MARION, IND. – No. 7 Indiana Wesleyan women's basketball were in Luckey Arena on Saturday for a Top-10 matchup against No. 6 Marian University. The Wildcats clawed their way to a 67-65 victory, locking up the 2022-2023 Crossroads League Regular Season Championship. This marks the first regular season championship for IWU since 2014-2015.


 

THE ESSENTIALS

• Location: Marian, Ind. | Luckey Arena
  Records: IWU - 24-3, 16-1 CRL | MU 23-4, 14-3 CRL
  NAIA Top-25 Rankings: IWU - #7 | MU – #6

WHAT HAPPENED

• Lilli Frasure and Jade Nutley combined for 12 of the Wildcat's 16 first quarter points as they took an early 16-12 lead.
• IWU shot a game-high 60% from the field in the 2nd quarter to extend their lead to 32-25 at halftime.
• Back-to-back threes from Klair Merrell gave IWU a nine-point lead in the 3rd quarter.
• With the game tied at 65-65, Maddie Lawrence scored a layup with 5 seconds left in the game to secure the victory and the championship.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 5 – It has been over 5 years since the Wildcats have won in Luckey Arena against the Knights, dating back to Dec. 6, 2017
• 29 – IWU got 20 points of contribution from their bench, compared to just 13 for MU.
• 2 – Indiana Wesleyan only allowed two of the Marian players to score in double figures.
• 32 – The Wildcats held a narrow advantage inside with 32 points in the paint.

KEY WILDCATS

• Jade Nutley - 15 points, 8 rebounds
• Lilli Frasure - 12 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds
• Baylie VanDyke - 12 points, 5-5 FG
• Maddie Lawrence - 9 points, 6 rebounds

WHALEY PERSPECTIVE

• "What a game!" said Ethan Whaley, Head Women's Basketball Coach. "There were so many different runs for both teams in that game! I was proud of the resolve and togetherness we show down the stretch. Win or lose, I thought, both teams fought like crazy and created. Such a fun, competitive environment!"

NEXT TIME OUT

• The Wildcats close out the regular season on Wednesday on the road at Mount Vernon Nazarene.
• Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

FOLLOW THE WILDCATS

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