MARION, Ind. - No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan men's basketball took the court in Luckey Arena on Day 2 of the CRL/WHAC Challenge against Cornerstone. The Wildcats rallied from a 13-point deficit in the second half to earn a 78-72 victory to move to 2-0 to start the season. Luke Brown led the way for IWU with 25 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal.
- Location: Marion, Indiana | Luckey Arena
- Records: IWU: 2-0 | CU: 0-2
- NAIA Top-25 Rankings: IWU - #3 | CU - Unranked
- After IWU took an early 10-6 lead, Cornerstone went on a 16-8 run to take a five-point lead midway through the first half.
- The Wildcats were ice cold offensively in the first half, shooting 27.6% from the field on their way to a 30-36 deficit at halftime.
- It was more of the same coming out of halftime as Cornerstone pushed their lead out to 13 points six minutes into the second half.
- The Wildcats went on a 29-8 run, highlighted by three-straight three's, as they took their first lead since early in the game.
- Cornerstone battled back and layup made it 71-70 with IWU narrowly in the lead with a minute left.
- Griffin Kliewer knocked down a dagger three-pointer to make it a two-score game with 37 seconds left.
- 52: IWU shot 52% from the field in the second half, compared to just 27% in the first.
- 15: The Wildcats dished out 15 assists, while holding CU to only 6.
- 25: Indiana Wesleyan once again held the advantage at the free-throw line, going 25-30 compared to 11-17 for Cornerstone.
- Luke Brown: 25 points, 8-18 FG, 4-10 3FG, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
- Caedmon Bontrager: 16 points, 9-10 FT, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks
- Griffin Kliewer: 11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
- DeeJuan Pruitt: 10 points, 6-7 FT, 7 rebounds
- "Our team really grew in trust today," said Greg Tonagel, Head Men's Basketball Coach. "When we weren't playing well and our backs were against the wall, they decided to come together and trust each other. You can build a team from that."
- The Wildcats will be back in Luckey Arena on Tuesday at 6:00PM against Olivet Nazarene.
- Links for tickets, video, and stats will be available at IWUWildcats.com.
#
