INDIANAPOLIS— The University of Indianapolis men's basketball team earned its second ranked win of the season, defeating #23 McKendree 79-77 on Thursday night at The Nic.

Carmelo Harris led the Greyhounds with 18 points, shooting from a .625 clip and going four-for-six from beyond the arc. Behind Harris, Nate Dudukovich and Shaun Arnold both recorded double-digit scoring with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Noah Kon was a lifeline for the UIndy defense, contributing big minutes as the game came down to the wire. 

The season's two wins over ranked opponents are the program's highest since the 2019-20 season. After tonight's win, head coach Scott Heady is 4-0 against the Bearcats, securing the sweep against McKendree in both his seasons at the helm for the Hounds.

INS & OUTS
The Bearcats came out firing to start the contest with a 10-2 run. Kelvin Amoako and Dudukovich found back-to-back buckets to bring the Hounds within three. McKendree used the free-throw line to their advantage, sinking four in a minute, along with a Caleb Burton three-pointer, to pull ahead of UIndy. 

Freshman Ethan Edwards sank his first three of the night to end the Bearcats' run and flip the script, giving the Hounds a 10-2 run. Harris netted a three-pointer of his own to even the scoring. The teams would stay square for nearly three minutes until Arnold drove through the lane for a floater, giving his squad its first lead of the night. 
The squads traded points the remainder of the first half, with Tyler Parrish finding the rim for the second time of the night, driving past two Bearcats to close the Hound's first half with a dunk. 

Dudukovich got the Hounds going in the second half, sinking two threes in the opening two minutes of the half. 

McKendree stuck around and went on a 12-4 run to take the lead back from UIndy. Harris shut down the run, sinking two three-pointers in an 11-0 run for the home team, and the Hounds found themselves up by as many as 10 points with five minutes remaining in the game. 

Free throws were crucial for the Greyhounds, down the stretch, knocking down 13 in the game's final two and a half minutes to fend off the attempted comeback from the Bearcats, who sank three threes in the contest's final 30 seconds.

INSIDE THE BOX
-Arnold was all over the stat sheet, recording seven rebounds, four assists, and five steals in addition to his 16 points. 
-Amoako was a perfect three-for-three from the charity stripe and three-for-five from the field.
-UIndy more than doubled McKendree's assists with 14 on the night. The Hounds also won the turnover with eight fewer than the Bearcats.

UP NEXT
The Hounds return to Nicoson Hall to face the Illinois Springfield Prairie Stars on Saturday, Feb. 14, at 3:30 p.m.