INDIANAPOLIS, IN - The UIndy men's basketball team grinded out a 76-72 win over the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals to earn their first 2-0 start since head coach Scott Heady's first season in 2024. The bout with the Cardinals saw both teams battle on the boards with both teams pulling down 10 or more offensive rebounds on the night.
Through the opening moments of the contest the Greyhounds were tested early as they adjusted to the full court pressure and height of the Cardinals who opened the game with a 4-0 lead.
Both squads then settled in with and traded buckets with Saginaw maintaining a lead over the first six minutes of the game before the Greyhounds began accumulating free throws. In the matchup, the Hounds got to the line early and often, finding 32 free throws in the matchup, the most since Feb. 12, 2026 when they also had 32 against McKendree.
UIndy gained their first lead with just under 14 minutes left in the first half and the early offense disappeared for each team with UIndy allowing three points over the next four minutes and scoring eight of their own.
The next five minutes saw the Hounds hunt for threes, but finding their success when reaching the free throw line. The three-point woes stifled the up-tempo Greyhound offense and allowed the Cardinals to cut the lead to five entering half.
As the second half began, so did the back-and-forth nature of the game with neither team leading by more than six points over the final 20 minutes.
Defense became even more of a factor with both teams shooting below 45% from the field in the second half, but the Greyhounds found their first three pointers of the game in some of the biggest moments.Â
Braeden Moore was the first to make a three for the Hounds, sinking his attempt a minute into the second half off a Deuce Jackson assist.
Moore also led the charge on the offensive glass, pulling down six offensive rebounds in his second-straight game with double-double. Aaron Humphrey also got in on the fun, snagging five offensive boards in his first double-double of the year.
Humphrey played a major role in converting on the fastbreak and clutch free throw opportunities when the Hounds battled back over the final 10 minutes of the game. Many of those opportunities were created by Trey Coles and JR Brigham who tied with Jackson for the team-lead in steals with three.
The Greyhounds picked the Cardinals' pockets 17 times, marking the most steals in a game since Dec. 13, 2012 when the Hounds had 19 against IU Northwest.
The second half concluded with the Greyhound frontcourt of Humphrey and Moore leading the charge with seven of the final nine UIndy points while snuffing out the Cardinal offense and holding them to eight points in the final four minutes.
The Hounds will return to action Sunday, Nov. 15 at 3 p.m. when they make the trip up to Allendale, Michigan for their first road game of the season when they take on Grand Valley, marking the sixth straight season the two teams have played each other.
