MOUNT VERNON, Ohio -- The No. 3-ranked Indiana Wesleyan University women's basketball team overcame a poor offensive performance to win 57-50 at Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) University today.

The Wildcats shot just 31.0-percent (13 of 42) from the field and 27.8-percent from beyond the arc (5 of 18). But the Wildcats forced 17 Cougar turnovers and won the battle of the boards 39-24.

Mount Vernon (2-7, 1-2 Crossroads League) Nazarene led by as many as six points in the first half, including a 21-15 advantage with 6:52 left before halftime. But Indiana Wesleyan scored eight of the final 12 points of the half and trailed just 25-23 at the break.

With the score tied 34-34 and nine minutes remaining Indiana Wesleyan went on an 11-2 spurt to gain its largest lead of the afternoon at 45-36. Igniting the run were junior guard Taylor Goshert and sophomore guard Emma Stahl. Goshert scored seven points of her nine points in the stretch while Stahl added the other four.

Mount Vernon Nazarene would get no closer to five points the rest of the game. Senior guard Claire Ray iced the victory for Indiana Wesleyan with 8-of-10 free throws in the final 50 seconds. Ray ended the game with a team-best 13 points, six rebounds, and four steals.

Senior forward Paige Smith hit 9-of-12 free throws and finished with 11 points while sophomore forward Katrina Blackmon totaled 10 points and six boards. Goshert was one point shy of a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds. The Wildcats shot 26-of-36 from the foul line and made 13 more free throws than the Cougars.

Indiana Wesleyan (9-0, 3-0 Crossroads League) ends the first short stint into Crossroads League play and will venture back into non-conference games the rest of December. First up will be a road test at Kentucky Wesleyan College at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 4 in Owensboro, Kentucky.