INDIANAPOLIS – A last-minute layup from Lucas Barker lifted the UIndy Greyhounds past Truman in a thrilling 87-86 victory Saturday in Nicoson Hall.

Celebrating both Senior Day and the UIndy Hall of Fame 2016 class, the Hounds (17-4, 11-2) put on a show between the lines, which culminated in Barker's bucket and a final defensive stop as the buzzer sounded.

Truman's Dwight Sistrunk nearly willed the 'Dogs to an upset win, scoring seven points down the stretch, the last of which put them up 86-85.

With less than 30 seconds to play, UIndy searched for an opening in the Truman defense as the shotclock neared zero. Barker took the initiative, dropping in a contested layup to signal the 21st and final lead change of the game.

The Bulldogs had plenty of time to respond, but Andrew Vander Zwaag's last-second attempt missed and senior Joe Retic grabbed the game-sealing rebound.

Senior Jordan Loyd led all players with 26 points and 11 rebounds, good for his third double-double of the season, and Retic tallied 17 with five boards and four assists.

Truman State – which entered the week as the most frequent 3-point shooting team in the GLVC – used the long ball early on with proficiency.

The Bulldogs hit four of their first six attempts to jump out to a 20-14 lead by the under-12 media break, led by a 9-0 run that consisted of a trio of threes.

UIndy countered with a 9-0 run to regain the lead, which was fueled by consecutive threes from senior Joe Retic and sophomore Eric Davidson.

Minutes later a traditional 3-point play from junior Ernest Maize sparked an 8-0 Greyhound burst, pushing their lead to double digits for the first time at 38-28.

The Bulldogs leaned heavily on the 3-point shot as the Greyhounds continued to score in bunches, and finished 7 of 9 during the first half to account for over half of their points.

After an 0-for-7 start from deep, UIndy finished the half 5 of 7, getting three from Davidson and a pair from Retic.

Those buckets helped UIndy carry a 48-40 lead into the half. Retic led all scorers with 14 points at intermission, and the Hounds outrebounded the 'Dogs 23-13.

A 10-0 Bulldog run out of the half brought the visitors right back into contention, and began a tenacious second period that featured 27 personal fouls and 35 free throws.

Down 53-50 at the 15:45 mark, UIndy used an 11-0 run to bounce back into control. During the stretch, sophomore Alex Etherington converted a traditional 3-point play after a superb finish in transition.
 
But the game was not close to being finished. Truman regained the lead after a 7-0 spurt, and the back-and-forth continued as time ran down and foul shots piled up.

With Truman up 79-76 at the 5:22 mark, Loyd drained consecutive 3-pointers to swing momentum back to the home side.

Shortly after is when TSU's Sistrunk took over, effectively finishing in the lane to eventually put the Bulldogs up, 86-85, before Barker's late heroics.

Truman finished a sharp 12 of 19 (.632) from distance and 18 of 24 (.750) at the foul line, and got double-figure scoring contributions from five players.

UIndy shot 48 percent (23-59) overall, and knocked down 21 of their 29 free throw attempts. The Hounds also outrebounded Truman 43 to 26, including 14 offensive boards.

Prior to the game, Loyd, Barker, Retic, Tyler Rambo and Jamel Crocker were celebrated along with athletic trainer Brad Kovert for UIndy's Senior Day.

The Greyhounds hit the road for four games in a row, beginning with a contest at Rockhurst next Thursday Feb. 11 at 8:30 p.m. ET. UIndy will then wrap up the regular season with a final game in Nicoson Hall Feb. 24 against in-state rival Saint Joseph's.