If ever the Indiana Wesleyan University men’s basketball team needed a win against crosstown rival Taylor University, Tuesday was that night. IWU went into the game looking up at Huntington, Saint Francis and Marian in the Crossroads League standings with a 4-2 conference record. But the Wildcats’ defense played one of its best games of the season, leading IWU to a 71-52 victory.
Tyler Greathouse (jr) spots up for a three-point shot. Greathouse grabbed four rebounds in just over 10 minutes on the court.
Wildcats coach Greg Tonagel understood just how important this mid-season matchup was.
“We’ve lost two home games so we can’t slip up anymore,” Tonagel said. “Protecting home court every single night is going to be important for us.”
The Wildcats took that urgency and raced out to a fast start. Taylor came up scoreless in its first seven possessions of the ballgame, allowing IWU to take an early 7-0 lead.
And the Wildcats never looked back.
The closest the Trojans would get the rest of the night was a three-point deficit midway through the first half. IWU held Taylor to 22 first-half points, coasting to a comfortable and satisfying win.
“It’s obviously a big game because of the history, the rivalry; the proximity of schools,” Tonagel said. “It’s pretty neat that the community gets involved.”
The fans also get into this game in particular, packing out Luckey Arena to the delight of the Wildcats.
“I love the student section tonight, they were awesome,” Tonagel said. “They came out, they were rowdy, they were loud; we feed off of that and they give us a lot of energy.”
But the team’s motivation and the game’s intensity depends more on the situation than the history.
“I think it has more to do with where they’re at in the league and it’s so early in the league right now,” Tonagel said. “It’s still intense, but I think if both teams are at the top or both teams are in the middle it probably means a little bit more.”
Jordan Weidner (sr) sizes up his defender as he initiates the Wildcat offense. Weidner’s six assists led all players.
RJ Mahurin (sr) led all scorers with 24 points on the night, while his brother Lane Mahurin (fr) added 15 points of his own. Jordan Weidner (sr) contributed 14 points to the cause, along with a game-high six assists. Bob Peters (fr) scored eight points for IWU, including a pair of three-pointers.
But the hero of the night was the Wildcats’ defense, which surrendered its second-lowest point total of the season.
“Our defense was solid tonight,” Tonagel said. “We didn’t have many execution errors so we forced them to make a lot of tough shots.”
IWU’s next game is another key conference matchup at home against Spring Arbor University. The Wildcats and Cougars tip off in Luckey Arena on Saturday, Jan. 18.
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