INDIANAPOLIS – The recent struggles continued for the University of Indianapolis women's basketball team on Saturday afternoon.
 
Nicole Anderson led the Greyhounds with 30 points and 13 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the year and third career 30-point game. Martha Burse added 19 points for UIndy (14-11, 8-7 GLVC), but the short-handed Hounds saw their winless streak extend to five games in a 74-68 loss to Rockhurst (16-7, 10-5 GLVC).
 
"We got off to a great start today and we played hard, but we didn't play smart at times and that cost us," Head coach Kristin Drabyn told WICR. "We gave away three free throws at the end of the first half that turned a two-possession game into a one-possession game. We also let a team that shoots the ball well get a lot of quality looks. We have a lot to look at when we sit down for film this week."
 
The UIndy defense gave Rockhurst all kinds of problems in the early going, holding the Hawks just 1-for-17 from the floor in the opening quarter. After 10 minutes of action, it was 12-4 in favor of UIndy.
 
A three from Anderson made it 20-9 Greyhounds with 5:48 to go in the second quarter, giving UIndy their largest lead of the game. But the game's momentum switched sides over the final 4:18 of the second as Rockhurst closed out the first half on a 19-10 run to cut the lead down to 30-28 at the break. The Hawks were a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor and 5-for-5 from the line to close out the opening half.
 
Rockhurst's offense continued to give the Greyhounds fits in the second half. Jillian Meyers knocked down the first of four third quarter threes with 7:32 left in the third to give Rockhurst their first lead of the game at 35-34. The Hawks built on their lead as the quarter continued, knocking down six of their final 10 shots to open up a 50-45 lead after three.
 
An old-fashioned three-point play from Burse to open the fourth quarter cut the lead to two, but the Hawks responded with a 7-0 run to stretch the lead out to nine with 7:27 to go. UIndy would get as close as five down the stretch, but the Hawks were able to keep the Hounds at bay thanks to a 10-for-11 effort at the line in the final quarter.
 
UIndy shot 50 percent (26-for-52) from the floor, going 7-for-17 from long range and 9-for-15 from the free throw line. After starting the game 1-for-21, Rockhurst rebounded to knock down 40 percent (24-for-60) of their shots, knocking down seven threes and going 19-for-22 from the charity stripe.
 
Rebounds were 34-30 in favor of the Hounds and UIndy held a 32-20 advantage on points in the paint. The Hawks were exceptional in terms of taking care of the ball, winning the turnover battle 12-3 and converting 14 points off UIndy mistakes.
 
The Greyhounds will have five days off to rest and prepare for their final weekend homestand of the year, which gets underway next Thursday night with a showdown against Lewis University. Tip-off from Nicoson Hall is set for 5:30 p.m.