MARION, Ind. - No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan men's basketball capped off their return home with a narrow victory against league foe Marian with a final score of 82-78. Caedmon Bontrager was the top performer for the Wildcats, tying a season-high of 26 points to go along with 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 1 steal. IWU will face Huntington on the road at Platt Arena on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.

 

THE ESSENTIALS

• Location: Marion, Ind. | Luckey Arena
• Records: IWU:  17-2, 8-1 CRL | MU: 14-5, 4-5 CRL
• NAIA Top-25 Rankings: IWU - #5 | MU - RV

WHAT HAPPENED

• The first ten minutes of the first half were back-and-forth before IWU began to find a lead and gain a nine-point advantage entering the second half up 41-32.
• The Wildcats maintained their advantage for the first ten minutes before Marian cut the lead to one point.
• After Noah Smith scored a pivotal and-one layup to go up three with two minutes left to go, Marian hit a three to tie the game back up.
• A double dribble call on Marian with four seconds to go led to a foul on Griffin Kliewer to seal the victory from the charity stripe with a final score of 82-78. 

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 26: Bontrager's 26 points tied a season-high for him.
• 2: Two players had two blocks for the Wildcats (Buchanan, Bontrager). 
• 10: The Wildcats are now 10-0 at home with their victory today.

KEY WILDCATS

• Caedmon Bontrager: 26 points, 9-15 FG, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal
• Griffin Kliewer: 16 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists
• Javan Buchanan: 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks

TONAGEL PERSPECTIVE

• "We are seeing the fruits of Caedmon's hard work in the off season," said Head Coach Greg Tonagel. "He impacted the game in so many ways tonight. The most impactful might have been his game saving block."

NEXT TIME OUT

• The Wildcats will face Huntington on the road at Platt Arena next Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
• Links for video and stats will be available at IWUWildcats.com.

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