WINONA LAKE, Ind. -- The newly minted No. 1-ranked Indiana Wesleyan University men's basketball team had little time to enjoy the highest ranking in school history.

The day after becoming the No. 1-ranked team in NAIA Division II, Indiana Wesleyan had its first road game of the season at Winona Lake, Indiana and a date with No. 4-ranked Grace (Ind.) College. Indiana Wesleyan lived up to the billing with a 65-55 victory for their third win over a team ranked in the top-six this season.

"Our guys are locked in," said Indiana Wesleyan head coach Greg Tonagel. "I think it was good timing for the No. 1-ranking because our guys were only concerned about Grace and not the ranking. They were focused on how good Grace is and the challenge they present. They are a very good team and ranked fourth in the poll."

When Indiana Wesleyan (8-0, 2-0 MCC) defeated Bellevue (Neb.) University and Cornerstone (Mich.) University earlier in the season in top-10 showdowns, the two main issues for IWU were defense and rebounding. Indiana Wesleyan seems to have fixed those earlier season problems.

Grace (7-1, 1-1 MCC) entered play tonight ranked 10th in NAIA DII with 86.0 points per game and fifth in shooting percentage at 51.9-percent. The stout Indiana Wesleyan defense held Grace to 31 points below their season average on just 27.8-percent (15 of 54) shooting.

Indiana Wesleyan also turned around its fortune in the rebounding department. IWU held a 43-29 rebounding edge at Grace, including 13 offensive boards.

The Wildcats had their struggles shooting as well, hitting just 40.0-percent (22 of 55) of their shots. But IWU was very effective from the outside hitting 50.0-percent (8 of 16) from beyond the arc.

Sophomore guard Jordan Weidner returned to the lineup from a back injury to lead the Wildcats in scoring with 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting. The only other Wildcat in double figures was senior point guard Derrick Troyer with 15 points. Troyer was 6-of-11 from the field and added five assists and four rebounds. Junior forward Patrick Hopkins was just short of a double-double with eight points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

Grace guard Bruce Grimm, Jr. led all scorers with 20 points on 5-of-18 shooting.

Indiana Wesleyan will remain on the road in Mid-Central College Conference play at Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) University. The 3 p.m. game on Saturday, December 3 is the first conference game between the two programs.