UPLAND, Ind. - No. 9 Indiana Wesleyan men's basketball was successful in their short road trip to rival Taylor University after gaining their ninth win in a row and their 14th win on the season with a final score of 104-72. Griffin Kliewer was the top performer for the Wildcats tonight with 19 points along with 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and a steal. Three other players for IWU finished the game with double-digit point totals. IWU knocked down a season-high 14 three-pointers at 51.9%.

 

THE ESSENTIALS

• Location: Upland, Ind. | Odle Arena
• Record: IWU: 14-2, 5-1 CRL | TU 6-10, 1-5 CRL
• NAIA Top-25 Ranking: IWU - #9 | TU - Unranked

WHAT HAPPENED

• Both teams traded buckets through the first nine minutes as Taylor held a 21-19 lead.
• The Wildcat offense exploded with a 30-5 run and took a 57-35 lead at halftime.
• IWU dominated in the first half, shooting 66% from the field and staying sharp on the defense with five steals.
• A free-throw from Caedmon Bontrager put the Wildcats in triple digits with 100 points.
• Indiana Wesleyan continued to play strong defense, keeping Taylor University to only shooting a mere 18% from the three-point line to cruise themselves to victory.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 14: IWU knocked down a season-high 14 three-pointers.
• 14: Sophomore Javan Buchanan got 14 of his 18 points in the first half of play.
• 12: The Wildcat defense finished with 12 steals.
• 88%: Caedmon Bontrager shot 3/3 on the night, continuing his consistent shooting with an 88% rate (78-88) on the season. 

KEY WILDCATS

• Griffin Kliewer: 19 points, 8/14 FG, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal
• Javan Buchanan: 18 points, 6/12 FG, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals
• Nathan Childress: 18 points, 7/11 FG, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
• Nolan Mader: 13 points, 5/8 FG, 2 rebounds
• Caedmon Bontrager: 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks

TONAGEL PERSPECTIVE

• "Javan Buchanan continues to develop into a complete player," said Head Coach Greg Tonagel. "He had a tremendous defensive effort again tonight, while also getting a very high 7 assists!"

NEXT TIME OUT

• IWU returns home for the Caleb Dimmich Alumni Game to face the Mount Vernon Nazarene on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
• Links for tickets, video, and stats are available at IWUWildcats.com.
• Basketball alumni planning on attending are encouraged to register by clicking HERE.

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