Huntington Free Throws the Difference in Upset over IWU Men’s Basketball

HUNTINGTON, Ind. – Huntington (Ind.) was able to get to the free throw line at a high rate on Saturday and was plus-19 in made free throws as No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan University men’s basketball lost 87-84. The Foresters used a late 24-8 run to erase a 9-point Wildcat lead at the halfway point of the second half.

GAME VITALS

• Score:  Huntington def. Indiana Wesleyan, 87-84
• Records:  Indiana Wesleyan  8-2, 2-1 Crossroads League   |   Huntington 5-6, 1-2 Crossroads League
• NAIA Top- 25 Rank:  Indiana Wesleyan – No. 4   |   Huntington – Not ranked
• Location:   Platt Arena   |   Huntington University   |   Huntington, Indiana

STAT TRACKER

• Evan Maxwell:  17 points, 7-9 FG, 6 rebounds
• Kyle Mangas:  19 points, 6-9 FG, 3 assists
• Grant Smith:  10 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists
• Canaan Coffey:  11 points, 3-7 3FG, 5 rebounds

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

• Huntington ran off a 14-2 run to take their first lead of the second half. IWU had led 61-52 with 10:05 remaining in the game on a Ben Carlson free throw and the run gave HU a 66-63 lead, a lead they did not relinquish.
• Canaan Coffey hit a 3-pointer with 16 seconds on the clock to bring the Wildcats to within one at 85-84. IWU fouled Konner Platt with 15 seconds remaining and he connected on both free throws for an HU 87-84 advantage. Kyle Mangas took the final shot for the Wildcats but his 3 was off the mark to close out the game and the win for the Foresters.
• The Wildcats made seven more field goals in the game, including two more 3-pointers. But the Foresters were able to get to the foul line and took advantage of their opportunities. The Foresters connected on 80-percent of their free throws as they made 32-of-40 while the Wildcats struggled at a 54.2-percent clip on 13-of-24 shooting.
• Huntington commited 8 turnovers while Indiana Wesleyan had 16.

NEXT TIME OUT

• Indiana Wesleyan hosts Marian (Ind.) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in Luckey Arena.