LA CROSSE, WIS. – Reggie Shipp (Jr.-Aurora, Ill.) finished with a double-double but Iowa Wesleyan College couldn’t stop five Viterbo (Wis.) University players in double figures in a 74-65 loss to the V-Hawks Saturday evening on Viterbo’s Homecoming.
The Tigers cut a 23-point second half deficit to seven in the final minute, but were done in ultimately by a prolonged cold spell in the first half. Wesleyan dropped its seventh straight game and fell to 8-18 overall, 3-12 in the Midwest Collegiate Conference, while Viterbo stayed in the race for the conference title by improving to 10-4 in league (12-13 overall).
IWC scored 10 points in the game’s first four minutes but then tallied just nine points the rest of the half, shooting 23.3% in the first half. Included in that spell was a span of 10:27 when the Tigers scored just two points. The V-Hawks finished the half on a 24-9 run and led 33-19 at halftime, making good use of a big height advantage to outscore the Tigers 20-8 in the paint in the half.
Wesleyan shot slightly better in the second half but played catch-up the rest of the way. The V-Hawks extended the lead to 18 points early in the half, and held the lead around 15 points before a 7-0 run made it 60-37 with 8:43 remaining in the game.
Despite seemingly being out of it, the Tigers continued to battle and knocked the deficit under 10 points in the final minute. Shipp and Jared Callanan (Sr.-Bennington, Vt.) both hit multiple three-pointers and IWC got as close as seven points at 69-62 with 41 seconds left before the V-Hawks closed it out at the free throw line.
Shipp finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out in the final minute. Callanan added 18 points and with his four three-pointers moved past Drake Ford (2000-02) for tenth all-time in three-pointers made at Wesleyan. The senior currently has 136 career three-point makes in his two years at IWC.
The Tigers finished shooting 35.5%, making 22 of 62 field goal tries. IWC also hit 9 of 26 three-point tries (34.6%). Patrick Macki (Sr.-London, England) added 11 points.
Viterbo shot 41.4%, making 24 of 58 shots, and out-rebounded the Tigers 42-35. Scott Buschman had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Ryan Ambrose also had 17 points including four of the V-Hawks’ three-pointers, four more than the team averages on the season.
The Tigers wrap up the regular season next Saturday at home against Waldorf College for Senior Day. Game time at Ruble Arena will be 3 p.m. An online audio broadcast will be available 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 Viterbo 74 IWC 65
