MARION, Ind. -- A superb defensive effort by the Indiana Wesleyan University men?s basketball team highlighted a 57-43 victory over county rival Taylor (Ind.) University on Saturday afternoon in a packed Luckey Arena.

The Wildcat defense held the Trojans to just 30.8-perecent (16 of 52) shooting and just 21.1-percent (4 of 19) from beyond the arc.

Indiana Wesleyan?s victory completed a regular season sweep of the Grant County rival as IWU defeated Taylor 81-42 on January 23 in Upland.

Taylor (19-11, 8-8) looked to put away the Wildcats early as the Trojans charged out with the game?s first seven points. Sophomore center Zach Coverstone finally put IWU on the scoreboard four and a half minutes into the contest. Coverstone ended the afternoon with a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Indiana Wesleyan trailed 12-7 halfway through the opening stanza. But junior guards Antonio Murrell and Jon Moon guided the Wildcats to a 20-5 spurt that lasted the rest of the half.

Moon poured in 11 points and Moon added seven during the stretch which handed Indiana Wesleyan a 27-17 lead at the break.

Indiana Wesleyan (20-9, 9-7) extended their lead to 15 points quickly in the second half as IWU led 34-19 with 15:25 to play following a 3-point basket by freshman forward Will Hubertz. Hubertz ended the contest with 10 points and four assists.

The Trojans fought back with an 11-3 run over the next five minutes, cutting the Wildcat advantage to seven points at 37-30.

With IWU in front 40-33, the Wildcats scored seven straight points to lengthen their lead to 47-33 and 4:19 remaining. Indiana Wesleyan widened the lead to 17 on three occasions and settled for the 57-43 victory.

Moon scored a game-high 17 points and Murrell contributed 11 points and six rebounds.

Indiana Wesleyan shot 38.1-percent (16 of 42) form the floor, but were 7-of-14 (50.0-percent) from deep.

With the win, Indiana Wesleyan earns a home game in the first round of the Mid-Central College Conference. The No. 4-seeded Wildcats will host No. 5-seed Taylor in Luckey Arena on Wednesday, February 27. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.