MARION, Ind. -- A 10-point deficit near the midway point of the second half did not deter No. 6-ranked Indiana Wesleyan University men's basketball -- or on Saturday, Marion College Titans.

Indiana Wesleyan (23-5, 12-4 CL) -- which celebrated 'Remember the Titans' Day with new throwback uniforms -- outscored visiting Bethel (Ind.) College 25-13 over the final 11:30 minutes of the game to capture a 67-65 victory in a game between programs tied for first place in the Crossroads League. The third co-leader, Taylor (Ind.) University, lost 63-59 at Huntington (Ind.) University to put IWU all alone atop the league standings.

"I know our guys know how to win," said Indiana Wesleyan head coach Greg Tonagel. "I do know that our guys were in those huddles, they had me fired up. That's leadership and we have great senior leadership on this team right now."

The Wildcats were once again led by the pair of senior forward Patrick Hopkins and junior guard Jordan Weidner. Hopkins finished with a double-double of 18 points and 14 rebounds while Weidner tied for game-high honors with 19 points. Hopkins also contributed four blocks and Weidner added four assists.

The biggest of the Hopkins blocks came on the game's final play. After sophomore guard DJ Bettinger hit 1-of-2 free throws to put Indiana Wesleyan up 67-65 with 14.5 seconds remaining, Bethel had a chance to go for the tie or for the win.

Bethel guard Zach Miller seemed ready to take a 3-point shot as the clock was winding down. But the shot was not there and he passed it into Ryan Benner who drove towards the basket. There he met a trio of Wildcats who came over to help and from just outside five feet his shot was blocked by Hopkins. Hopkins gathered the ball and tossed it down the court to senior guard George Jones IV as the clock expired.

"I thought they might take a 3-pointer," said Tonagel. "But Zac Vandewater took away the 3. In the locker room, I said for three years and a half years Patrick Hopkins has won games offensively, tonight he won one defensively. I'm really proud of that kid and what he did. You have to give Patrick credit. He slid over and gave a great defensive play."

No. 14 Bethel (20-8, 11-5 CL) controlled most of the game on Saturday and held double digit leads in both halves. BC raced out to a 22-11 advantage in the opening period before a 17-4 Indiana Wesleyan run put IWU in front for the first time at 26-24 and 4:41 left before halftime. A late Benner 3-pointer put Bethel up 35-34 at the break.

The Pilots scored the first six points of the second half to lead 41-34. Zach Miller's 3-pointer culminated in the largest Pilot lead of the second half at 52-42 with 11:51 remaining on the clock.

Weidner then exploded for six unanswered points to fuel a 14-4 run. Capping the stretch was a huge 3-pointer by Aaron Martin to tie the contest 56-56 with less than five minutes left.

Hopkins scored in the paint off a Bethel turnover that put Indiana Wesleyan in the lead 60-58 with 3:09 to go. The lead was the first for IWU in the second half and Indiana Wesleyan never surrendered the advantage.

Twice in the final two minutes the Wildcats went up by four, only to have Zach Miller close it to a single point with a 3-pointer. The second time he did this was with 15 seconds remaining that led to the final sequence of the game.

Aaron Martin and Vandewater each scored eight points while freshman guard Kylan Dubbles made an appearance and scored six points. Dubbles was 2-of-3 from the field and earned a pair of steals in 11 minutes of action. Jones IV played nearly 25 minutes off the bench and had four points and five rebounds.

"We got contributions from other guys tonight," stated Tonagel. "Patrick and Jordan didn't feel like they had to carry the team the entire game and we become such a greater threat when that happens. Just key play after key play."

Tonagel continued, "George was active, I thought Aaron Martin was active. Aaron hit one 3 and the next goes in and out but he didn't flinch and he took the next one. He stayed with his game confidently. Kylan Dubbles came into the game and was able to get in the lane and that is what we need. Get in the lane and create. I thought he really added that dimension tonight."

Adding to the great environment of two of the top teams in the Crossroads League doing battle was ‘Remember the Titans' Day at packed out Luckey Arena. IWU unveiled brand new Marion College Titans throwback uniforms for the game and nearly 40 former Titan athletic alums were present at the game. The Titans alums were treated to a pre-game reception and were introduced at center court during halftime festivities. Paul Nicholson provided a ceremonial first tip-off just before the game began. Nicholson was at center and took the first tip-off when the Titans played there very first game in 1968 against Manchester (Ind.) College. The school was Marion College with the Titan mascot from 1968 through 1988.

"It's more than basketball here," said Tonagel. "We're trying to build a tradition and we want people to feel welcome when they come back. It's bigger than just what goes on the court so to have these people show up today meant a lot to our guys."

There are just two games remaining in the regular season as Indiana Wesleyan finishes the schedule with games on Tuesday night and Saturday afternoon. Indiana Wesleyan first trails to Grant County rival Taylor for a 7 p.m. tip-off on Tuesday before completing the league next Saturday at home with Goshen (Ind.) College.

Indiana Wesleyan currently is all alone in first place with a 12-4 mark. Bethel, Grace, and Taylor are tied for second with 11-5 records which makes for an exciting finish for the Crossroads League.