MARION, Ind. — Indiana Wesleyan fell to Spring Arbor, 58-49, in Luckey Arena despite a late tun in the fourth quarter that saw the Wildcats pull within eight points after trailing by nineteen in the final frame. The Cougars maintained a steady lead throughout, capitalizing on 22 turnovers by the Wildcats to secure the victory.

THE ESSENTIALS

• Location: Marion, Ind. | Luckey Arena
• Records: IWU: 8-7, 2-3  | SAU: 13-2, 4-1
• NAIA Top-25 Rankings: IWU - RV | SAU - NR

FIRST QUARTER

• The red and grey opened with a 4–0 lead following a fast break layup by Jayd Hovey at 8:38.
• SAU responded with consecutive free throws and a layup, tying the game at 4 with 7:37 remaining.
• The Cougars built a five-point advantage at 4:38 with a layup from Ashley Weller.
• Indiana Wesleyan closed the quarter trailing 16–14 after a late layup by Haven Chapman for Spring Arbor.

SECOND QUARTER

• SAU opened with early momentum, highlighted by a layup from Rachel Reichard at 9:43.
• IWU's Hayleigh Amey responded with a layup at 8:30 to keep the score within reach.
• Spring Arbor expanded their lead with a layup from Rielyn Goodwin at 2:59, pushing the margin to double digits as the Wildcats went cold from the floor scoring just 2 points over 7 minutes into the quarter..
• The Wildcats trailed 28–21 at halftime with a 5-2 run in the final minutes.

• Indiana Wesleyan opened with a 3-pointer by Tori Thompson at 9:11, narrowing the gap early in the quarter.
• The Cougars extended their lead with a layup and free throw sequence by Megan Zeitz at 5:48, pushing their advantage to double digits.
• At 3:32, Zeitz converted two free throws to further widen the lead for Spring Arbor.
• SAU closed the quarter with a commanding lead, finishing 47–32.

FOURTH QUARTER

• Spring Arbor increased their lead with a layup by Lexi Linder at 8:38, pushing the score to 51-32.
• The Wildcats responded with a three-pointer by Ayla Krygier at 6:44, narrowing the gap to 53-37.
• Emily Mattingly added a layup at 5:14, maintaining momentum and cutting the deficit further.
• The late rally ultimately came up short with IWU falling 58-49.

KEY WILDCATS

• Emily Mattingly: 6 points, 2 assists, 2 steals
• Ayla Krygier: 11 points, 5 rebounds
• Addi Hovey: 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals

• The Wildcats travel to Mount Vernon on January 7th for a 5:00 PM game with the Cougars.
• Links for video and stats will be available at IWUWildcats.com

NEXT HOME GAME

• The Wildcats return to Luckey Arena on January 10th, facing Grace at 1:00 PM.
• IWU is excited to celebrate our alumni for Red & Gray Day. More information can be found by clicking HERE
• Tickets can be purchased at IWUWildcats.com
• Links for video and stats will be available at IWUWildcats.com

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