UIndy Greyhounds vs. #5 Bellarmine Knights
Thursday, Jan. 25, 7:45 p.m. ET, Indianapolis, Ind. (Nicoson Hall)

UIndy Greyhounds at Illinois-Springfield Prairie Stars
Saturday, Jan. 27, 4:00 p.m. ET, Springfield, Ill. (Recreation and Athletic Center)

ON TAP
The UIndy men's basketball team concludes its four-game home stand on Thursday against No. 5 Bellarmine, which marks the teams' 100th game against each other, a rivalry that dates back to the 1955-56 season. The Knights hold the advantage over the Hounds, winning 55 of the 99 contests. 

The Greyhounds will take a short trip to Springfield, Ill. to take on the Prairie Stars in a GLVC battle for the ninth game between the teams. UIndy is a perfect 8-0 against UIS, with only three games being decided by single digits. The Hounds are averaging over 85 points per game agains the Prairie Stars.

ABOUT BELLARMINE
The Knights began the 2017-18 campaign as the second-ranked team in NCAA Division II, according to the National Basketball Coaches Association (NBCA). Thursday marks the second time and third game the Knights will be at Nicoson Hall this season after winning a pair of contests to begin the year against Saginaw Valley and Northwood. Bellarmine has faced a couple top-20 teams so far this season, defeating No. 8 Barry just before Thanksgiving and overcoming No. 20 Le Moyne in the team's final game before Christmas. The lone setback this season came at the hands of Wisconsin-Parkside on January 13, a redemption game for the Rangers after the Knights handled the Green and White by 34 earlier in the season.

Brent Bach (15.3 ppg) and Adam Eberhard (15.1 ppg) pace the Scarlet and Silver in the scoring column, as the two are also combining to swish half of their three-point attempts (53-for-106). Eberhard also pulls down a team-high 6.5 rpg and dishes out a team-best 4.3 apg. Jarek Coles has been a key contributor for the Knights, averaging 7.7 ppg, 3.9 apg, and 2.5 rpg in 18 starts.

ABOUT ILLINOIS-SPRINGFIELD
After dropping its first two games of the season, the Prairie Stars went on to win 12 of their next 14 games, including triumphs over Kentucky State, McKendree, and Missouri S&T. However, last week proved to be unkind to UIS, only averaging 58.5 ppg in a pair of losses to McKendree and Maryville. As the heart of conference season begins, the Hounds and Prairie Stars have played four common opponents, with Drury becoming the fifth in UIS's first game of the week. Along with the win over Kentucky State, UIS needed overtime to defeat Quincy on January 13. The Prairie Stars fell victim to Lewis (in overtime) and Rockhurst (by three points) earlier this season.

Eddie Longmeyer ranks seventh in the GLVC in scoring with 17.4 ppg and 8.0 rpg, while also contributing 2.9 apg. The senior from St. Louis is shooting 46.5 percent from the floor this season, but is known for driving to the basket, as he is just 10-of-40 from beyond the arc. Gilwan Nelson (11.9 ppg) is the only other Prairie Star in double figures, while six others are averaging at least 5.0 ppg. UIS is scoring nearly 80 points per contest as a team.

LAST TIME OUT (vs. Drury)
The UIndy men's basketball team (11-6, 5-4 GLVC) rebounded from Thursday's loss to Truman with a key win over GLVC West member, Drury. The Greyhounds clung to a one-point lead at the break after a Trevor Lakes three-pointer at the buzzer, but pulled away late in the second half to overcome the Panthers, 91-82, in Nicoson Hall.

Tate Hall has scored 22 or more points the past three contests, averaging nearly 24 during that span. The sophomore recorded consecutive career-bests before today's game, and is now averaging 15.1 points per game to lead the team.
 
Ajay Lawton turned in another balanced effort in the win, adding six steals, five assists, and four rebounds to his 20-point score line. The senior went six-for-six from the free-throw line, including four in the final three minutes.

The Hounds held the seventh-ranked offense in the country to 82 points, 10.3 under its season average. They also forced 19 turnovers against Drury, the most the Panthers have surrendered all season.
 
With the team's 91 points, UIndy is now back to averaging over 80 points per game. It is the first time the Greyhounds scored 90+ points since they put 93 on the scoreboard against Quincy on January 4.

LEADERS OF THE PACK
- Eric Davidson is seventh in the country in free-throw percentage with a 92.5 percent mark (49-for-53). The senior is now shooting 45.8 percent from three-point range, which is 23rd in all of NCAA Division II. 
- Trevor Lakes would be fourth in the country in three-point percentage with his 50.8 percent clip, but does not meet NCAA minimum requirement of 2.5 made per game. The freshman is 32-for-63 in his rookie campaign. 
- Ajay Lawton is averaging 4.9 assists per game, which would rank 55th in the country. However, the senior does not currently meet the minimum requirement of needing to play in 75 percent of all team games. 
- As a unit, the Greyhounds rank 89th in DII with 80.5 points per game. West Liberty, the top-ranked team in the country, is the only school averaging more than 100 points per game (110.6).
- UIndy is eighth in three-point percentage, sinking 42.7 percent of its attempts from long range. That number also ranks third among GLVC schools, as the Hounds are just behind Drury and Wisconsin-Parkside, who ranks first and fifth, respectively. The Greyhounds also rank 223rd in three-point attempts, the lowest among the top 15 in three-point percentage.
- The Hounds are also 18th in the nation in field-goal percentage (49.7%) and 86th in free-throw percentage (73.5 percent).

TATE OF THE UNION
Sophomore Tate Hall scored a career-high 25 points in the team's redemption win over Lewis on January 13 before surpassing that total the next game against Truman with 27 tallies. The sophomore has now set four new personal bests in his second season for the Crimson and Grey. Hall recorded six steals against Bluefield State early this season before pulling down 10 boards and dishing out six dimes against nationally-ranked Barry just before Christmas. The Greenfield native had previously scored 24 last season against St. Joseph's, and tallied 22 a couple weekends ago at Rockhurst.

LAYING DOWN THE LAW
After being shut down for six games because of injury, senior Ajay Lawton has provided a much-needed spark to the Greyhounds. The Westfield native drew his first start since his return on January 13 against Lewis, recording his first-career double-double with 13 points and 11 assists. In the six games since he's been back, the senior is averaging 13.0 ppg, 4.7 apg, and 2.7 rpg.

OH SAY, CAN YOU CJ?
CJ Hardaway Jr. nearly secured his second double-double of the season last Saturday in the win over Drury, scoring nine points and pulling down nine rebounds. The junior hit a funk after Christmas, averaging less than four points and just over two rebounds in the team's five games. The nine tallies and boards were the most for the Indy native since December 19 and November 30, respectively.

COACHING MILESTONE
Stan Gouard is 18 victories away from second all-time in UIndy men's basketball history. This season marks the 10th campaign that Gouard has been at the helm of the program, which ranks third in program history, as does his seven winning seasons. 

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCKIN' ON HISTORY'S DOOR
Senior Eric Davidson is just 56 points away from being the 40th Greyhound in history to score at least 1,000 points in a career. The Fishers, Ind. native is already fifth in program history with 196 three-pointers made. Davidson is currently the all-time leader in free-throw percentage at .930, as he is 160-for-172 from the charity stripe in his career.

PROSPEROUS PLAYOFF PAST
The Greyhounds have now played in seven consecutive postseasons dating back to the 2010-11 season. In the six seasons prior to a year ago, UIndy competed in six NCAA Midwest Regionals, advancing to the second round three times and the Sweet 16 once. Last season ended the six-year run of NCAA tournament play, but the Greyhounds did advance to the GLVC quarterfinals after defeating Missouri-St. Louis in the first round of the  conference tournament.