MARION, IND. - No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan women's basketball punched their ticket to the Crossroads League Tournament Championship game on Saturday, defeating Srring Arbor 83-62. The Cougars took their first lead of the game on a three pointer at the end of the third quarter, capping off a 21-12 run in the quarter. The Wildcats responded by outscoring SAU 28-6 in the fourth, Emily Mattingly came up big in the final quarter with 8 points on 3-3 from the field and converted two and-ones to go with solid defense to spark the Wildcat comeback.
 

THE ESSENTIALS

• Location: Marion, Ind. | Luckey Arena
• Records: IWU: 27-2, 16-2 | SAU: 19-11, 11-7
• NAIA Top-25 Rankings: IWU - #2 | SAU - NR

WHAT HAPPENED

• Both teams hit tough baskets in the first quarter, but the IWU defense forced 6 turnovers, giving them a 5 point lead after the first.
• The red and gray pushed their lead to 8 heading into halftime by shooting 60% from the field and 2-2 from behind the arc. Jade Nutley went 4-6 and scored 8 points to lead Indiana Wesleyan.
• The Cougars outscored IWU 21-12 in the third frame as the Wildcats struggled on both ends of the court. The squad shot 31% from the field and failed to generate any turnovers.
• Indiana Wesleyan put together one of their best quarters of the season in the fourth, going on a 28-6 run to close the game. Lilli Frasure scored 8 points on 4-5 shooting to go with 3 boards, 3 assists, and 4 steals. As a team IWU went 12-15 from the floor and only allowed the Cougars to get off 9 shots, making only 2 and forced 6 turnovers.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 60: IWU scored a season high 60 points in the paint, scoring 18 in the both the first and fourth quarters .
• 24: The Wildcats held a 20 point advantage on points off turnovers, scoring 24 compared to Spring Arbor's 4.
• 12:  Emily Mattingly scored a career high 12 points, 8 of which came in the fourth quarter. 

KEY WILDCATS

• Lilli Frasure: 24 points, 11-21 FG, 8 assists, 8 rebounds, 5 steals
• Jade Nutley: 18 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds
• Taylor Folkema: 13 points, 6-11 FG, 5 rebounds, 4 assists
• Emily Mattingly: 12 points, 5-6 FG, 5 rebounds, 3 steals

LOOKING AHEAD

• The Wildcats will host Marian on Tuesday at 7:00 PM for the Crossroads LEague Tournament Championship.
• Links for video and live stats will be available at IWUWildcats.com
• Tickets can be purchased at IWUWildcats.com

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