CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. - No. 11 Indiana Wesleyan women's basketball dropped a heartbreaker at the buzzer to the defending national champions and No. 1 ranked Thomas More University on Monday night. The Wildcats battled back from a 20-point deficit in the 3rd quarter before suffering a 58-55 loss on a last-second desperation shot by the Saints.


 

THE ESSENTIALS

• Location: Crestview Hills, Ky. | Connor Convocation Center
• Records: IWU - 1-1, 0-0 CRL | TMU  1-0, 0-0 MSC
• NAIA Top-25 Rankings: IWU - #11 | TMU - #1

WHAT HAPPENED

• Jade Nutley sparked the Wildcat offense with 8 points in the 1st quarter, but the Saints shot 60 percent from the field to take a 18-12 lead after the opening frame.
• Thomas More's offense extended to the perimeter as they knocked down 5 three-pointers in the 2nd quarter and IWU found themselves down 41-26 at halftime.
• The Wildcats turned up the defensive intensity after forcing 8 turnovers in the 3rd quarter to cut the lead from 20 to single digits, 47-43.
• The red and grey had the ball and the score tied with 8 seconds left in the game, but an IWU turnover and a 30-foot heave at the buzzer by TMU banked in off the backboard to give the Saints the 58-55 victory.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 32: The Wildcats dominated inside with 32-16 advantage in the paint.
• 16.7: IWU held the Saints to 16.7% shooting in the 3rd quarter as they mounted their comeback.
• 9: Indiana Wesleyan committed 9 turnovers in the 4th quarter.
• 7: Thomas More grabbed 7 offensive rebounds in the 4th quarter.

KEY WILDCATS

• Jade Nutley - 19 points, 7-10 FG, 6 rebounds, 2 steals
• Lilli Frasure - 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals
• Kelli Damman - 8 points, 2-4 3FG
• Jordan Reid - 5 rebounds, 4 steals

LOOKING FORWARD

• The Wildcats will stay on the road for the IU East Classic where they will face Oakland City at 4:00 p.m. in Richmond, Ind.

NEXT HOME GAME

• The Wildcats return home for the Leah Whittaker Memorial Classic on November 11-12.
• Individuals looking to attend can purchase tickets at IWUWildcats.com/Tickets

FOLLOW THE WILDCATS

• Follow Athletics (@IWUWildcats): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
• Follow Women's Basketball (@IWU_WBB): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook