Tigers split in first two games back

The Iowa Wesleyan women’s basketball team made its return this past weekend, winning on Saturday, 77-34, over the College of the Ozarks Bobcats and losing on Sunday, 79-64, to Wartburg College Knights.

Before the matchup with the Bobcats, the Tigers hadn’t played a game in over a month. That was not a problem for Iowa Wesleyan.

The Tigers played stifling defense, limiting the Bobcats to just seven points in the first quarter.

Iowa Wesleyan kept the pressure on heading into the second, and at the half it showed with a 20 point lead, 35-15.

In the second half, nothing changed. Iowa Wesleyan went on to outscore its first half, putting up 42 points, while holding the Bobcats to 19.

Brittany West led the Tigers scoring efforts with 22 points. West also finished with five rebounds and three assists.

Breanna Wendland wasn’t far behind, finishing with 20 points and three rebounds.

Kyla Moore capped off the Tigers performance with a double-double, tallying 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Iowa Wesleyan shot 40% from the field and 33% from three, while the defense held the Bobcats to 22% from the field and a lowly 5% from three.

The Tigers also accumulated 21 second-chance points and 12 points off turnovers to the Bobcats four and two.

In the Tiger’s second contest of the weekend, they struggled.

By the halftime whistle, the Knights had built up a 40-23 lead. Despite, battling back in the second half, it would be a deficit of which the Tigers could not overcome.

West once again led the Tigers in scoring, pouring in 25 points, while grabbing five rebounds. Wendland finished with 15 in the game.

Iowa Wesleyan will return to the court on Jan. 21 hosting the CAC Classic at Ruble Arena. The Tigers will take on Haskell Indian Nations College in their first game.