The women’s basketball team lost on its home floor for the first time in almost three years, falling 85-76 to Indianapolis on Sunday at Kates Gymnasium.

The Greyhounds (4-1), who saw their 2012-13 season end at the hands of the Eagles in the NCAA tournament first round in March, used a 10-0 run near the end of the first half to take a 44-33 lead into the break and held off and AU comeback in the second half.

Up 24-23 after a 3-pointer by junior guard Taylor Woods with 9:29 to play in the first period, Ashland went scoreless over the next five minutes, allowing Indianapolis to take a nine-point advantage.

The Greyhounds widened the lead to 11 at the break, but the Eagles began to cut into the deficit immediately at the start of the second half.

A 3-pointer by senior guard Alyssa Miller with 15:56 to play cut the lead to 46-45 and put the finishing touches on a 12-2 run to start the half, but Indy made four straight 3-pointers over the next three minutes to push its lead back to nine (60-51). 

The Eagles made another push over the last 4:09, using a 9-2 run that included two 3-pointers by Woods to cut the Greyhounds’ advantage to one (75-74) with 1:39 to play. 

Unfortunately, that was as close as AU would come as it either turned the ball over or missed shots on the next three possessions and Indy made eight straight free throws to seal the game.

Ashland’s backcourt tandem of Woods (29 points) and Miller (18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) combined for 47 points in the loss. Woods went 9-for-19 from beyond the 3-point line, breaking the school record for the most “3s” in a single game set by Bridget Donovan, who made eight against Mercyhurst in 1999.

Sophomore guard Mckenzie Miller was near a double-double with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists and freshman forward Suzy Wollenhaupt had 10 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

The Eagles’ downfall was that they were outscored 34-4 off the bench. They were also outrebounded 34-26. 

The Greyhounds had five double-digit scorers, including Kelly Walter (19 points), Princess German (15) and 2012-13 All-Midwest Region selection Katy McIntosh (12 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists), as well as Shelby Wall (15 points) and Eliza Wortman (12 points) off the bench.

Ashland shot 45 percent (27 of 60) from the field, 42.9 percent (15 of 35) from deep and 77.8 percent (7 of 9) from the free throw line, slightly behind Indy in all three categories (52.6 percent from the field, 43.3 percent on “3s” and 100 percent from the free throw line).

The loss broke AU’s 44-game home winning streak, which stretches all the way back to an 81-73 loss to Findlay on Jan. 29, 2011. The Eagles did not lose at Kates Gymnasium in either of the last two seasons on their way to the national championship game. 

Ashland will play at Mercyhurst on Nov. 30 before heading to Grand Valley State on Dec. 5 to open Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.