VALPARAISO, Ind. – The dawn of a new era began for the University of Indianapolis women's basketball program on Thursday night. The Hounds tipped off the 2016-17 campaign with in an exhibition game against the Valparaiso Crusaders in the first game under the guidance of new head coach, Kristin Drabyn.
 
UIndy jumped out to an early lead, but suffered a nearly five-minute long scoring drought in the second quarter that enabled the Crusaders to jump in front for good. The Hounds cut a 16-point second half deficit to single digits but were unable to pull off the upset, dropping a 60-51 decision.
 
Junior Martha Burse made an impact in her first game with the Greyhounds, pouring in a team-high 15 points on 50 percent (5-for-10) shooting from the floor. Fellow junior Sydney Brackemyre also cracked double figures in her UIndy debut, finishing with 11 points on the night.
 
The Greyhounds matched the Crusaders bucket-for-bucket in the opening quarter and held their largest lead of the game following a three-pointer from Sarah Costello that made it 17-13 with 1:27 left in the first.
 
But Valpo scored six points in the final nine seconds of the first quarter, sparking a 14-0 run that put them in front 27-17. UIndy would answer with nine of the final 13 points of the opening half to close the gap to 31-26 when the horn sounded to end the opening half of play.
 
UIndy would struggle from the floor in the third quarter, shooting just 3-for-13 from the floor while the Crusaders pounced. Valpo outscored the Hounds 19-8 in the third frame to open up a 50-34 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
 
The Hounds appeared to re-gain their form on the offensive end in the final 10 minutes, outscoring the Crusaders 17-10 in the fourth quarter. Burse and Brackemyre spear-headed the fourth quarter push, combining for 15 points in the final frame. UIndy would get within nine points on three separate occasions before the final buzzer sounded.
 
Buckets were tough to come by for both clubs on Thursday night as UIndy connected on just 25 percent (15-for-60) of their field goals while Valpo shot 35.2 percent (19-for-54) on the night. Both teams struggled from long range with the Hounds connecting on 8-of-28 tries from deep while the Crusaders went 5-for-17 from long range.
 
UIndy knocked down 13-of-17 free throw attempts while Valpo went 17-for-29 from the charity stripe.
 
Valpo held a 49-38 advantage in the rebounding battle, grabbing 17 offensive boards in total. Brackemyre led the Greyhounds with seven rebounds while Ashley Montanez finished one off the team lead with six boards of her own.
 
Defensively, the Greyhounds caused trouble for Crusader ball handlers all night long, forcing 24 Valpo turnovers. Montanez led all players with five steals, causing trouble for the Crusaders anytime the ball went into the post.
 
In addition to Brackemyre and Burse, freshmen Taylor Foster, Claire Carlton and Courtnee Williams made their UIndy playing debuts on Thursday night. Foster finished with three points and five rebounds, Carlton connected on a pair of three-pointers and Williams pulled in one board in limited action.
 
UIndy will have one more tune up before the regular season, traveling to Bloomington, Ind. on Sunday to take on the Indiana Hoosiers. Tip-off from Assembly Hall is set for 2:00 p.m. Eastern time.