FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Trailing nearly the entire second half, Indiana Wesleyan men’s basketball used some late-game heroics and a last-second shot to edge #15 Saint Francis, 73-72. Down one with four seconds left in the game, Kyle Mangas would produce a drive and kick to the corner finding Noah Smith. Smith’s in and out three would fall to Mangas just below the free-throw line and in midair, Mangas would make the go-ahead bucket leaving 0.1 seconds left on the clock.
Mangas finished the contest with a game-high 28-points, scoring the final nine points of the game for IWU. Mangas has now scored 20-plus in nine straight games this season, including 28 points in both games against Crossroads League foes.
INSIDE THE BOX
IWU jumped out to a quick 13-4 lead to start the game. USF would tie things up at 21 apiece with eight minutes remaining in the first half. Austin Compton would knock down a triple to end the half, giving USF a two-point lead.
Ten different Wildcats saw action, with eight scoring a point.
Both teams combined to score 86 points in the paint, while USF’s bench poured in 27 points and IWU’s mustered six.