INDIANAPOLIS – The UIndy men's basketball team won its second game in a row on Wednesday evening as it held off the visiting Kentucky State Thorobreds, 101-87. The Hounds have scored 100 or more points in consecutive games for the first time since November 23 and November 26, 2013.
 
The win lifts UIndy to 2-1 on the season, as Kentucky State drops to 0-2.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Kentucky State took advantage of missed shots by UIndy in the early going to take an 11-2 lead. The Hounds went on a 14-0 run midway through the half, led by CJ Hardaway Jr. and Eric Davidson with six points apiece.
 
Davidson drilled his third three-pointer of the half with 5:53 remaining to give UIndy the 36-29 lead, and the Hounds would continue to grow the advantage to 11 a couple minutes later with a layup from Jesse Kempson. The Thorobreds slowed down the Greyhound offense the final two minutes of the opening session, but a Hardaway layup gave UIndy its final points of the half to lead, 48-41 at the break.
 
Kentucky State controlled the points in the paint with a 32-22 advantage, but UIndy held the second-chance scores and on the fast break to take the seven-point lead.
 
As high scoring as the first half was, the second half was played with a faster pace that resulted in more buckets. Kempson scored the first four points of the second half for the Greyhounds, but a 10-5 run by the Thorobreds inched the visitors within five to force a timeout. Kentucky State pushed within two with 14:41 left in the half, but it would be the closest the team would get before UIndy made its run to close out the game.
 
Only up five with under 11 minutes remaining, Tate Hall hit a three-pointer and had a fast-break dunk for five of his 20 points on the night to give the Hounds breathing room with a 10-point lead. Davidson drilled five long balls within a 10-minute stretch to match a career-high eight three-pointers on the evening. The Thorobreds hung around the entire second half, but the Greyhounds grew their lead to as much as 15.
 
Another jumper put the visitors within 10 with a couple minutes left, the UIndy offense was too powerful to be shut down for too long before the final buzzer.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Davidson nailed eight three-pointers on the night, matching a career-high total that he last earned on January 12 and January 14, 2017. Overall he shot eight-for-12 from deep and 10-for-15 from the field for 28 points.
 
Hardaway had his best game as a Greyhound, securing a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards. It was his first double-double since the regular-season finale in 2016-17 when he was a member of St. Joseph's College.
 
Three blocks by Kempson is the most in a game for the junior since February 11, 2017 against Rockhurst. The Indy native is now up to four blocks on the season after setting a program record a year ago with 46.
 
The Greyhounds 29 bench points is the first time the team has led in the category this season. UIndy scored 40 from its bench players in the win over Saginaw Valley, but the Cardinals received 52 from its players. Kentucky State had 20 points off the bench on Wednesday.
 
Lawton dished out seven assists on the night and is now averaging 5.3 per game through three contests. The Westfield native has now scored in double-figures in seven straight games dating back to last season.
 
HOUND BYTES
Head coach Stan Gouard on Eric Davidson shooting 67 percent from three-point range: "That's his role; he's a shooter. There's three guys on our team we tell not to turn shots down and that's Eric Davidson, Trevor Lakes, and Miles Wayer. They just have to understand the situation. We got into a rhythm tonight and we got into transition with open shots."
 
On the team's slow start and not calling a timeout
"When they went up 11-2, it woke the guys up. I wanted to play through it. Basketball is a game of runs, of course, and I knew we'd make our run. I hate these slow starts. Our first unit just wasn't ready to go and if we have to make some changes in the lineup then we will. These next few days will be crucial."
 
UP NEXT
The Hounds get the weekend off to prepare for Ashland and Tiffin next Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. UIndy is participating in its second GLIAC/GLVC crossover of the season when they travel to Ashland, Ohio for the pair of contests.