INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – For the fourth time this year, the University of Indianapolis women's basketball team had their shot at knocking off a nationally-ranked team, taking on the No. 12 ranked Drury Panthers on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Greyhounds (10-6, 4-2 GLVC) took the fight to the Panthers (15-2, 7-0 GLVC) for 40 minutes, matching Drury shot-for-shot for the bulk of the game. But after eight ties and 14 lead changes, the Greyhounds were unable to overcome a stingy Drury defense at the end of the game, falling to the Panthers 76-74.
 
"We wanted to get the ball in Martha [Burse's] hands late and they did a good job disrupting what we were trying to do," Head coach Kristin Drabyn  told WICR. "You can't turn the ball over that late in the game and it's something we can learn from. Despite the loss, I'm really proud of our kids. We played really hard against a really good basketball team. We've got a lot of positives to take away from this game."
 
Sarah Costello led the Greyhounds with 20 points, connecting on five three-pointers and 6-of-9 field goals. Martha Burse added 15 and Sydney Brackemyre netted 14 points and grabbed 10 boards for her fifth double-double of the year.
 
Heather Harman had the hot hand for Drury all game long, finishing with a game-high 30 points. Hailey Diestelkamp added 17 and Daejah Bernard added 10 points in support.
 
Early on, the Panthers looked poised to seize control of the game by jumping out to a 9-4 lead. But the Hounds shook off the early setback and bit back with a 10-2 run to take their first lead of the game. The teams traded haymakers the rest of the quarter with the Hounds' using a late 6-0 run to take a 26-21 lead into the second quarter.
 
UIndy turned to the deep ball to extend their lead, knocking down three triples in the opening five minutes of the second to stretch their advantage to 39-27. But the offense dried up down late in the quarter, allowing Drury to climb back into the game and cut the deficit to 39-35 at the break.
 
Costello opened the third with a triple to put the Hounds up seven, but Drury fought back with 10-2 run to re-take the lead when Paige Wilson buried a three to make it 45-44 Panthers w/ 5:36 left in the third. The two conference foes went back to trading punches down the stretch in the third, exchanging the lead five more times before UIndy took a 58-54 lead into the final quarter.
 
The battle continued into the fourth quarter, where Drury jumped back in front with a 10-2 run to open the final frame. Down by one with 90 second to play, Costello gave the Hounds the lead once again with a triple in the corner to make it 72-70.
 
Down by a point with under 20 seconds to go, Drury's Disetelkamp was fouled while chasing after a loose ball, earning a pair of free throws she sank to put the Panthers back in front. UIndy was thwarted on their final two possessions, each ending in turnovers.
 
The Greyhounds connected on 50.9 percent (27-for-53) of their field goals on the night, the fourth straight game UIndy made at least half of their field goals. The Hounds also shot a season-best 52.9 percent (9-for-17) from long range while holding the second-best three-point shooting team in the nation to just 5-for-18 from deep.
 
Drury dominated the game on the glass, grabbing 43 rebounds to UIndy's 25 and 18 offensive boards that resulted in 20 second chance points.
 
The Greyhounds will have one day to prepare for their next contest, which takes place on Monday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis against Saint Joseph's College. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. You can purchase special tickets to see all three games on tap here.