SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The Spring Arbor University women's basketball team gave undefeated Indiana Wesleyan University all it could handle Wednesday evening inside the McDonald Athletic Center.
 
Spring Arbor pushed the No. 2 ranked Wildcats down to the wire, trailing by two in the closing seconds, but the Cougars' upset bid came up just short falling by a final score of 62-58.
 
Emma Smieska led all scorers with 20 points and Alana Nelson followed with 15.
 
 
THE BASICS
SCORE: Spring Arbor 58, (2) Indiana Wesleyan 62
LOCATION: Spring Arbor, Mich. | McDonald Athletic Center
RECORDS: Spring Arbor 15-8 (8-5 CL), Indiana Wesleyan 23-0 (13-0 CL)
 
 
GAME NOTES

• Spring Arbor raced out to an 11-3 lead through the first five minutes of action. The Cougars stretched their lead to nine, 24-15, early in the second quarter.
• Indiana Wesleyan took the lead following a lengthy scoring run, but a last second basket by Megan Zeitz tied the game, 31-31, heading into halftime.
• After a back-and-forth third quarter, IWU threatened to pull away in the fourth. The Wildcats opened up an 11-point advantage, 58-47, with 2:13 remaining in the contest, but the Cougars refused to go away quietly.
• Emma Smieska and Sydney Aunins combined for eight straight points to bring SAU back within three, 58-55, with 24 seconds left. Following a pair of IWU free throws, Alana Nelson converted an old-fashioned three-point play to close the gap to two with 14 seconds remaining. However, the Wildcats were perfect at the charity stripe down the stretch to help them escape with the win.
• Smieska and Nelson finished in double figures with 20 and 15 points, respectively. Zeitz had nine points, seven rebounds and three assists.

 
 
UP NEXT
Spring Arbor visits Taylor University (6-16, 1-11 CL) on Saturday, Feb. 8. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.