MARION, Ind. -- Top-seeded Indiana Wesleyan University men's basketball has advanced to the Mid-Central College Conference Tournament Championship Game?again.

No. 10-ranked Indiana Wesleyan fought off Spring Arbor (Mich.) University 76-72 in the MCC Tournament Semifinals on Saturday afternoon to advance to the tournament championship for the third straight year and the fourth time in five seasons.

The Wildcats won their first ever MCC Tournament title last season with a 78-68 victory over Bethel (Ind.) College in the first ever men's championship game played in Luckey Arena. Tuesday will bring the second such contest when No. 3-seed and No. 16-ranked University of Saint Francis (Ind.) comes to town.

Indiana Wesleyan advanced to the title game despite two starters out with injury. Junior guard Derrick Troyer has been out since January and sophomore guard George Jones IV was out today for the first time.

"I'm proud of these guys," said Indiana Wesleyan head coach Greg Tonagel. "They came together today and played extremely well."

Stepping up with major minutes in the conference semifinal game were junior guard David Peters and freshman guard Jeff Hoskins. The pair filled in admirably as Peters finished with five points and two boards in 32 minutes while Hoskins added three points, five rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes.

"Peters has always wanted more minutes, more of a chance," said Tonagel. "He is one of the best shooters on the team and he looked a lot more comfortable in his role during the second half. He did a great job for us today."

Even with a lot of new looks in the lineup throughout the game, Indiana Wesleyan rarely struggled on Saturday. IWU never trailed by more than one point and led the final 36 minutes of the game.

Although Indiana Wesleyan never trailed after the first four minutes of the game and led by 12 points (60-48) with 9:26 on the clock, Spring Arbor made the finish very entertaining.

Spring Arbor went to senior guard DJ Baisden and senior forward Willie Pickvet during crunch time and both delivered. The duo would combine for 23 of the final 28 points scored for the Cougars in the game's last 12 minutes of action.

Baisden and Pickvet scored 23 seconds apart to close the deficit to 66-60 with more than five minutes left to play.

Following a pair of free throws for Indiana Wesleyan senior forward Will Hubertz, Spring Arbor would score the next six points, with Pickvet field goals bookending the run, to bring the game to one possession at 68-66 with less than three minutes to go.

Wildcat sophomore Patrick Hopkins hit a pair of free throws to extend the lead back to four, but Baisden quickly answered with a 3-point bucket to bring the Cougars to within one at 70-69 and still over two minutes left in the game.

Indiana Wesleyan went right back to Hopkins who scored in the post to push the lead to 72-69. Hubertz stole a pass from Baisden on the defensive end and Peters was fouled with 1:29 remaining. Peters hit one free throw as IWU held a 73-69 advantage.

SAU sophomore guard Chris Bellamy connected on an old fashion 3-point play to once again cut the deficit to one at 73-72. IWU continued to push the ball into the post and this time Hopkins was fouled and the MCC First Teamer hit one of two free throws as Indiana Wesleyan led 74-72 with 44 seconds left.

Spring Arbor worked the clock looking for a tying or go ahead bucket in the final seconds. Bellamy would launch a 3-point attempt from the corner but drew only iron. Indiana Wesleyan sophomore Aaron Martin collected the rebound and Hubertz was fouled shortly thereafter with nine seconds remaining. The senior calmly hit both free throws as Indiana Wesleyan clinched a spot in the MCC championship game.

"We earned the right to play for the championship," stated Tonagel. "We look forward to playing on Tuesday night and know what to expect from Saint Francis. They are a very good team and we respect what they do. It should be a lot of fun."

Hopkins paced the Wildcats with a team-leading 22 points on 8-of-9 shooting. He was 6-of-7 from the foul line and also led the team with seven rebounds and four assists.

"Pat was great today," continued Tonagel. "He came in with a positive attitude and made plays. Even when (Spring Arbor) came in with a plan to stop him, he produced."

Martin was equally as impressive today, especially in the first half. He finished with 19 points, 12 in the first half, and five boards. He was 4-of-5 from beyond the arc and played a team-high 36 minutes.

"Offensively, Aaron has been on fire the last four to five games," said Tonagel. "He makes us a much better offensive team when he plays like he did today."

Hubertz added 11 points and six rebounds while freshman guard Jordan Weidner added 11 points, four boards and four assists.

Indiana Wesleyan was consistent on Saturday, shooting 13-of-25 (52.0-percent) from the floor in each half. IWU also hit 6-of-14 (42.9-percent) from deep and 18-of-23 (78.3-percent) from the foul line. Indiana Wesleyan out-rebounded Spring Arbor 34-26 and doubled them up in assists, 12-6.

Indiana Wesleyan will host Saint Francis at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1 in Luckey Arena in the MCC Tournament Championship. Saint Francis won at Grace (Ind.) College in the other semifinal by a 67-60 margin.

The game will be a ?Black Out!' and all Indiana Wesleyan students will not have to pay for a ticket. Those will be paid for by the Indiana Wesleyan athletic department and through donations. Also, some lucky Indiana Wesleyan students will have the chance to win free Indiana Pacers versus Chicago Bulls tickets at the game.

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