MARION, Ind. – Indiana Wesleyan University freshman Kyle Mangas continues to open eyes in his debut season and produced the best of his young career on Saturday in an 89-82 overtime win against No. 2 Saint Francis (Ind.). Mangas nearly broke the 27-year old program scoring record with a 40-point performance that featured 33 points after halftime.
GAME VITALS
- Score: Indiana Wesleyan def. Saint Francis, 89-82 (OT)
- Records: Indiana Wesleyan 15-5, 6-2 Crossroads League | Saint Francis 17-3, 7-1 Crossroads League
- NAIA Top- 25 Rank: Indiana Wesleyan – No. 7 | Saint Francis – No. 2
- Location: Luckey Arena | Indiana Wesleyan University | Marion, Indiana
STAT TRACKER
- Jacob Johnson: 12 points, 5-7 FG, 6 rebounds, 4 assists
- Evan Maxwell: 14 points, 5-7 FG
- Joel Okafor: 8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals
- Kyle Mangas: 40 points, 13-22 FG, 10-11 FT, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
BREAKING DOWN THE KYLE MANGUS GAME
- Mangas scored 40 points which is the most in a Wildcat uniform since Bruce Smith scored a program-record 44 points vs. IU Kokomo in 1991.
- From the 9:37 mark in the second half to the 4:49 mark of overtime, Mangas scored 24 consecutive points for the Wildcats.
- Mangas poured in 29 points over the final 15 minutes of the game.
- Kyle Mangas buried his first 10 free throw attempts vs. USF but missed his final one which snapped a streak of 21 consecutive free throws made.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- The Cougars forced overtime on a fortuitous play to end regulation. Following a missed bucket Jacob Johnson tried to save the ball in the corner but the save attempt landed right in the hands of Derek Hinen who sank the game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.
- Saint Francis leading scorer Bryce Lienhoop (17.6 points) fouled out with 3:09 left in overtime with just 8 points on 3-of-11 shooting.
- There were 11 ties and 16 lead changes in the game.
- The loss ends a 16-game win streak for Saint Francis. The last USF loss was a 69-65 loss to Indiana Tech on November 4.
- The Wildcats have won five straight games in the series with the Cougars, dating back to the 2016 national championship game.
COACH TONAGEL SAYS…
- On the Kyle Mangas performance…
“What a game. Nobody has ever scored 40 in my 15 years here, let alone against the No. 2 team in the country who is pretty stout defensively. He is always in control, he makes good decisions, and he makes tough shots. He makes them from all over. He does it from the outside, he does it from the inside, and he drives it. He is a special kid.” - On the electric crowd at Luckey Arena…
“How about that atmosphere today. It was one of the best. They gave us a lift and I am so thankful for the students and community who came out. What a fun atmosphere to play in front of.”
NEXT TIME OUT
- Indiana Wesleyan returns to Luckey Arena on Tuesday with a Crossroads League matchup vs. Grace (Ind.). Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.