MARION, Ind. – The Spring Arbor University women's basketball team fell to No. 4 ranked Indiana Wesleyan University 83-62 in the Crossroads League Tournament Semifinals on Saturday.
Spring Arbor gave Indiana Wesleyan all it could handle for most of the afternoon and took a 56-55 lead into the fourth quarter. But, the Wildcats opened the final period on a 7-0 run and were ultimately able to pull away and secure their spot in the championship game.
Alana Nelson finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds while dishing out five assists.
Alayna Kulesza and
Megan Zeitz also scored in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
THE BASICS
SCORE: Spring Arbor 62, (4) Indiana Wesleyan 83
LOCATION: Marion, Ind.
RECORDS: Spring Arbor 19-11, Indiana Wesleyan 28-2
GAME NOTES
- Spring Arbor kept pace with No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan for most of the game.
- The Wildcats took an eight-point lead into halftime, 43-35, but a third quarter surge gave SAU the lead heading into the fourth.
- In the third quarter, Spring Arbor outscored IWU 21-12. Alana Nelson and Emma Smieska combined for 13 points in the period, including a 3-pointer by Nelson at the buzzer to give the Cougars a 56-55 advantage – the team's first lead of the day.
- Indiana Wesleyan responded with a 7-0 run to start the fourth quarter. The Wildcats held SAU to 2-of-9 shooting and outscored the Cougars 28-6 over the final 10 minutes to advance to the Crossroads League Tournament Championship.
- Nelson extended her double-double streak to six straight games with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Kulesza followed with 11 points and Zeitz followed with 10. Smieska finished with eight points and four assists.
UP NEXT
Spring Arbor will look for an at-large berth into the NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship when the NAIA unveils the bracket with a selection show on Thursday, Mar. 6 at 7 p.m.
