finish in double-figures, pouring in 15 points on the day.
 
Devin Daly finished with 26 points and Williams added 24 for the Lakers, who connected on 46.8 percent (29-for-62) of their field goals. The Greyhound defense held the Lakers' long-range attack in check, holding the visitors to 6-for-27 shooting from deep.
 
UIndy's bench contributed in a big way, contributing 49 points and 14 rebounds in the game with Davidson's 26 leading all reserves. Jimmy King (8 points) and Jesse Kempson (7 points) chipped in on the score sheet while Ernest Maize came off the pine to add four points and five boards.
 
"We got great minutes from our bench today," Gouard added. "Jesse (Kempson) gave us 10 productive minutes and Eric (Davidon) had it going from deep tonight. When he's making shots, it's hard to keep him off the floor and our guards did a great job finding him in transition tonight. But for us to be successful all year, we need our bench to be able to come in and maintain a high level of play and they all did that tonight."
 
The Greyhounds will have six days off before their next contest, which takes place on Friday, Nov. 27 in Tiffin, Ohio against Seton Hill University at the Tiffin University Thanksgiving Tournament. Tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m.