Both the Indy Pirates Men's and Women's Basketball teams hit buzzer beaters in their respective games on Wednesday night to sweep rival Coffeyville in dramatic fashion.
In the first game of the evening showcasing the women, the #DreamU Pirates fell behind early to the Red Ravens before rallying back to trail 30-27 at halftime. Indy was led in the contest by a trio of guards in freshman Eriel West with 19 points, sophomore Delani Harris with 15, and sophomore Maisa Marcal with 11. Down the stretch, the Pirates were also kept alive by sophomore forward Jasmine Elder, who continuously hit clutch free-throws, finishing the game 7-for-8 from the charity stripe.
With a few seconds left in regulation and the game tied, Indy failed to get off a shot, resulting in an extra period. However, in the exact same situation in overtime, Harris drove hard to the basket, rebounded her own miss, and scored an off-balance floater at the rim to seal the Pirates' 68-66 win over the Red Ravens.
The Indy Pirates Women's Basketball team improved to 11-4 overall and 9-4 in the Jayhawk Conference.
In the second game of the night featuring the men, the #NextPassU Pirates threw different looks at the Red Ravens to keep them off balance. Nevertheless, Indy still found themselves down by 20 points in the second half with the score, 52-32. The tide soon turned, however, as the Pirates' stifling zone defense fueled a furious rally at the end of regulation.
Sophomore Keeving Etienne nailed two late free-throws to even the game at 67-67 with 3.6 seconds remaining. Full-court pressure by the Indy defense then immediately caused an offensive travel after the inbound pass by Coffeyville. Receiving the ball off the turnover, ICC Head Coach Bill Morosco called for one final play, which resulted in sophomore Madison Monroe knocking down a game-winning three-pointer for a 70-67 Pirate victory.
Sophomore Tim Dalger led all Indy scorers with 17 points, while Etienne had 15 and Monroe had 14 for the game.
The Indy Pirates Men's Basketball team improved to 10-4 overall and 8-4 in the Jayhawk Conference. Both the ICC Men's and Women's squads resume action on the road this Saturday at Neosho.