MARION, Ind. — After an 11-day break since their last game, Indiana Wesleyan men's basketball bounced back for a decisive win over the University of Saint Francis (Ind.) 105-73 in Luckey Arena on Wednesday night. The Wildcats shot 52.7 percent from the field, including a season-high 44.1 percent from three-point range, with 15 made three-pointers, and held a commanding 41-point lead at one point in the second half. Their balanced attack included 25 assists and 34 bench points, while the Cougars managed only 41.3 percent shooting and were out-rebounded 45-27. Julius Gizzi lead the way for the Wildcats with a career-high 26 points, while Bontrager recorded his 6th double-double of the season.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Location: Marion, Ind. | Luckey Arena
- Records: IWU 8-1, 2-1 CRL | USF 3-7, 0-3 CRL
- NAIA Top 25 Rankings: IWU – #6 | USF – Unranked
FIRST HALF
- Indiana Wesleyan started strong with a 10–0 opening run, featuring two 3-pointers by Julius Gizzi within the first 3 minutes
- USF responded with a 13–3 stretch of their own to tie the game back up at 13-13.
- The red and grey knocked down 11 three pointers in the first half, lead by Julius Gizzi with 19 points.
- IWU took a 56–35 lead into halftime.
SECOND HALF
- Indiana Wesleyan capitalized on turnovers early, with Crew Gibson scoring off a DJ Moore steal to go up 60-39.
- The Wildcats extended their lead with a 13–0 run, highlighted by another 3-pointer from Gizzi to extend the lead to 69-39 with 16 minutes left to go.
- Caedmon Bontrager's dominated inside, scoring 8-straight points for IWU to maintain a comfortable 98-62 margin.
- The red and grey entered the final minutes with a 41-point lead, ultimately securing a 105–73 victory.
KEY WILDCATS
LOOKING AHEAD
- The Wildcats will travel to Arizona for their next two games.
- IWU will play Park University-Gilbert on December 15 and #2 Arizona Christian on December 16.
- Links for video and stats will be available at IWUWildcats.com.
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