SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Behind career-best scoring efforts from Zach Howell and Colin Hardrick that helped spark a red-hot second-half shooting performance, Drury men's basketball ran away with a 107-89 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory over Indianapolis Friday evening at O'Reilly Family Event Center.
Howell registered a career-high 35 points on 10-of-19 shooting and combined with Hardrick for 41 second-half points to fuel a Drury offense that torched the nets to the tune of 74-percent (23-of-31) shooting over the final 20 minutes. Hardrick recorded 22 of his 28 points after intermission, finishing a perfect 8-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-4 at the foul line in the second half.
In all, the duo of Howell and Hardrick combined to convert 20-of-34 field-goal attempts, including 8-of-17 (.471) from beyond the three-point arc and 15-of-17 (.882) at the charity stripe. DU turned a one-point halftime deficit into an 18-point win, marking its biggest GLVC margin of victory since a 30-point win over Southwest Baptist last February.
The Panthers (9-10, 4-7 GLVC) dominated the interior down the stretch, outscoring the Greyhounds by a 34-6 margin in the paint while finishing with a 17-10 rebounding edge in the second half. KeShaun Thomas led those efforts, closing out the night with 16 points and nine rebounds.
Drury's big surge started early in the second half with a 6-0 run that turned a one-point deficit into a 55-50 lead that the Panthers would never surrender. A Greyhound foul coupled with a technical handed Howell four straight free throws, sparking a 13-5 DU run that ultimately pushed the Panther lead to 11 with just over 13 minutes to play. The Panthers stretched the margin to 12 points on two occasions before an 8-2 spurt by the Greyhounds momentarily pulled them to within five points at the six-minute mark.
But the Panthers responded behind another three-pointer from Howell and five points from Thomas over a two-and-a-half minute span to extend the lead to 13. Drury wasn't satisfied with the margin, gradually expanding the lead until Hardrick's two free throws with 2:21 to play put the Panthers over the century mark for the fourth time this season, and Keion Epps' layup with 44 seconds to play accounted for the final points -- and DU's largest lead of the night at 18.
The big win for Drury stopped a two-game GLVC losing streak and stood in contrast to the game's start, which saw the visitors burst from the gate to seize a double-digit lead in the opening minutes. UIndy rode the early hot shooting touch of Carmelo Harris to a 12-point lead just over four minutes into the contest. Harris buried a pair of three-point field goals to spark a 12-0 Greyhound run that put the visitors in front by a 15-3 score at the 15:29 mark.
Drury answered with a 12-2 spurt over the ensuing two minutes and 23 seconds, over which time the Panthers went 4-for-4 from the field, including a trio of long-distance connections. Howell keyed the early outburst with a pair of three-pointers, as well as a conventional three-point play that helped DU slice the margin to just two points.
But the Greyhounds (9-10, 7-4 GLVC) came up with another run to hold off the Panthers, this time scoring eight of the next 10 points to establish a 25-17 advantage. Harris knocked down his third three-pointer with 10:38 left on the clock to cap the run.
Howell was equally as effective on the offensive end for the Panthers, however. The junior guard sank a long three, then converted a layup as part of another DU spurt that drew the Panthers to within two points. Howell tallied 14 of his 16 first-half points in the first 11 minutes of the contest, and finished the opening period 5-of-11 from the field to help the Panthers shoot .464 (13-of-28) for the half.
Drury took its first lead of the night on Luke Stubbs' three-pointer with 4:30 left on the clock, and neither club led by more than four points over the final nine minutes of the half.
The Greyhounds took the slimmest of leads -- 45-44 -- into the halftime locker room, thanks to matching 11-point halves by Harris and Nathan Dudukovich.
Tyler Parrish led UIndy with 22 points, while Dudukovich added 19 and Harris finished with 17.
Drury received key contributions from a host of players, including 12 points by Stubbs, a six-point, six-rebound effort by Kevin Sargeant and eight assists from Epps.
The Panthers' four 100-point performances in 2025-26 are the most by a Drury offense since the 2017-18 campaign, when it logged six such scoring efforts.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Panthers return to the road next weekend, beginning with a 7:30 p.m., GLVC contest Thursday (Jan. 29) against Lewis in Romeoville, Ill. Drury will then travel to Upper Iowa for a Saturday (Jan. 31) afternoon game with the Peacocks.
For all the latest information on Drury men's basketball, visit DruryPanthers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Panthers on X and Instagram.
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