INDIANAPOLIS – The UIndy men's basketball team followed up its season-opening overtime victory with another thriller on Sunday afternoon, outlasting in-region Wayne State by a score of 68-67.
 
Trailing by 11 at the under-16 timeout in the second half, the Greyhounds outscored the Warriors, 33-18, to pull away in the final moments. Dylan Ingram sunk two free throws to seal the victory, negating a buzzer-beating triple from Wayne State's Tamario Adley.
 
Tucker Tornatta posted the first double-double of his collegiate career, recording 13 points and 11 rebounds in the win. The freshman led yet another strong bench effort, with Lavonte Harris adding six rebounds and an impressive plus-20 in the +/- column.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hounds were tasked with coming back from double-digit deficits on multiple occasions on Sunday, as the Warriors led for more than 27 minutes. Tornatta sparked a 9-0 run following the 11-point hole early in the second half, bookending a pair of buckets from Dashawn Jackson to pull UIndy back into striking distance.
 
It was Zac Szul who drilled a 3-pointer at the 10:58 mark to give the Hounds their first lead in more than 15 minutes before the region teams traded buckets down the stretch.
 
With Wayne State leading by one, Brody Whitaker gave UIndy the lead for good with a jumper with 77 seconds left on the clock. Noah Kon swiped his third steal of the game to set up Harris' 1-of-2 effort at the charity stripe before Ingram stretched that to four.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Grant Disken added six points in 17 minutes off the bench, including four straight late in the second half.
- UIndy opens the Heady Era with consecutive games of double-digit offensive rebounds and single-digit turnovers, a feat the Hounds reached five times last season.
- The Warriors committed 18 turnovers on Sunday, the eighth victim of a stout Greyhound defense since the beginning of the 2022-23 season.
- Kon provided consistency at the point guard position, adding six points and four rebounds to his three steals.
- The Hounds went 16 for 19 (84.2 percent) from the free throw line, their best percentage effort with at least 19 attempts since February 2024 against Quincy (also 16 for 19).
 
MORE NOTES
Tornatta's double-double is the first by a Greyhound freshman since Jacob Polakovich in March 2020 …  with its first win in the series, UIndy is now 1-3 all-time against Wayne State … Carmelo Harris scored a team-high 19 points for the Warriors … the Hounds outscored the Warriors, 36-22, inside the paint.
 
UP NEXT
The Greyhounds hit the road for the first time this winter, visiting Lake Superior State for a Friday noon tip in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. UIndy leads the all-time series, 4-3, and last beat the Lakers on their home floor in December 2019.