MARION, Ind. – No. 5-seed Indiana Wesleyan men's basketball squared off in Luckey Arena against No. 4-seed Life (Ga.) in the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship Second Round. The Wildcats matched up against a hot-shooting Running Eagles squad that went 11-18 from deep and 58% from the field. IWU was unable to overcome the deficit and fell by a final score of 88-74. They end their season with an overall record 22-10, their 19th-consecutive season of 20+ wins.

 

THE ESSENTIALS

• Location: Marion, Ind. | Lukcey Arena
• Records: IWU: 22-10 | LU: 27-6
• NAIA Seeding: IWU - #5 | MU - #4

WHAT HAPPENED

• Luke Brown got the Wildcats going early with 11 points in the first ten minutes of play. A putback dunk from Bright Kari gave IWU a 22-21 lead.
• Life's 7 shots from deep in the first half, combined with IWU's 10 turnovers, gave LU a 37-31 lead at halftime.
• The Wildcats chipped away and cut the deficit to single digits with 10 minutes to play, 63-54.
• Chaze Harris propelled Life to victory with 21 of his 25 points in the second half.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 61%: Life shot 11-18 from three in the game at 61%, the highest percentage from an IWU opponent this season.
• 16: IWU's 16 turnovers are their third-highest total of the season.
• 12: The Wildcats recorded 12 second-chance points.

KEY WILDCATS

• Luke Brown: 24 points, 6-10 3FG, 2 assists, 2 rebounds
• Griffin Kliewer: 15 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds
• Caedmon Bontrager: 14 points, 4 rebounds
• Bright Kari: 8 points, 8 rebounds

 

NEXT TIME OUT

• The Wildcats conclude their season with an overall record 22-10, their 19th-consecutive season of 20+ wins.

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