Women's Basketball | 4/24/2020 9:15:00 AM

As part of our coverage in these unprecedented times, UIndyAthletics.com will revisit some of the biggest moments in recent school history with its new feature: Greyhound Flashback. Today we take a look at UIndy women's basketball's Jessica Canary's game-winning jumper in the NCAA first round during the 2009 postseason.

The 2008-09 UIndy women's basketball team limped into the postseason having lost four its last seven games, but redemption was all the Hounds needed to pull of a first-round upset over third-rakned Hillsdale on the campus of Northern Kentucky University. Hillsdale snapped UIndy's eight-game winning streak on Nov. 29, 2008, during the Hounds' Thanksgiving Classic. 

Entering the NCAA tournament with a record of 22-9, UIndy had a pair of standouts that earned All-GLVC recognition, including Samantha Meissel and Jessica Canary. The former garnered All-Region Second Team honors after posting averages of 18.7 ppg and 4.6 rpg. 

The Canary game-winner set up a UIndy second-round victory, as the Hounds advanced to their first "Sweet 16" in program history.

ORIGINAL RECAP
Junior Jessica Canary's triple with 3.7 left provided the winning points in the Greyhound women's basketball team's 73-72 victory over Hillsdale in the opening round of the 2009 NCAA Division II Midwest Regional at the Bank of Kentucky Center.  The exhilarating win puts UIndy into the semifinal round of the tournament, where it will meet fellow-Great Lakes Valley Conference foe Quincy on Saturday.  

The last-second heroics were part of a UIndy rally that erased a 12-point deficit in the game's final 5:01. The Greyhounds (23-9) made quick work of the bulk of the deficit, trimming it to a single point on three different occasions in the final minutes. Hillsdale (27-4) hung on to its slim lead thanks to its All-American post player Katie Cezat, who scored 27 of her game-high 36 points in the second half.

Not to be outdone, Greyhound post Samantha Meissel was the key cog in the rally. Meissel countered each Cezat bucket down the stretch and poured-in 11 points in the final 4:16 alone. Her triple with two minutes left energized the Hounds and brought the score to 67-66.

Cezat scored layups on each of the next two Charger trips, but Meissel and Katie Dewey matched them and the Hounds kept it close. But Hillsdale still had control and seemed to have the upper hand in the final minute.

Dewey looked to have stolen the ball at midcourt, but was whistled for a foul, sending Claire Aubrey to the line. UIndy got a break when Aubrey missed the back end of the pair to keep the score within a bucket.

A Greyhound turnover with 22 seconds left could have been the dagger. After Cayla Keegan fouled to send Aubrey back to the line, Aubrey helped the Hounds again by missing both ensuing free throws keeping hope alive. During a timeout seconds later, the Hounds drew up a play for an open look for Canary. She obliged by springing free off a screen and burying a triple from the left wing with just 3.7 showing on the clock. A last-second heave from midcourt was off and UIndy clinched the win and exacted revenge from a home loss to Hillsdale earlier in the season (77-63, Nov. 29).

The Greyhounds were sluggish out of the gate, getting just a Meissel three and a Dewey single free throw through the first seven-and-half minutes as Hillsdale piled-up a 13-4 lead. UIndy misfired on 10 of its first 11 shots until Caroline Schutzman drove the lane and scored to quell the momentum. The Hounds then went on a run, scoring 16 of the next 19 points, culminating in Isabell Rhenwrick's triple from the corner for a four-point lead.
 
Near the end of the opening period, Sarah Fenneman lost control, regained possession on her knees and fed a cutting Megan Gardner with a perfect bounce pass who finished it to take a 28-27 advantage into the locker room.

The second half took on the same tone with the third-ranked Chargers using a 9-0 run early to regain control at 36-32. The stretch was started with back-to-back buckets by Cezat. Hillsdale made a concerted effort to get its All-American the ball after she scored nine in the first twenty minutes.  

She ultimately piled-up 36 points and 16 rebounds on the night, both game highs. UIndy's answer came in the form of Meissel, who notched 32 points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range while making all six of her free throws.  

Dewey was instrumental in the wina as well, providing a solid all-around effort with nine points, nine assists and six rebounds. Schutzman led the Greyhounds with eight boards off-the-bench.

MORE NOTES
UIndy was making its second straight NCAA appearance and fifth trip in the past seven seasons ... With a triple eight minutes into the second half, Meissel became UIndy's all-time single season scoring record holder, passing Elizabeth Ramsey, who score 534 points in the 1998-99 season ... With the win, the Hounds improved to 6-0 on the year in games played on a neutral floor ... UIndy registered its first win over a nationally-ranked team this season ... UIndy has now advanced to the second round in four of its last five NCAA tournaments.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
UIndy would go on to down its second straight top-10 opponent, topping ninth-ranked Quincy in the second round, 74-64, before falling in the regional title game to Michigan Tech. The win over the league-rival Hawks also served as a redemption game, as Quincy snuck by the Greyhounds in the regular-season finale, 65-62.