FT. WAYNE, Ind. -- On a snowy night in Fort Wayne, Indiana the Indiana Wesleyan University men's basketball team fell to University of St. Francis (Ind.) by a score of 80- 76 in overtime.

The battle of top-10 teams was marked by physical play, 10 ties, and 10 lead changes. The Cougars jumped to an early 10-3 lead. However, the Wildcats would battle back to tie the game at 20-20 via two free throws by sophomore guard Derrick Troyer with 11:02 remaining in the first half.

The two teams continued to match each other for the rest of the half, with neither side able to separate from the other by more than four points. The first half ended with the score at 38-38. The Wildcat attack was paced by senior center Zach Coverstone who registered 16 first half points.

The second half carried the same intensity as the first half as each team refused to allow the other to pull away. With the game tied 61-61 with 4:54 showing on the clock, the Wildcats ran off six straight points to grab their largest lead of the game.

However, the Cougars ran off the next six points of regulation tying the game at 67-67 courtesy of two Ferdinand Morales Soto free throws with 20 seconds remaining. IWU had the last possession of regulation to try for the win. But Coverstone was whistled for an offensive foul with 0.7 seconds remaining and the basket was waived off as the game went to overtime.

The Cougars continued to stretch their scoring streak to 13 as USF would grab a 74-67 lead with 3:40 remaining in overtime. The Wildcats fought their way back into the game but could not take the lead from the Cougars. With less than a minute to play and IWU down three, a Wildcat turnover led to an uncontested layup to put the game away.

On the night, the Wildcats were led by Coverstone who finished the game with 23 points, 12 rebounds, seven blocks and five assists. Junior forward Will Hubertz contributed 15 points while senior guard Ryan Hetrick and Troyer chipped in 14 points.

Saint Francis was led by DeJovaun Sawyer-Davis with 32 points and Ferdinand Morales Soto with 14 points. USF out-rebounded IWU by a 50-30 margin in the game and outscored Indiana Wesleyan 18-2 in second chance points.

The Wildcats will return to the hardwood at 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 13, as IWU hosts the Marian (Ind.) University in Luckey Arena.

CLICK HERE for box score
CLICK HERE for game photos