SPRING ARBOR, MI. – The Spring Arbor men's basketball team came into Wednesday night's contest with an Indiana Wesleyan team that is receiving votes, looking to break out of a funk that had seen them drop 5 of their last 6 games. 
 
The first half began with both teams getting buckets quick, and Indiana Wesleyan had the early advantage, holding a 16-11 lead at the first media timeout. The Wildcats would keep that 5 point advantage, 21-16 at the second media break, as both teams traded 5 points apiece. From there, Spring Arbor went on a quick 7-0 run to claim the lead, courtesy of five points from Travis Grayson, and a bucket from Gabe Newhof. The two squads would trade the lead back and forth a few times before Spring Arbor claimed it for the rest of the half at the 5:29 mark, eventually taking a 43-40 advantage into the locker room. Gabe Newhof and Shane Ryske were catalysts offensively for the Cougars in the half, with Newhof leading all scorers in the period with 14, and Ryske adding 11 points, including three from behind the arc. 
 
The second half started out quiet, with nearly two minutes passing by before the first bucket; a Dante Favor three-ball; was scored. Favor's bucket started a 13-5 run for the Cougars to open the second stanza, extending Spring Arbor's halftime lead to 11, 56-45, at the 15-minute media timeout. IWU would trim their deficit to 6, 66-60 at the 10-minute media stoppage, but Spring Arbor would hold serve for the rest of the contest, not letting the Wildcats get within 5 and making some big shots down the stretch to claim a huge victory, 84-75. Newhof, Rykse, and Travis Grayson all produced big buckets in the period, with Newhof dropping 13 points, and Ryske and Grayson both adding 10 points. 
 
SCORE: Spring Arbor 84, Indiana Wesleyan 75
LOCATION: Spring Arbor, MI | American 1 Credit Union Arena
RECORDS: Spring Arbor 15-8, 7-6 | Indiana Wesleyan 15-8, 5-8
 
 
GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• Gabe Newhof had a huge game to lead the Cougars to victory, leading all scorers with 27 points, going 10-10 from the free throw line, and adding 6 rebounds, 4 steals and a block. Newhof also made his first career 3-pointer in the contest. 
• Along with Newhof's big performance, freshman Shane Rykse and junior Travis Grayson also provided huge contributions. Rykse poured in 21 points on an efficient 7 of 9 shooting, including 5 of 7 from deep. He also added 2 rebounds and an assist. Grayson scored 19 points, joining Newhof by also going a perfect 10-10 from the charity stripe. He also recorded 4 assists, a steal and a rebound. 
• Dante Favor and Kevyn Robertson also filled up the stat sheet in different ways. Favor chipped in 8 points, secured 6 rebounds, and dished out 2 assists, along with a block. Robertson had 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 6 points.  
• The win marks the first victory for Spring Arbor over Indiana Wesleyan since 2018, breaking an 11-game losing streak against the Wildcats. 
• Indiana Wesleyan was led in scoring by Luke Brown and Griffin Kliewer, with Brown scoring 22 points, on 7 of 14 shooting, including 5 of 9 from 3, and Kliewer adding 21 points on 8 of 16 shooting, and 3 of 6 from deep. 

 
TEAM STATS:
FG Percentage: Indiana Wesleyan 47.2%, Spring Arbor 47.1%
3PT Percentage: Indiana Wesleyan 52.4%, Spring Arbor 47.6%
FT Percentage: Indiana Wesleyan 63.6%, Spring Arbor 92.9%
Rebounds: Indiana Wesleyan 29, Spring Arbor 33
Assists: Indiana Wesleyan 13, Spring Arbor 17
Turnovers: Indiana Wesleyan 11, Spring Arbor 7
Points off Turnovers: Indiana Wesleyan 5, Spring Arbor 16
2^nd Chance Points: Indiana Wesleyan 7, Spring Arbor 10
Bench Points: Indiana Wesleyan 14, Spring Arbor 3
Points in Paint: Indiana Wesleyan 26, Spring Arbor 24
 
 
 
Next Up: 
The Cougars travel to Upland, Indiana to take on Taylor in more Crossroads League action on Saturday, February 8^th. Tip-off is at 3:00 PM