MARION, Ind. – It was a battle of the best in Luckey Arena on Monday night for the Crossroads League Tournament Championship as No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan women's basketball squared off with No. 8 Marian. The Wildcats took down the Knights for the second time this season, 81-71, to win their third-straight tournament championship. This marks the first time since 2012 that IWU has swept both the Crossroads League regular-season and tournament championships.

 

THE ESSENTIALS

• Location: Marion, Ind. | Luckey Arena
• Records: IWU 28-3, 17-1 CRL | MU 26-5, 15-3 CRL
• NAIA Top-25 Rankings: IWU - #5 | MU – #8

WHAT HAPPENED

• Both teams traded blows during the 1st quarter, but IWU found themselves with a narrow 20-17 lead.
• The Wildcat defense forced Marian into 10 turnovers in the first half to help them take a 43-37 lead at halftime.
• IWU went on a 16-5 run in the 3rd quarter to extend their lead to 66-52.
• Marian cut the lead to 7 in the 4th quarter, but clutch free-throw shooting from the Wildcats guided them to the victory. 

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 22 – Jordan Reid's 22 points set a new career-high.
• 55.9 – The Wildcats shot 55.9% from the field, the second-highest percentage of the season.
• 18 – IWU scored 18 points off MU's 15 turnovers.
• 12 – Indiana Wesleyan scored 12 second-chance points after grabbing 8 offensive rebounds.

KEY WILDCATS

• Jordan Reid - 22 points, 9-10 FG, 4 rebounds
• Lilli Frasure - 21 points, 4 steals, 3 assists, 3 rebounds
• Klair Merrell - 11 points, 3-4 3FG, 4 rebounds
• Jade Nutley - 7 points, 7 rebounds

WHALEY PERSPECTIVE

• "What a game!" said Ethan Whaley, Head Women's Basketball Coach. "I thought both teams competed like crazy and created such a fun environment. That's what a championship game should feel like. I was proud of our connection and togetherness once again. That was a team that looked like they were living on Juice Island tonight."

NEXT TIME OUT

• The Wildcats have earned the opportunity to host the NAIA National Championship First and Second Rounds on March 7 & 8.
• Information on who IWU will host will be announced during the NAIA Selection Show on Thursday, March 2 at 7:00 p.m. on the NAIA YouTube Channel.

FOLLOW THE WILDCATS

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