MARION, Ind. -- Five of the past six games between No. 6 Indiana Wesleyan University and Taylor (Ind.) University have been decided by four points or less. That did not changed on Thursday as Indiana Wesleyan men's basketball won 58-54 in a packed Luckey Arena.

"Tonight was a game of possessions," said Indiana Wesleyan head coach Greg Tonagel. "We didn't shoot the ball well but we found a way to get to the free throw line and found a way to turn them over. We had to find ways to get possessions back and it came with their turnovers."

Indiana Wesleyan (17-2, 6-1 CL) forced the ball into the paint all night and drew fouls, going to the line 23 times to just five for Taylor. Although Taylor was perfect from the line, Indiana Wesleyan scored 17 points from the free throw stripe (73.9-percent) for a 12 point advantage.

The Wildcats struggled offensively for the second straight home game. Following a 48 point output in a loss to Spring Arbor (Mich.) University on Saturday, Indiana Wesleyan scored 58 tonight and shot just 35.2-percent (19 of 54) from the field. But the Wildcats had a season-low seven turnovers while forcing 14 Taylor mistakes.

Neither team led by double digits on Thursday in a tightly contested game. The lead for either team was five or less points until a free throw and a Casey Coons basket put Taylor ahead 26-18 with 5:32 left in the opening half.

But Indiana Wesleyan rattled off the next nine points to claim a 27-26 lead. Fueling the run were senior forward Patrick Hopkins and junior guard Jordan Weidner, a theme for the evening. Weidner scored the first four points while Hopkins scored the final five during the stretch. A Coons 3-pointer would complete the first half scoring as Taylor led 29-27 at the break.

Taylor (12-7, 4-3 CL) held the lead for the first nine minutes of the second half until Hopkins' basket down low put Indiana Wesleyan ahead 41-40. The next four minutes witnessed four lead changes, the final coming on a Hopkins basket in the paint for a 45-44 score and 7:09 left.

Indiana Wesleyan held onto the lead and increased it to six points on another Hopkins field goal with 4:06 to go. The six point lead was the largest in the game for IWU at that point.

IWU continued to lead by six points with less than two minutes remaining when Coons drilled a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 54-51. Following a defensive stop for Taylor, the Trojans had possession of the ball with under a minute left and trailed by three. Coons missed a two-point shot but hauled in the offensive board. He found Tommy Peller for a wide open 3-point shot that just missed but Nate Kasper pulled down the offensive rebound which led to another Taylor 3-point attempt by Ben Raichel. His wide open look just missed as Hopkins finally cleaned the glass for Indiana Wesleyan with 37 seconds on the clock.

Weidner went to the foul line and promptly hit both free throws for a 56-51 lead. Taylor had an empty possession and was forced to foul Hopkins with 15 seconds to play. He missed both free throws but Taylor missed a 3 with eight seconds to go. Weidner collected the rebound and was fouled and the junior hit both free throws for a 58-51 advantage. Coons hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the final score.

Hopkins and Weidner combined for 41 of the 58 Wildcat points. Hopkins had game-highs of 24 points and 13 rebounds for his sixth straight double-double and 10th of the season. Weidner did not shoot well on Thursday but still managed 17 points. He shot well from the foul line as he was 9-of-10 as he also assisted on seven other baskets.

"I thought Patrick Hopkins did a good job tonight," said Tonagel. "I thought our guards found him for some easy baskets and he made quick moves and didn't over dribble."

Indiana Wesleyan is now primed for an early season showdown at Bethel (Ind.) College on Saturday in Mishawaka, Indiana. The two programs sit atop the Crossroads League and are scheduled for a 3 p.m. tip-off. Bethel is the lone unbeaten league team while Indiana Wesleyan is the only one-loss team.