FOREST CITY – Iowa Wesleyan College outscored Waldorf College 27-8 over the final 12 minutes of the game, turning a close game for more than 30 minutes into an 85-66 win Saturday in Midwest Collegiate Conference action at Hanson Fieldhouse.
The Tigers and Warriors were separated by no more than six points the entire game until IWC took control late, finishing the game strong for its third conference win of the season. Wesleyan improved to 3-5 in the MCC, 8-11 overall, and moved one game ahead of Waldorf (6-12 overall, 2-6 MCC) in the standings.
Wesleyan won on the strength of an efficient offensive game, shooting 50.8% for the afternoon lifted by 17 of 29 (58.6%) shooting in the second half. The Tigers also hit 10 three-pointers and committed just seven turnovers, a season low.
IWC led 44-42 at halftime, holding a tenuous lead most of the half as Brett Azinger (Fr.-Montrose, Iowa) and Jared Callanan (Sr.-Bennington, Vt.) carried the team offensively early on. Both scored 11 points in the first half, with Azinger scoring early and Callanan warming up from three-point range later in the half. Reggie Shipp (Jr.-Aurora, Ill.) also added 10 points in the first half.
The teams went back and forth for first eight minutes of the second half until the Tigers surged late. IWC switched to a zone defense that seemed to throw off the rhythm of the Waldorf offense, and the Tigers got balanced scoring down the stretch with a number of players hitting big shots. Callanan scored eight straight points helping Wesleyan take the lead for good, and he got plenty of help as nine different players scored in the second half for IWC.
Callanan finished with a game-high 19 points, hitting 7 of 11 shots including five of eight three-point tries. Azinger and Shipp both added 16 points each. Five other players scored at least six points each, including Jamal Blackmond (Fr.-Aurora, Ill.), who scored seven points and added a team-best eight rebounds.
Waldorf had five players score in double figures led by Lorenzo Griffin with 16 points. The Warriors got just seven points off their bench, though, compared to 34 for IWC. Waldorf shot 40% for the game (24-for-60) and made six of 20 from beyond the arc (30%).
Wesleyan begins the second half of the MCC schedule on Monday with a trip to William Penn University. Game time in Oskaloosa will be 7:30 p.m. The Statesmen won the teams’ first meeting 93-62 in Mount Pleasant on Dec. 2. Monday’s men’s/women’s doubleheader will be broadcast live on the IWC Web site at www.iwc.edu/onlinemedia.
For more information regarding the IWC basketball programs or any of the Tiger athletic teams, contact sports information director Adam Glatczak (319-385-6306 phone; 319-385-6384 FAX; aglatczak@iwc.edu e-mail) or log on to IWC's athletics web site at www.iwc.edu/athletics.
Box score IWC 85 Waldorf 66
