MARION, Ind. -- There was a slew of upsets in the Crossroads League Tournament Quarterfinals tonight but top-seed Indiana Wesleyan University men’s basketball took care of business in a 79-68 victory over No. 8-seed Taylor (Ind.) in Luckey Arena.

The three other quarterfinal contests saw the lower seed ahead at halftime and two of the games finished with upset wins. No. 2-seed Saint Francis (Ind.) and No. 3-seed Huntington (Ind.) each lost at home while No. 4-seed Bethel (Ind.) used a strong second half to advance to the semifinal round.

Indiana Wesleyan and Bethel will collide in one of the Crossroads League Tournament Semifinal games which will take place at 3 p.m. on Saturday in Luckey Arena. Meanwhile, No. 6-seed Grace (Ind.) will host No. 7-seed Spring Arbor (Mich.) on the other side of the bracket.

“It’s going to be a heck of a game,” Wildcat head coach Greg Tonagel said about the impending game with Bethel. “I don’t think their record is indicative of the team they are this year. At one point they were really rolling with a win at Northwood and they came back and were probably the top team in our league. They beat us badly up at their place. I know our guys have that in the back of their heads.”

Indiana Wesleyan and Bethel split the regular season series with each team winning on its home court. IWU won the first one 88-82 on November 26 in Marion while BC responded with a 95-85 victory on January 25 in Mishawaka. The loss to Bethel is the only blemish for Indiana Wesleyan over the past 15 games.

The Wildcats advance to the semifinal round despite a sluggish game against the Trojans. The game featured 46 combined fouls and 70 free throws in a contest that last more than two hours.

Indiana Wesleyan really struggled offensively in the first 15 minutes of the game. IWU held a slight 22-21 advantage with less than six minutes to go before halftime. But a hustle play by RJ Mahurin that landed him on top of press row led to a fast break basket. That play ignited the Wildcats the rest of the half.

From that point on Indiana Wesleyan went on a 19-3 run to close the half and turn a one point lead into a 41-24 halftime advantage. The Indiana Wesleyan lead was anywhere from 12 to 19 points the entire second half until a pair of Taylor (11-19) free throws with 25 seconds left gave the final score.

“I felt we lacked intensity at times, one at the start of the game and the other was a lull in the middle of the second half,” stated Tonagel. “But when we turned it up I thought we started playing better, especially on the defensive end.”

Despite an off night shooting the ball, as IWU managed just 40.7-percent, Indiana Wesleyan still provided 79 points of offense by taking care of the basketball. Until three late turnovers in the final two minutes of the game, Indiana Wesleyan had turned the ball over just four times.

Said Tonagel, “When we take care of the ball, even when we don’t shoot well, we are still a really good offense.”

Another big factor on Wednesday was the play of freshman forward Nate Bubash off the bench. He sparked the Wildcats with 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. He was a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor and 6-of-6 from the foul line.

“Nate is playing really well right now,” said Tonagel. “His resurgence has really helped us and given us depth.”

RJ Mahurin had a team-leading 16 points while Jordan Weidner added 15 points and 4 assists. Bob Peters scored 10 points off the bench and Lane Mahurin contributed 8 points and 9 boards.

Indiana Wesleyan hosts Bethel at 3 p.m. on Saturday in the Crossroads League Tournament Semifinals. The winner of the game advances to the championship contest on Tuesday and will host the final. It will be Grant County School Day at the game as any student from Grant County will get into the game for free with a student ID.