MARION, Ind. – No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan University men’s basketball opened postseason play with a statement as the Wildcats defeated Huntington (Ind.) 94-62 in the Crossroads League Tournament Quarterfinals. Indiana Wesleyan shot 59-percent for the night and dished out 24 assists in the 32-point victory.
EARLY OFFENSIVE ASSAULT
The Wildcats scored early and often during the first 16 minutes of the game. IWU built a 46-22 advantage on a Trevor Waite 3-pointer with 4:07 left in the opening half. The Wildcats ran off a 28-8 run during that span to highlight the first half of play.
PASSING THE ROCK
Indiana Wesleyan passed out 24 assists on 38 made buckets. Grant Smith finished with a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists and he averaged 7.3 assists in three games this season vs. Huntington.
CONTROLLING THE GLASS
The Wildcats outrebounded the Foresters 43-25 in addition to scoring 50 points in the paint. Five Wildcats grabbed five or more rebounds and were led by Evan Maxwell with seven.
TONAGEL THOUGHTS
“I thought our guys were locked in and they came ready to play. It started on the defensive end. On Saturday, I didn’t think we guarded too well and today was a step in the right direction. We were 15-2 in assist/turnover ratio in the first half. Our offense is already very efficient and when we get shots and don’t turn it over it becomes just that much more potent.”
NEXT FOR THE WILDCATS
Indiana Wesleyan hosts No. 9 Marian (Ind.) on Saturday in the Crossroads League Tournament Semifinals. Marian defeated Saint Francis (Ind.) 72-58 to advance to the final four of the league tournament. Tip-off for the game on Saturday is 3 p.m. in Luckey Arena.