INDIANAPOLIS – For the second game in a row the Greyhound men's basketball team found itself in an early hole, but once again they found a way to win, defeating the visiting Rockhurst Hawks 81-72 Saturday in the final cross-divisional game in Great Lakes Valley Conference action.

Down by as many as 13 points in the first half, UIndy (14-9, 11-4 GLVC) rallied with an improved second-half on both sides of the court. It was the largest comeback win for the Hounds this season, and first of 10 or more points.

Head Coach Stan Gouard spoke about the change in his squad: "We defended. Our guys did a good job of staying the course, not panicking. But give (Rockhurst) credit; they came in ready to go.

"They made some big time shots to open the game up. We struggled offensively, but our defense carried us down the stretch; we held these guys to 34 percent from the field, and that's going to win you a lot of ball games."

The Hawks (14-9, 8-7) jumped all over the Greyhounds just minutes into the game, using deft touch from beyond the arc to open up a 12-point, 21-9 advantage midway through the period.

Rockhurst knocked down six of its first 12 3-pointers in the half, and were helped in large part by eight costly UIndy turnovers.

But the Hounds settled down toward the end of the half, and, after reducing the deficit back to single-digits, used a 9-0 run to end the period, capped by an Eric Davidson 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Down just two at the half, the Hounds rolled their momentum into the second. They took their first lead of the afternoon just minutes into the period, as a Rockhurst intentional foul helped them convert a four-point possession and grab a 38-36 edge.

UIndy eventually took a double figure lead of its own, thanks to some strong play from freshman Tate Hall and redshirt-junior Ajay Lawton. The two combined to score 14 during a 22-7 Greyhound run, leaving the home team with a 58-48 lead halfway through the second period.

Although the Hawks continued to battle, the Hounds never let their lead slip to less than seven down the stretch. When the final horn sounded, UIndy had outscored Rockhurst 49-38 in the second, shooting above 66 percent (16-24) in the final period for the second game in a row.

Lawton was a major factor as UIndy closed out the win, scoring 16 of his team-high 21 in the second half. He went 7 of 9 from the field and 2 of 3 from deep, adding four rebounds, three assists and two steals in 21 minutes.

"We call Ajay "The Jet," Gouard noted. "He's really quick with and without the ball. He did a good job of running in his lane in transition on offense, and our guys did a good job of finding him. He did a good job of splitting the defense, getting into the seams, and he made some great decisions down the stretch."

Four others finished in double digits, including Hall (15 points), Davidson (14), Alex Etherington (12) and Jimmy King (10). King also dished eight assists and grabbed five boards.

Sophomore Jesse Kempson led the team with 10 rebounds, helping the Hounds to a sizeable 37-27 advantage on the glass.

After going 6 of 12 from long range to start the game, Rockhurst finished just 3 of 16 (18.7%). The Hawks shot slightly above 37 percent (21-56) as a team overall, and leading scorer Alex Hagen was limited to zero field goals and just five points.

UIndy recorded 21 fastbreak points and 34 points in the paint, shooting 28 of 52 (53.8%) overall from the field.

The Hounds return to action next week for two crucial GLVC East Division matchups against Lewis (Feb. 16) and Wisconsin-Parkside (Feb. 18).