FORT WAYNE, Ind. - No. 9 Indiana Wesleyan men's basketball bounced back after a season-opening loss and cruised passed Cornerstone on Saturday with a final score of 97-83. Head Coach Greg Tonagel becomes the youngest coach to reach 500 wins in men's basketball history. After a close game to start, the Wildcats used a 14-4 run and ended the half with an 11-point lead at 50-39. After shooting 60% from the field, IWU was efficient to finish the game with a 14-point lead. The Wildcat scoring was led by sophomore Caedmon Bontrager, who scored a career-high 19 points on 7-8 from the field. Griffin Kliewer tallied his second double-double in as many games with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

 

THE ESSENTIALS

• Location: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Schaefer Center
• Records: IWU: 1-0 | Cornerstone: 1-1
• NAIA Top-25 Rankings: IWU - #9 | Cornerstone - Unranked

WHAT HAPPENED

• The game started close with an 11-11 scoreline after five minutes of the first half.
• After going on a 14-4 run, the Wildcats established an 8-point lead with 10 minutes left before going into the half up by 11 with a scoreline of 50-39.
• Indiana Wesleyan finished the game strong shooting 66% from the three-point line in the second half and found their first victory of the season. 

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 97: The Wildcats truly cruised to victory by holding the lead for 97% of the game.
• 30: IWU out-rebounded Cornerstone by one, grabbing 30 boards today.
• 14/10: Junior Griffin Kliewer finished the game with a double-double, with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

KEY WILDCATS

• Caedmon Bontrager: 19 pts, 7-8 FG, 3 rebounds
• Nathan Childress: 18 points, 8-12 FG, 2-2 3FG
• Javan Buchanan: 17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks
• Griffin Kliewer: 14 pts, 10 reb, 5 assists

TONAGEL PERSPECTIVE

• "Our team proved that we can fight after having such a quick turnaround after disappointing game on Friday night" said Head Coach Greg Tonagel. "This team showed me something today."

NEXT TIME OUT

• IWU will have their home opener at Luckey Arena against No. 12 Union College on Thursday at 6:00 p.m.
• Links for tickets, video and stats will be available at IWUWildcats.com

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