MARION, Ind. – Kyle Mangas poured in 39 points as No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan University men’s basketball overcame a 17 point deficit in the second half to win 87-85 over No. 13 Indiana Tech. Mangas scored 27 of his points in the second half and Canaan Coffey hit the game-winning 3 pointer in the final minute to complete the comeback.
LEADING WHEN IT MATTERS
Indiana Wesleyan opened with a 2-0 lead but that was the last lead that IWU had until Canaan Coffey drilled a 3-pointer from the corner with 48 seconds left on the clock for an 87-85 advantage. The bucket accounted for the only three points in the game for Coffey and was the final points of the game.
Indiana Tech held a game-high 17-point cushion at 49-32 with 17:55 left in the game before Indiana Wesleyan meticulously chipped away at the deficit. IWU managed 30 points in the opening half but 57 points in the final 20 minutes.
MANGAS DELIVERS
Kyle Mangas finished with 39 points on 14-of-22 shooting and 9-of-11 from the free throw line, including 27-second half points on 9-of-12 shooting. He missed the 40-point plateau by one point which has only been done eight times in IWU history. The sophomore opened the second half with 12 of the first 15 Wildcat points in just four and a half minutes.
FOUL!
The top-25 showdown featured 53 combined fouls and 55 combined free throw attempts. Evan Maxwell and Seth Maxwell were both out of the game because of fouls with eight minutes still remaining. After a slow start at the foul line, the Wildcats connected on 17-of-19 attempts (89-percent) in the second half.
TONAGEL THOUGHTS
“The great thing about this team is at halftime they knew how they played and what had to change. When I walked in there at half they had already talked about it. When a team leads itself, there is a lot of hope for the coaching staff. I didn’t have to go in there and light a fire. They talked about it and now we are going to hold you to it.”
NEXT FOR THE WILDCATS
Indiana Wesleyan returns to Crossroads League play when games resume after the New Year’s holiday. IWU opens 2019 with a home date vs. Bethel (Ind.) at 3 p.m. on January 5.