IW men lose halftime lead

EUREKA, Ill. - The Iowa Wesleyan men's basketball team dropped its St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener at Eureka on Saturday. The Tigers blew a three-point halftime lead and fell 85-78.

After falling behind early, Iowa Wesleyan rallied to take a one-point lead in the first half on a 3-pointer by Kaleb Cresswell. Sy Sanchez hit a couple of free throws with 33 seconds left to give the Tigers a 39-36 halftime advantage.

Iowa Wesleyan's lead hit 11 in the second half before Eureka began to claw back. The Red Devils took a 65-62 advantage with 7:41 remaining and never looked back.

Cresswell had a monster game despite the loss, finishing with 28 points. He went a ridiculous 7-for-8 from behind the 3-point line. Jarryd Fernandes added 24 points and 14 rebounds.

Alex Dentlinger scored seven points in the loss. Sy Sahcnez scored six. Marvin Saintolien and David Seber scored five apiece, and Jett Tjaden ended the night with three.

Iowa Wesleyan is now 1-3 overall and 0-1 in conference play. The Tigers will play at Blackburn College this weekend.