SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – It was a shootout in a battle of 2024 DII NCAA tournament teams on Friday afternoon, with the Lake Superior State Lakers forging a second-half comeback to knock off the UIndy Greyhounds by a score of 96-94 in overtime.
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Brody Whitaker finished with a whopping 34 points, the most for a Greyhound since Eric Davidson's 35 – also against Lake Superior State – nearly eight years to the day in November 2016.
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The Lakers pulled off an impressive comeback, trailing by 15 with 15 minutes left in the second half.
Dashawn Jackson drilled his second 3-pointer with more than 2:30 left in regulation before Devin Womack knotted the game at 79 apiece to force overtime.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hounds were playing loose early in the second half, keeping the host Lakers at bay with back-to-back 3-pointers from
Dylan Ingram and
Pierce Thomas with 15 minutes left. Moments later,
Lavonte Harris exploded through the lane to slam home a Jackson miss at the rim.
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However, Lake Superior State upped its defensive effort from that point, outscoring UIndy by 13 over the next 8:33 to inch back within one. Ingram and Jackson drilled triples with under five minutes remaining before the Lakers' Tyson Edmundson and Womack each hit a bucket to send the game to an extra session.
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The Hounds used an 11-2 run at the end of the first half to build an eight-point lead at the break, including Whitaker's own nine-point stretch following a pair of free throws from
Noah Kon.
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Whitaker scored 18 of his 34 points in the first half, including three 3-pointers. Kon ranked second on the team in scoring with a season-high 18 points, including a triple at the end of overtime to give the Greyhounds a fighting chance.
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INSIDE THE BOX
- UIndy continues to protect the rock, recording its third straight game with 10 or less turnovers. The Hounds also have tallied at least 10 steals in each contest this season, including 11 against the Lakers.
Zac Szul joined Kon with a team-high three thefts.
- Ingram's 11 points is his most in a Greyhound uniform since joining the program prior to the 2023-24 campaign.
- Whitaker and Kon combined to go 12 for 12 at the charity stripe, totaling the entirety of the team's attempts. It is the first time UIndy has gone perfect at the line since January 2013 when it sunk 6-of-6 free throws against Southern Indiana.
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Grant Disken provided a spark in the opening half, scoring all seven of his points in the first 20 minutes.
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MORE NOTES
Lake State evens the all-time series at four wins apiece and have won each of the past two meetings … Edmundson joined Whitaker in the 30-point club, finishing with 33 for the Lakers … UIndy's 14 triples is the most for the team since its 16 at Truman in January 2024.
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UP NEXT
The Greyhounds cap their road swing with a 3 p.m. tip at Saginaw Valley State on Sunday afternoon. The Cardinals are currently 0-2 this season and face off with Grace Christian Friday evening. UIndy leads the series, 8-2, but Saginaw Valley won in Nicoson Hall a season ago.
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