INDIANAPOLIS – Just a few days removed from a loss at Missouri S&T, the UIndy women's basketball team was back in action Thursday night in Nicoson Hall. The Greyhounds welcomed the Rockhurst Hawks to campus after the Hawks defeated Bellarmine last weekend. UIndy topped Rockhurst last season and did so tonight, earning their first conference win by a score of 80-63.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hounds came out with a high-tempo energy against the visiting Hawks. An administrative technical foul by the Rockhurst coaching staff gave UIndy a pair of technical free throws before the tip-off, both of which Laura Thomas sank for the 2-0 lead. The Hounds jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead before Rockhurst got on the board. A Rockhurst three ended the first quarter but the Greyhounds were still ahead on the scoreboard leading by three after one. Rockhurst took the lead right out of the gate in the second quarter with a pair of layups and never gave up the lead after that. UIndy never trailed by more than four in the frame, the Hounds went into the break trailing by just three. Emma Benoit had a monster half for the Hounds, leading all scorers with 16 points and was flawless from the line, sinking all 10 free throw attempts.
 
UIndy took the lead in the third quarter when Laura Thomas sank two free throws and did not look back. Rockhurst pulled within three a couple times, but UIndy did not give in. The fourth quarter saw the Hounds start to pull away with Katie Sowa heat up from deep, burying the long ball all night to finish with 17 points on six-of-eight shooting and going five-of-six from beyond the arc. Rockhurst cut the UIndy lead down to just seven with just over 90 seconds in the game, but Emma Benoit kept going to work on the Rockhurst interior getting layups and free throws to blow the game wide-open with a minute to go. Rockhurst's final point came on a free throw with 55 seconds to go and UIndy continued to score en route to na 80-63 GLVC win.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-Emma Benoit tallied her fourth double-double of the season tonight, three of her double-double's this season have been of the 20-10 variety.
-Katie Sowa tied a career-high with five made three's tonight, it was the third game that she has nailed five triples and her first in GLVC play.
-UIndy's 29-of-31 from the line was their most makes and attempts all season. Their 29 successful free throws was the most since the team made 34-of-40 against Bellarmine (1/15/2015).
-Emma Benoit set a program record for most free throws in a game without missing. Benoit's 15-of-15 night from the stripe topped the previous record of 13-of-13.
 
HOUND BYTES
 
UIndy head coach Kristin Wodrich on Emma Benoit's career-night, "Emma played really hard tonight. She started the game running in transition and getting easy buckets. She struggled early in the year on her foul shooting and tonight she went 15-of-15 and I am extremely proud of her."
 
Wodrich on her team's effort on the glass, "Emma did an amazing job having 10 offensive boards by herself. The offensive rebounding turned into 16 second chance points for us. Offensive rebounding gives us more shots and we are a good shooting team, when we rebound well it gives us more opportunities."
 
Wodrich on her team closing out the game, "we won the fourth and that is amazing. Defensively we held them to 10 points in the quarter, even when we are ahead sometimes we struggle with that and that was the biggest thing for us. I have to celebrate this win with them tonight because we have battled adversity and they played amazing with the kind of effort we like to see."
 
UP NEXT
The Hounds return to action in Nicoson Hall this Saturday against William Jewell at 1 pm.