Wesleyan claws out another defensive struggle for third straight win

FOREST CITY ? Anna Jones scored nearly half of her team?s points and the Iowa Wesleyan College women?s basketball team used another tough defensive effort for a 48-35 win over Waldorf College Wednesday night.

Jones scored 22 of IWC?s 48 points and the Tigers got back into Midwest Collegiate Conference play with a win to improve to 6-7 overall and 2-2 in conference. Wesleyan also won its third straight game, while pulling even with Waldorf in the conference standings as the Warriors dropped to 4-10 overall and 2-2 in the MCC.

The Tigers held Waldorf to 25 percent field goal shooting, limiting the hosts to 12-for-48 shooting. The Warriors also committed 27 turnovers and scored no more than 18 points in a half, including just 17 points as IWC took a 29-17 halftime lead.

Wesleyan held Waldorf to just one field goal in the final 11:35 of the first half on the way to a double-digit lead at the break. The Tigers then held off a Warrior rally in the second half, holding Waldorf scoreless for 7:44 after IWC?s lead shrunk to just one at 31-30 after BreeAnn Hageman?s basket in the paint with 11:28 to play.

Wesleyan was good enough offensively, shooting 34.1 percent (15 of 44) and committing just three turnovers in the first half. The Tigers had their own shooting drought in the second half, going nearly ten minutes without a field goal to start the second half as Waldorf closed within one. IWC pulled back away though with a 10-0 run capped by two free throws by Samantha Hodge making it 41-30 with 4:54 to play, and the Warriors got no closer than eight the rest of the way.

Ashley Kruse added 13 points and tied Jones for the team lead in rebounds with seven. Michelle Price also added seven points. Jones and Danielle Des Jardins also both had five steals each and Kruse added four as IWC finished with 17 steals.

Hageman led Waldorf with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Warriors out-rebounded Wesleyan 34-23, including 18 offensive rebounds, but could only turn it into nine second chance points.

Wesleyan returns home Saturday to face rival William Penn University at 1 p.m. at Ruble Arena in another MCC game.