SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan University men’s basketball is back in a familiar spot as they defeated No. 4 IU Southeast 85-72 to reach the NAIA DII National Championship Quarterfinals for the 9th time in 11 appearances. Kyle Mangas and Evan Maxwell led IWU with 17 points apiece.

GAME VITALS

• NAIA DII National Championship – Round of 16
• Score:  Indiana Wesleyan def. IU Southeast, 85-72
• Records:  Indiana Wesleyan  28-7   |   IU Southeast 24-9
• NAIA Top- 25 Rank:  Indiana Wesleyan - No. 4   |   IU Southeast – No. 15
• Championship Seed:  Indiana Wesleyan – No. 1   |   IU Southeast – No. 4
• Location:   Heritage Arena   |   Sanford Pentagon   |   Sioux Falls, South Dakota

STAT TRACKER

• Joel Okafor:  9 points, 3-4 FG, 4 rebounds, 5 assists
• Kyle Mangas:  17 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists
• Ben Carlson:  10 points, 7 rebounds
• Jacob Johnson:  15 points, 4 rebounds
• Evan Maxwell:  17 points, 8 rebounds
   

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Indiana Wesleyan used a 14-2 run late in the first half to turn a four point deficit into a 39-31 lead.
• A Joel Okafor layup at the buzzer gave the Wildcats a 47-39 halftime advantage.
• Leading 49-45 early in the second half, Indiana Wesleyan reeled off 11 straight points to build a 16 point cushion.
• Canaan Coffey hit one of his three 3-pointers to give the Wildcats the largest lead of the day of 21 points (81-60).

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

• Indiana Wesleyan has won six straight games which matches a season-high.
• The Wildcats improve to 18-0 this season when their opponents are limited to 79 or less points.
• Kyle Mangas finished with 17 points and now has 756 points this season. That ties Lane Mahurin for the program’s single-season scoring record.
• IU Southeast leading scorer Jamie Johnson was inactive today. The sophomore guard averages 20 points per game but suffered a back injury in Thursday’s First Round win over Stillman (Ala.).  
   

COACH TONAGEL SAYS…

• “I would rather win ugly than lose pretty. It was ugly but we’re moving on. I give them a ton of credit. They hung in there with their injuries and foul troubles and had to use guys that hadn’t played all year long. But they hung in there.”
   
• “They are the number two 3-point field goal defensive team in the country. They just force you off the arc. We started playing into their hands and it sped us up a little bit, especially early on.”
   

NEXT TIME OUT

• Indiana Wesleyan advances to the NAIA DII National Championship Quarterfinals on Saturday and plays the winner between No. 2 Morningside (Iowa) and No. 3 Warner Pacific (Ore.). Game is scheduled to tip at 7 p.m. ET.