ST. LOUIS – In what has proven to be a theme this season, the UIndy men's basketball team clamped down in the second half to earn a 64-51 comeback win at Maryville on Saturday to sweep the regular season series.
 
The Greyhounds surrendered just 18 points after halftime, forcing nine turnovers in the second half. Its 51 points allowed is also the third-best mark of the season after Maryville scored 52 last month when visiting Nicoson Hall.
 
Paul Zilinskas led all players with 17 points, seven rebounds, and four steals, while Sean Craig continued to impress defensively with four boards, three thefts, and one block.
 

Told y'all... ??

Hounds are coming home with a 64-51 victory! pic.twitter.com/ECWsB0cQwg

— UIndy Men's Basketball (@UIndyMBB) February 3, 2024

INS & OUTS
Trailing by 10 more than one minute into the second half, Maryville had its chance to pull away from a gritty UIndy basketball team. However, as we all know, the Greyhounds refuse to quit under senior-laden leadership.
 
Jesse Bingham opened a 19-4 run over the course of the next nine minutes with a jumper, his first of three buckets during the stretch. Zilinskas added five of his points, as well as two of his steals, while David Ejah contributed four to the scoring column with one 3-pointer.
 
The Saints soon answered, inching to within one possession before the Greyhounds pounced once more with another 18-8 run to conclude the bout with a double-digit victory. Six different players scored down the stretch; UIndy tallied 13 of these points from the charity stripe, including Kendrick Tchoua with a perfect 4-of-4 effort.
 
The defense turned into offense, as it usually does with this team. UIndy shot 50 percent in the second half, with three triples. After going a paltry 1-for-6 at the free-throw line in the first 20 minutes, the Hounds upped the aggression visited the foul stripe 19 times after the break.
 
INSIDE THE BOX
- Jarvis Walker drilled a pair of 3-pointers in the win, finishing with 10 points in 18 minutes.
- Five Greyhounds recorded a block, including Julian Steinfeld and Josiah Tynes.
- Speaking of Tynes, the senior point guard dished out three assists on Saturday and is now just four helpers from joining the program's top 25 in the category.
- Maryville's 35.0 field-goal percentage marks the seventh straight game UIndy has held its opponent to 37.5 or under.
 
MORE NOTES
The Greyhounds now lead the all-time series over the Saints, 14-3 … Maryville's Trey Redd and Dewayne Vass led the team with 10 points apiece … opponents have now scored 68 or less points 13 times this season and no more than 58 on seven occasions.
 
HOUND BYTES
"We have the best assistant coaching staff in all of DII and they had some great suggestions at halftime," said Paul Corsaro about the team's key adjustments during the break.
 
UP NEXT
The Hounds welcome GLVC newcomer Upper Iowa to Nicoson Hall on Thursday, Feb. 8, for a 7:30 p.m. tip. The league bout will mark the programs' first-ever meeting on the hardwood.
 
The Peacocks dropped an 81-80 decision to McKendree on Saturday, falling to 9-3 in conference play. UIndy is the lone GLVC squad with double-digit wins and should take over the top spot in the league's point rating system when released later this evening.