DES MOINES – Grand View University shot 50% from the field and used a 15-4 run to close out the game, finally pulling away late to win 74-57 over a stubborn Iowa Wesleyan College men’s basketball team Wednesday night.
IWC lost its sixth straight game but once again gave one of the Midwest Collegiate Conference’s top teams a handful, pushing the conference leaders before dropping to 8-17 overall, 3-11 in the MCC. Grand View improved to 21-6 overall and moved to 10-4 in the conference, holding its half game lead in the league standings over Viterbo (Wis.) University.
The Tigers hung around all night against the #16 ranked Vikings, never leading after making the opening basket of the game but getting within a point three times in the second half and trailing by just six points with less than four minutes left in the game. Jared Callanan (Sr.-Bennington, Vt.) tied his career high of 22 points set on Saturday against Mount Mercy, and along with Reggie Shipp (Jr.-Aurora, Ill.) the two almost single-handedly kept IWC in the game offensively.
Callanan hit five three-pointers in the first half for a total of 15 points as Wesleyan trailed 32-27 at halftime. The Tigers tied the game on three occasions and staved off a late 7-0 run by the Vikings to trail by just five at the break.
IWC cut the deficit to one on three occasions early in the second half, the final time after Patrick Macki (Sr.-London, England) scored a layup on a strong take to the basket to make it 36-35 with 17:27 left. Grand View made its move soon after, though, with 10 straight points as part of an 18-6 run that resulted in a 54-41 lead with 12:19 to play.
The Tigers would not quit, though, and Shipp would score nine of Wesleyan’s next 12 points. The junior guard would go coast to coast for a layup with 4:17 left to make it 59-53, but IWC would get no closer. The Vikings converted two three-point plays to put the game out of reach and added a final three-pointer in the final seconds to close the game out and avenge Wesleyan’s 63-59 win over GVU on Jan. 13 in Mount Pleasant.
Callanan finished making 6 of 11 three-point tries, while Shipp added 13 points, all in the second half. Brett Azinger (Fr.-Montrose, Iowa) added eight points. The Tigers shot 41.2%, making 21 of 51 shots.
IWC will face another tough task on Saturday when it travels to La Crosse, Wis., to face Viterbo for the V-Hawks’ Homecoming. Game time will be at 6 p.m., and the game will be broadcast online 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 #16 GVU 74 IWC 57
