Indianapolis, Ind. – The Bearcats bounced back in a number of ways Saturday afternoon. They broke their three-game losing streak, and they came back from a 13-point deficit to defeat the Greyhounds 88-80, completing the season sweep. Improving to 12-5 are the Bearcats and falling to 7-10 are the Greyhounds.
SBU got on the board first, scoring 13 seconds into the game on a
Mitch Ganote layup. After a 4-2 lead by UINDY,
Brady Smith hit a deep three to take over 5-4 once again. Nearly four minutes would go by before the Bearcats scored again, giving the Greyhounds an 18-8 lead. UINDY had multiple 13-point leads in the first, but SBU began chipping away with 5:39 to go.
Mitch Ganote made a jumper and
Ricky Crawford Jr. hit a three to make the score 20-28 where it would stay for over three minutes. Right before the half, the Bearcats scored 7 more and the Greyhounds hit a layup with 2 seconds left to make the score 27-30 heading into the break.
Right off the bat, UINDY hit a couple of free throws and a three to build their lead to 8. They kept holding onto the lead by a thread until the 13:46 minute when
Ricky Crawford Jr. hit another three to tie it up at 44-44.
Brady Smith then made a layup to take the lead for the first time since early in the first half. Around the 10 minute mark the Greyhounds took over once again and held a small lead for a few minutes. Free throws from
Mitch Ganote at the 4:02 mark tied the game, and
Quinn Nelson buried a three and was fouled on the next possession to take the lead for good. He went on to complete the four-point play, giving SBU a 72-68 lead. After a UINDY free throw, SBU went on a 9-0 run to build their lead to 12. The game was sealed 88-80 as the Bearcats were able to finish the game 7-8 from the free throw line in the last 46 seconds.
Mitch Ganote,
Brady Smith, and
Quinn Nelson all scored 20+ on the afternoon. Ganote was 6-9 from the field, 8-10 from the free throw line for 21 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and a block. That is his third double-double on the year. Smith also had a double-double, dropping 21 points and 10 rebounds, also recording 4 assists and a block. Nelson hit 3 three's and dished 3 assists in his 20-point performance. Defensively, SBU held UINDY to 5-27 shooting from deep and 41.5% from the field. In addition, the Bearcats out-rebounded the Greyhounds 45-30.
The Lewis Flyers are next on the schedule for SBU, playing Thursday, February 18 at 7 PM in Bolivar.
