HUNTINGTON, Ind. - Indiana Wesleyan men's basketball fell to Huntington 66-63 in a tense Crossroads League matchup in Platt Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats led by as many as three points early in the first half, but HU responded to take a nine-point lead midway through the half. The game remained close throughout, with both teams tied twice in the final minutes. The red and grey's 36 points in the paint were not enough to overcome the Foresters' advantage from beyond the arc, where they made eight 3-pointers.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Location: Marion, Ind. | Luckey Arena
- Records: IWU 8-2, 2-2 CRL | HU 8-3, 2-2 CRL
- NAIA Top 25 Rankings: IWU – #6 | HU – Unranked
FIRST HALF
- The Wildcat defense limited Huntington to just one made field goal through the opening five minutes of play to take an early 7-4 lead
- Huntington caught fire with a 10-0 run to retake the lead 14-7 midway through the half.
- IWU outscored HU 17-12 to finish the first half, but the Foresters held a narrow 26-24 lead at halftime.
- The Wildcats had the 18-6 advantage on points in the paint, while Huntington hit five three-pointers and grabbed 10 offensive rebounds.
SECOND HALF
- Keylane Lasisi of Huntington highlighted the start of the second half with six-straight points as Huntington maintained their lead, 36-33.
- After the Foresters pushed their lead to 55-46, IWU went on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to two points with 5:00 remaining.
- Caedmon Bontrager knocked down two clutch three's to keep it a one-score game in favor of HU, 60-59, with 3:20 left in the game.
- Huntington's Landon Biegel hit a crucial 3-pointer with 24 seconds remaining to secure the victory.
KEY WILDCATS
LOOKING AHEAD
- The Wildcats will travel to Arizona for their next two games.
- IWU will play Park University Gilbert on Dec. 15 and St. Thomas and No. 2 Arizona Christian on Dec. 16.
- Links for video and stats will be available at IWUWildcats.com.
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