January 4, 2025
No. 2 IWU Hands No. 11 Cougars Their First Loss
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
- Jade Nutley: 18 points, 6-13 FG, 3-6 3PT, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
- Lilli Frasure: 9 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals.
- Izzy Reed: 6 points, 4 steals
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
FOLLOW THE WILDCATS