ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The UIndy men's basketball team dropped another close decision Saturday, losing 75-70 at Lewis inside Neil Carey Arena on the Flyers' campus.

After a narrow 63-61 defeat to open Great Lakes Valley Conference play Thursday at Wisconsin-Parkside, the Greyhounds (2-5, 0-2 GLVC) again came out on the wrong end of a game decided in the final possessions.

Despite leading for most of the contest, Lewis (4-4, 1-1) had its hands full with a late UIndy rally that brought what was a double-digit lead all the way down to a one possession game. The Flyers' Capel Henshaw sank perhaps the game-clinching bucket when, up just 68-65 with one minute on the clock, he drained a 3-pointer to all but seal the victory.

That was the final triple of the game for the Flyers, who hit a season-high 11 threes on just 18 attempts (61 percent), part of a 28-for-52 (54 percent) overall effort from the field. It marked the third time the Hounds have allowed their opponent to hit more than half of its shots.  

"Despite coming up short here I still feel like we're getting better," head man Stan Gourd told WICR after the loss. "We made some tremendous strides last week in practice. I think we're competing and playing harder, but we still have a lot of work to do on defense."

The Flyers' hot hands were evident from the opening tip, as the home side sank eight of their first 11 shots and used a 14-4 run to grab an 18-12 lead – one it would ultimately keep for the duration of the game.  

Later, trailing 33-26, the Hounds got as close as 36-33 after a pair of Jimmy King free throws. But the Flyers closed the half with a flurry of buckets, pushing their lead up to 43-33 in a flash thanks to a pair of threes. King hit a 3-pointer of his own right at the horn to make it a seven point deficit at the half.

Lewis did just enough in the second to keep UIndy in its rearview mirror, as the Hounds erased an early double figure deficit to pull within two points midway through the half.

Freshman Tate Hall came up with one of his game-high five steals and found Eric Davidson for a transition 3-pointer, making it 53-51 with 11 minutes left. On their very next possession, though, the Flyers answered with a layup, indicative of how Saturday's GLVC East Division showdown unfolded down the stretch.

The final answer – Henshaw's 3-pointer with one minute left – was too much for UIndy to overcome, despite a late 3-pointer from Hall that made it 73-70.

Sophomore Jesse Kempson paced the Hounds and led all scorers with 21 points, shooting 8 of 16 while adding a team-high seven rebounds in 33 minutes of action.

King tied his career- and season-best with 16 points, adding a career-high six assists. Hall dropped 14 points on 4-for-6 3-point shooting to go with his five steals. Junior D. J. Davis was the fourth Hound in double figures, finishing with 10 points and three assists.

Only six Hounds contributed on the scoreboard, as Lewis' bench outscored UIndy's 33 to nine. The Flyers also out-rebounded the Hounds 32 to 24.

UIndy was able to record nine steals, forcing 17 Lewis turnovers that led to 18 points.

With the loss, UIndy has five defeats before the New Year for the first time since Gouard's inaugural season (2008-09).

Gouard commented: "We're going to keep working. We're going to keep watching film, and we will get better. Trust me."

The Hounds' first opportunity to bounce back will also be their last home contest of the calendar year, as they host Olivet Nazarene next Saturday, Dec. 10, at 1 p.m. in Nicoson Hall.