MARION, Ind. - No. 2 Indiana Wesleyan men's basketball advanced to the Round of 16 Saturday, behind a smothering defensive effort. IWU held the Warriors of Indiana Tech to just 15 second-half points and 47 points in the contest, both season lows for the Warriors. The 70-47 win gives IWU their seventh straight win over ITU. 

.@IWUHoops knows how to celebrate!

Next stop, Kansas City and a date with William Jessup in the @NAIA Round of 16!

??https://t.co/ESFFbNwXAh@IndWes // @iwualumni // @smcollegehoops // @NAIAHoopsReport // @CascadeHoopTalk // @IndyStarSports // @NAIA pic.twitter.com/FRbYFTJLoj

— Indiana Wesleyan University Wildcats (@IWUWildcats) March 13, 2022

THE ESSENTIALS

• Location: Luckey Arena | Marion, Ind.
• Records: IWU - 27-6 | Montreat (N.C.) - 21-10
• NAIA Top-25 Ranking: IWU - #7 | Montreat (N.C.) - Unranked
• NAIA Championship Seed: IWU - #2 | Montreat (N.C.) - 15

WHAT HAPPENED

• The first half was a back and forth battle, featuring five lead changes and Indiana Tech leading for most of it. Half the points were scored in the paint for both clubs, with IWU netting 20 and ITU netting 18. Seth Maxwell was the lone player in double digits between teams, scoring 11 and grabbing four rebounds.
• Despite two early threes in the first half, Tech finished 0-for-18 the rest of the game.
• Indiana Tech struggled in the second half offensively, netting just four total field goals in the entire 20-minutes. 

The Wildcats make it 2-for-2 as @IWUHoops is headed to the Round of 16!

Congratulations @IWU_WBB & @IWUHoops! Good luck in Sioux City & Kansas City! pic.twitter.com/gyEAxmyuRT

— Indiana Wesleyan University Wildcats (@IWUWildcats) March 13, 2022

KEY WILDCATS

• Seth Maxwell - 26 points, 7rebounds
• Spencer Piercefield - 10 assists, 6 rebounds, 5 points

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 4 - IWU's lead at the half
• 4 - how many field goals Tech was held to in the first half
• .271 - Tech's shooting percentage for the game
• 17 - how many more rebounds IWU pulled down compared to ITU

TONAGEL'S PERSPECTIVE

• I am extremely proud of this team and how they battled a very good opponent in Indiana Tech. We made some key adjustments and our guys really stepped up defensively in the second half. I am proud of our seniors but we still have work to do before we get to Kansas City. 

LOOKING FORWARD

• It's a rematch from earlier this season as the Wildcats will play William Jessup (Calif.) on either March 17 or March 18.
• The teams squared off earlier this season, with William Jessup collecting a 75-69 win.  
   

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