MARION, Ind. – It was anything but a silent night in Luckey Arena as a raucous crowed witnessed No. 6 Indiana Wesleyan secure a 95-86 win over Taylor (Ind.) in men’s basketball action. Kyle Mangas poured in 30 points to lead the Wildcats to their 13th consecutive victory in the IWU-TU Rivalry Game sponsored by Marion General Hospital.
GAME VITALS
- Score: Indiana Wesleyan def. Taylor, 95-86
- Records: Indiana Wesleyan 21-6, 12-3 Crossroads League | Taylor 15-12, 6-9 Crossroads League
- NAIA Top- 25 Rank: Indiana Wesleyan – No. 6 | Taylor – Not ranked
- Location: Luckey Arena | Indiana Wesleyan University | Marion, Indiana
STAT TRACKER
- Jacob Johnson: 10 points, 5-7 FG
- Evan Maxwell: 14 points, 6-9 FG, 7 rebounds
- Joel Okafor: 6 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists
- Kyle Mangas: 30 points, 12-21 FG, 5-5 FT, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals
- Grant Smith: 16 points, 5-7 FG, 2 steals
- Ben Carlson: 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- The Trojans were able to gain a one point lead early in the second half. The Wildcats responded with a 13-2 run to lead 74-64 at the midway point of the half and the Trojans could get no closer than 7 the rest of the night.
- Indiana Wesleyan shot 60.6-percent in the opening half on 20-of-33 shooting and finished at 58.6-percent (34 of 58).
- Indiana Wesleyan has won 13 straight games against Taylor and 19 of the last 21. Coach Greg Tonagel improves to 24-5 all-time vs. the Grant County rival.
- Kyle Mangas breached the 30-point plateau for the fourth time this season.
COACH TONAGEL SAYS…
- “I have to give Taylor a lot of credit. They played really well and they pushed us tonight. And I saw another gear in our own team. We took a good shot and we continued to play. I am really proud of the different ways our guys are stepping up.”
NEXT TIME OUT
- Indiana Wesleyan battles No. 3 Saint Francis (Ind.) on Saturday in a top-10 showdown. The game starts at 3 p.m. in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Huntington (Ind.) upset Saint Francis tonight and IWU and USF are now tied atop the Crossroads League standings with three games to play.