'Dogs Take #5 'Hounds to Limit, But Fall on Buzzer-Beater

FINAL: #5 Indianapolis 72, Truman 70
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INDIANAPOLIS - - For the third straight Thursday night, the Truman men's basketball team went down to the wire against a GLVC foe; however, this time, 5^th-ranked Indianapolis escaped with a buzzer-beating lay-up to deal the Bulldogs a 75-73 road setback in UIndy's Nicoson Hall.

After trailing by seven at the half, the Bulldogs (17-5, 10-4 GLVC) found themselves trailing the No. 5 Greyhounds (20-2, 12-2 GLVC) 50-38 with 16:49 to play in regulation. Truman then pieced together a trademark blitz, outscoring the host 'Hounds 20-2 during the next six-plus minutes to take a 58-52 lead with 10:44 to go in the second half.

UIndy would recover, drawing even and eventually taking brief leads at 68-67 and 70-69 before Andrew Vander Zwaag buried his fourth three-ball of the contest to put Truman back on top 72-70 with 2:47 to play. However, the Bulldogs couldn't build any separation at the free throw line – going an uncharacteristic 5-of-13 as a team on the night – and sat tied at 73-73 with possession late in regulation. Looking for the win –or at worst, overtime – the Bulldogs mishandled the ball on the offensive end, resulting in a UIndy steal with 2.8 seconds to play. From there, the Greyhounds' Tyrae Robinson took the in-bounds pass from near half-court and streaked to the basket, laying it in as time expired and allowing the host squad to escape.

Four Bulldogs landed in double-figures offensively, paced by 18 apiece by Mike Carlson (7-15 FG, 3-7 3FG, 1-2 FT) and Seth Jackson (7-10 FG, 4-10 FT). Reed Mells, the reigning GLVC player of the week, finished with 13 points, seven assists and four steals, while Vander Zwaag poured in 12 off the bench. Truman shot 56% from the floor for the game and hit 10 three-pointers, but the squad's 39% free throw effort coupled with a -11 rebounding margin (leading to 18 second-chance points for UIndy) spelled defeat against one of the nation's top-ranked teams.

All five UIndy starters finished in double-figures, led by Joe Lawson's 15-point, 13-rebound double-double. The 'Hounds shot 47% for the game, hit seven triples, and went 8-of-13 from the foul line.

Truman returns to action on Saturday afternoon, visiting Saint Joseph's (Ind.) at 3 p.m. in Rensselaer, Indiana. The Pumas fell to 4-20 (1-13 GLVC) on the season with a 72-45 home loss to Quincy on Thursday night.

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