Washington Evening Journal
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Iowa Wesleyan sweeps Ozarks
Tiger women hang on, men roll in 2-0 day at Ruble Arena
Andy Krutsinger
Dec. 5, 2022 12:02 pm
MT. PLEASANT — A six hour trip for the College of the Ozarks basketball teams ended with two losses to an Iowa Wesleyan basketball program that has been buzzing so far this season.
The Tigers secured another sweep in a non-conference doubleheader. The women had to cling on to a 68-65 win, and the men dominated, 95-62.
Iowa Wesleyan looked good early in the women’s game. The Tigers pounded the ball inside over and over and over, scoring bucket after bucket on set plays to Isabell West. West scored 19 points in the first half, 11 of which came in the opening quarter.
“That was something we felt we could take advantage of,” said Iowa Wesleyan coach Steve Williamson. “Isabell has been playing really well inside, and the more we get the ball inside, it opens up our shooters on the perimeter.”
Iowa Wesleyan’s lead was 50-43 lead after three quarters, and the Tigers ran that up to 11 points with less than 3 minutes left, but College of the Ozarks put together a big run at the end of the game.
Offensive rebounds and clutch shots brought the Bobcats within a bucket of the Tigers. Ozarks hit a 3-pointer off of an offensive board with 17 seconds left to cut it down to one, at 66-65.
“We just didn't make plays in the last two minutes of the game,” Williamson said. “We thought we had it wrapped up, and it almost bit us in the butt.”
Kyla Moore got fouled with 15 seconds left and made two clutch free throws. The Bobcats saw a last-second 3-pointer rim out, and Iowa Wesleyan survived.
West ended the game with 35 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks to lead the Tigers. Moore had 15 points. Maci Kuchta scored eight. Breanna Wendland had six, and Brielle Baker scored four.
The Tiger men were red-hot to start the game, jumping out to an 8-0 advantage in the first two minutes. Ozarks came back to cut the lead to one possession early in the half, but the rest of the game was all Iowa Wesleyan.
The Tigers shot 10-for-17 from 3-point land in the first half. Four of those made threes came from Gacoby Jones, who scored 14 first-half points to lead Iowa Wesleyan to a 53-31 halftime advantage.
“He's finally getting back fully healthy, which is huge for our team,” said Iowa Wesleyan head coach Jordan Ashton. “Everybody knows how big of a piece he is, and when our team is fully healthy, we're truly at our best.”
The Tigers kept cruising in the second half, scoring 42 more points to push the lead past 30.
“I didn't think our energy was great in the first half,” Ashton said. “But in the second half, we kind of took care of business.”
Jones scored 18 points to lead the Tiger men. Joey Brown IV had 15 points nad six rebounds. Allante Pickens scored 14 points and led the team with four steals. Henry Shannon had 11.
Victor Munoz and Dylan Hurley each scored nine points for the Tiger men. Carver Locke and Francis Okwuosah had seven points each. Hakeen Odunsi Michael Alexander scored two points each, and Jaylen Washington had one.
The Tiger men are now 11-1 and will play at Western Illinois on Wednesday night. The women moved to 8-3, and will take on Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana on Dec. 13.
Iowa Wesleyan’s Breanna Wendland flies in for a layup during the Tiger women’s basketball team’s win over College of the Ozarks on Saturday. (Andy Krutsinger/The Union)
Iowa Wesleyan’s Kyla Moore lets go of a 3-pointer on Saturday against College of the Ozarks. (Andy Krutsinger/The Union)
Iowa Wesleyan’s Maci Kuchta handles the ball on Saturday against College of the Ozarks. (Andy Krutsinger/The Union)
Iowa Wesleyan’s Allante Pickens flies in for a layup during the Tigers’ win over College of the Ozarks on Saturday. (Andy Krutsinger/The Union)
Gacoby Jones puts up a 3-pointer for the Iowa Wesleyan men’s basketball team on Saturday. (Andy Krutsinger/The Union)
Iowa Wesleyan’s Carver Lock takes a layup against College of the Ozarks on Saturday. (Andy Krutsinger/The Union)