INDIANAPOLIS – In their previous four matchups against nationally-ranked teams, the University of Indianapolis women's basketball team battled hard but ultimately fell short in their attempts to snap a three-year winless drought against ranked clubs.
 
Thursday night against No. 11 Bellarmine (16-3, 8-2 GLVC), it all came together for the Hounds. UIndy (14-6, 8-2 GLVC) shot a season-high 66 percent (33-for-50) from the floor and never trailed their GLVC East rival, leading by as many as 18 points on their way to an 80-65 win.
 
"There are a lot of factors that went into this win," Head coach Kristin Drabyn told WICR after the game. "This program hasn't beaten a ranked team in a long time and everyone on our team stepped up tonight to make this happen. This was a true team win and I couldn't be prouder of everyone in our locker room right now."
 
Senior Nicole Anderson had a record-setting night as she inches closer to the 1,000-point plateau. The Terre Haute, Ind.-native was a perfect 11-for-11 from the floor for 25 points, setting a new UIndy single-game record for the most field goals in a game without a miss. Anderson now sits just 23 points away from becoming the 23rd player in program history to hit the 1,000-point plateau.
 
Martha Burse matched her teammate with 25 points of her own and Sarah Costello had 19 for the Greyhounds. Everyone on the Greyhounds played a vital role in the win, but it was especially sweet for the Greyhounds' lone senior, who set the tone early and maintained a high level of play for all 35 minutes she was on the floor.
 
"Nicole was unbelievable tonight," Drabyn added. "She played great and she deserves to have a game like this. Every day, she works hard, listens and buys in to what we're doing. To see her do this tonight is awesome and to see all of our kids get better and lead up to this win is amazing. This was a big night for UIndy basketball and our kids delivered."
 
"I just went out and tried to play my game," Anderson added. "My teammates did a great job of getting me the ball and everyone played their hearts out. It feels really good from a personal standpoint because we've struggled the last few years and Coach Drabyn has come in and made us believers. We're excited to keep this going."
 
The Greyhound offense had the hot hand from the opening tip, knocking down six of their first eight shots to take a 14-7 lead after four minutes of play. UIndy finished the opening quarter 11-for-14 from the floor and 4-for 5 from long range, which included Nicole Anderson's first quarter buzzer beater to make it 26-14 after 10 minutes of play.
 
UIndy cooled off slightly on the offensive end in the second quarter, but the Hounds' defense continued to cause Bellarmine fits. The Greyhounds held the Knights to just 29.4 percent (10-for-34) from the floor in the opening half while shooting 64.3 percent (18-for-28) at their end to take a 45-28 lead into the intermission.
 
Facing one of their largest deficits of the season, the Knights turned to their defense as they looked to climb back into the game. One of the best teams in the nation at forcing mistakes, the Knights pressured the Greyhounds into 10 third quarter turnovers and cut the lead down to as little as 10 points late in the period.
 
But the Greyhounds refused to crack under the pressure, holding the Knights off as they aimed to cut the deficit to single digits. With the lead at 10 points early in the fourth quarter, the Greyhounds dug in and put the game out of reach with a 10-4 run that made it 76-58 with three minutes to go.
 
When the final horn sounded, a jubilant UIndy bench stormed the floor to celebrate the program's first win over a ranked team since Jan. 6, 2014.
 
Sarah Galvin had 21 points and Destony Curry added 18 for the Knights, who connected on just 35.8 percent (24-for-67) of their shots and 23.8 percent of their threes, both numbers well below their season averages.
 
The Greyhounds controlled the game on the glass to the tune of 36-28 with Ashley Montanez' eight rebounds leading all players. UIndy dominated the game in the paint, outscoring the Knights inside, 48-34.

UIndy looks to extend their season-high winning streak to five games on Saturday afternoon, when they get a visit from the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles. Tip-off from Nicoson Hall is set for 1:00 p.m.