MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Barry University's No. 8-ranked men's basketball team dropped its first game of the season Tuesday, 78-73, to No. 9 Indianapolis in the Cruzin' Classic hosted by Trip Sports.
The Buccaneers (6-1) were playing their first game in school history as a Top-10 team, but the Greyhounds (8-0) were game for the challenge at the Health & Sports Center.
"We just got to execute better," Barry junior forward Yunio Barrueta said after scoring 20 points and grabbing eight rebounds. "Execute at crucial times and pick it up defensively."
Barry built a 12-point lead on Arie Williams' three-point field goal with 11:52 remaining, but Indianapolis whittled it down to five on Jordan Loyd's layup 2:50 later. Barrueta's dunk on a feed from Juan Ferrales extended the Bucs lead back to eight at the 8:14 mark, but Indy's Joe Lawson responded with a dunk of his own to cut it to three, 66-63.
Jevoni Robinson's free throw with 5:59 on the clock gave the Buccaneers a 69-65 lead, but the Greyhounds went on a 7-0 run to take a three-point lead at the 2:22 mark. Barrueta scored with 58 seconds left to pull Barry within three, but Loyd sank two free throws with 17 seconds left, and the Bucs couldn't convert in the closing seconds.
Loyd had 21 points and seven rebounds, Dai-Jon Parker had 19 points and seven rebounds, shooting 8 of 16 from the field, and Salim Gloyd finished with 15 points and five boards for the Greyhounds.
Indy outscored Barry 36-26 in the paint, which included a 24-14 advantage in the second half.
Ferrales, who was 4 of 6 from 3-point range in the first half, finished with 22 points and four assists. He was seven of 15 from the floor, including five of nine from beyond the arc. Robinson had nine points, five blocks and five rebounds. Barry point guard Deric Hill had eight assists, seven rebounds and four steals.
"We have such good leadership in this locker room with these two guys," Estes said, joined in the post-game press conference by Barrueta and Ferrales, "along with Savad Garner and Deric Hill. There's a lot of disappointment in there right now, but I'm very, very confident that these guys will put it in its right place by tomorrow, and we'll be ready to go."