No. 2 IWU Hands No. 11 Cougars Their First Loss

No. 2 IWU Hands No. 11 Cougars Their First Loss
January 4, 2025

FORT WAYNE, IND. - No. 2 Indiana Wesleyan women's basketball handed No. 11 Saint Francis (Ind.) their first loss of the season on Saturday, defeating the Cougars 59-54. IWU struggled from the field in their first game of 2025, shooting just 32% and 34% from three. Jade Nutley had her best offensive game of the season with season highs in scoring (18), field goals (6), and three pointers (3).

 

THE ESSENTIALS

  • Location: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Hutzell Center
  • Records: IWU: 15-0, 5-0 | USF: 14-1, 4-1
  • NAIA Top-25 Rankings: IWU - #2 | USF - #11

WHAT HAPPENED

  • IWU held a 6 point advantage after a low scoring first quarter. Jade Nutley led the Wildcats with 5 points. 5 of the 6 Wildcat makes came from behind the arc, all coming from a different player.
  • The red and gray pushed their lead to 10 heading into halftime after shooting 40% in the second frame.
  • The Wildcat offense struggled to produce out of the break, hitting just 3 shots on 21% shooting. 6 made free throws and a strong defensive effort kept Indiana Wesleyan in front by 7 heading into the final quarter.
  • IWU only managed to get 5 shots up and committed 5 turnovers in the fourth, but they held the Cougars to 38% from the field and knocked down 9 of 12 free throws to pick up a big win over USF.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

  • 17: IWU got 17 points from their bench while the Cougars had 0.
  • 11: Indiana Wesleyan generated 11 points off of 7 offensive rebounds.
  • 22: The Wildcats were outscored in the paint for the second straight game 22-10.

KEY WILDCATS

LOOKING AHEAD

  • The Wildcats face Taylor in Upland on January 8th at 5:30 PM.
  • Links for video will be available at IWUWildcats.com

NEXT HOME GAME

  • IWU stays on the road until January 15th when they face Goshen at 5:00 PM in Luckey Arena.
  • Links for video and live stats will be available at IWUWildcats.com
  • Tickets can be purchased at IWUWildcats.com

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