TIFFIN, Ohio – Following a perfect homestand to open the year, the Greyhound women's basketball team hit the road for the first time, opening up a seven-game road stretch with an in-region showdown against the Tiffin Dragons.
 
In her return to the starting lineup, senior Nicole Anderson made a huge contribution with 21 points and a team-leading 14 rebounds. Junior Martha Burse also went for a double-double, setting career highs in points (22) and rebounds (11) as UIndy moved to 3-0 on the year with a 67-55 win over the Dragons.
 
"We battled tonight in our first road game," Head coach Kristin Drabyn told WICR after the game. "You always have to be at your best when you're on the road and we were ready to go tonight. Getting Nicole back and having her presence in the paint is something we were excited to have back and she looked great coming off an injury. Our kids were great tonight facing their first road test of the year."
 
For the third consecutive game, the Greyhounds came out swinging on the offensive end, opening the first four minutes of the game with a 10-0 run. With both Burse and Devin Ferguson in foul trouble, Tiffin countered with a 13-2 run to close out the remainder of the first quarter, taking a one-point lead into the second period.
 
The lead flip-flopped six times in the second quarter, but a 9-2 run from the Greyhounds to close out the half gave them a 29-25 lead at the break, a lead the Greyhounds wouldn't surrender the rest of the night.
 
"I was impressed with the way they responded after the end of the first quarter," Drabyn added. "We had to be strategic with the way we deployed our kids after Martha and Devin got in foul trouble. To respond after letting go of an early double digit lead the way we did was huge and it was great to see our kids battle after Tiffin pushed back in the first quarter."
 
UIndy held a multiple-possession lead for the bulk of the third quarter, but Tiffin cut the deficit down to a pair thanks to a Deidre McKay three-point play with 4:26 left in the frame made it 38-36. It was as close as the hosts would come to evening things up as UIndy closed out the third on an 11-4 run to take a 49-40 edge into the fourth.
 
A jumper from Anderson with 6:16 to play extended the UIndy lead back to double figures. UIndy would hold a comfortable lead the rest of the way, improving to 5-0 all-time versus Tiffin in the process.
 
The Greyhound offense was efficient all night long, knocking down half (24-for-48) of their field goal opportunities on the night. Anderson shot a team-best 9-for-13 from the floor while Burse went 7-for-13 from the field and 8-for-10 from the line. Sarah Costello put up double-digit points for the third straight game, chipping in 12 points.
 
One of the biggest areas of emphasis for the Hounds in the early going has been to win the rebounding battle and the Hounds dominated on the glass Wednesday night. UIndy finished the game with a 42-22 advantage on the glass, limiting the Dragons to four offensive rebounds in the process.
 
"We've been emphasizing getting after it on the glass every night," Drabyn continued. "We knew we had to win the rebounding battle and having Nicole back on the floor made everyone want to get after it on the glass a little harder. But it all starts in practice and that's where we preach the importance of rebounding and full credit to our kids for getting after it."
 
Khala Downing came off the bench to lead the Dragons with 12 points as Tiffin shot just 37.3 percent (22-for-59) from the floor and 22.2 percent (6-for-27) from long range.
 
The Hounds will look to stay perfect in their next contest. Standing in the way of a four-game winning streak are the #5-ranked Ashland Eagles, who will welcome the Greyhounds to town on Saturday afternoon.
 
Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m.