Iowa Wesleyan men’s basketball team rallies past Hannibal-Lagrange

HANNIBAL, Mo. — It took a second-half comeback, but the Iowa Wesleyan men’s basketball team was able to shake off a 5-game losing streak with a 78-67 defeat of Hannibal-Lagrange University on Saturday.

HLGU held the lead for the vast majority of the first half. The Trojans led by as much as six points in the first 20 minutes before the Tigers began to find their groove.

Iowa Wesleyan tied the game at 30-30 when Dylan Hurley drained a 3-pointer with one minute left in the first half. HLGU, however, scored the next four points, and it was 34-30 Trojans at the break.

The last lead for HLGU came with just over 15 minutes left in the game. Trailing 42-40, Iowa Wesleyan’s Joey Brown tied the game up with a jumper. Victor Munoz nailed a 3-pointer to give the Tigers a 45-42 lead, and that was an advantage they would never relinquish.

The Tigers led by as much as 14 points in the final six minutes of the game. They shot 14-for-26 from the field, 5-for-10 from 3-point land and 15-for-20 from the free-throw line in the last 20 minutes.

Brown scored 21 points in the game, 17 of which were in the second half, to lead the Tigers. He also dished out a team-leading four assists, and co-led the team with five rebounds.

Hurley finished the game with 13 points, and Jaylen Washington had 11 to give the Tigers three double-digit scorers.

Munoz scored 9 points for the Tigers. Francis Okwuosah had 6. Marvin Bateman finished the night with 6 points and 5 rebounds. Jett Tjaden scored 5 points, and both Kolby Williams and Jared Arellano finished with 4.

It was Iowa Wesleyan’s first win since a season-opening defeat of Waldorf University. The Tigers will take a 2-5 record into a scrimmage at Western Illinois on Tuesday before heading to Waldorf on Saturday.