Box score
ST. LOUIS, Mo.- Behind a combined 39 points from sisters Heather and Nickole Gonser, the UIndy women’s basketball team (17-12) earned an 81-72 upset win of top-seeded Quincy in the semifinals of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament Saturday night.
The match-up featured the two most-prolific offenses in the conference. Quincy (25-3), ranked 13th in the Division II coaches’ poll, came into the game averaging a school-record and league-best 87.8 points per contest, but was ultimately held to 17 points below that mark.
"We did a great job following the game plan and controlling the tempo of the game,” said Head Coach LeAnn Freeland. “Our ladies fought hard and were determined from the tip to do everything necessary to win the game."
UIndy earned commanding advantages in both rebounds (45-29) and free throw attempts (33-8). In addition, the Greyhound bench outscored its counterpart 35-6, including a career-high 17 coming from Nickole Gonser.
"I believe it was a total team effort with every player contributing for 40 minutes,” added Freeland. “Our team has earned the opportunity to be in the championship game tomorrow and we will be ready."
The scoreboard read 37-37 atThe Lady Hawks shot a solid 55 percent from the floor in the first half, but UIndy used a 10-2 disparity on the offensive glass to offset QU’s shooting efficiency.
Quincy senior Stephanie Wagner, who leads all three NCAA divisions in 3-point percentage, connected on 3-of-4 attempts from downtown in the first 20 minutes. Heather Gonser did her one better, however, sinking 4-of-5 from behind the arc on the way to a game-high 14 points at the break.
UIndy couldn’t get on the board for the opening four minutes of the second half, allowing the Lady Hawks to build a six-point cushion. The Greyhounds missed their first seven shots of the latter period until freshman Eliza Wortman earned a put back at the 15:49 mark.
With the score 45-39 Quincy, freshman Katy McIntosh grabbed the spotlight, leading the charge in a 13-6 run by the Hounds. McIntosh used effective dribble penetration to put up eight points in the rally. The surge was capped by a baseline three from Nickole Gonser that gave the Hounds a 52-51 with 10 minute remaining.
Later, junior Cayla Keegan finagled a three-point play, getting the foul on a reverse lay-up. The potent Quincy offense could not quell the momentum created at that point, as the Hounds slowly built a lead that reached as high as 12 points. Over the final seven-and-a-half minutes of play, UIndy outscored the Hawks 27-15.
Heather Gonser led three Greyhounds in double figures with 22 points. Nickole Gonser added seven rebounds to her 17 points, while McIntosh amassed 15 points, six boards, five assists and four steals.
The Greyhounds’ win propels them to the GLVC finals for the first time in six years. UIndy is set to meet the Lewis Flyers to determine the conference's champion and NCAA Tournament automatic bid.
The Flyers came into the postseason as the ninth seed and went on to knock out three of the tourney’s top-four teams on the way to the finals. UIndy and Lewis hooked up in a regular-season contest back in January, with the Hounds earning the 68-60 road win
Note: The 2011 GLVC Tournament is being held at Maryville University in St. Louis, Mo. Click here to view the tourney's homepage.