|
02.10.07
- Alex Kock and Jared
Yoder hit five three-pointers apiece to lead the NAIA Division II
8th-ranked Foresters (24-4, 12-2) past the 3rd-ranked Wildcats of
Indiana Wesleyan University (24-3, 12-2) 76-71.
The first half played
out as you would expect between two ranked teams battling for the top
spot in the MCC standings. Neither team was able to build more
than a four-point lead as the period saw 10 lead changes and five
ties. The Foresters were down three for their last possession of
the half when Kock nailed his third trey to knot the score at 32-32 at
the break.
Kock then opened
the second half with his fourth bomb to give HU the 35-32 lead and the
Foresters never trailed again. HU was able to build an
eight-point advantage on three occasions with the last coming at 61-53
with 9:41 left to play. The Wildcats finally put together the
run everyone expected to pull within one at 63-62 on a three from Jon
Moon at the 5:01 mark.
Then it was Yoder's
turn. He answered Moon with his fourth trey of the game to give
HU a 66-62 lead. After trading misses, Luke Smith scored on a
driving layup to push the Foresters' margin to 68-62 with two minutes
to go. Joel Tonagel made it a one possession game with a three
for IWU, but again Yoder had the answer. His fifth longball of
the contest helped the Foresters regain a six-point lead with just
over a minute left. The Wildcats were then forced to foul and HU
went 5-6 at the stripe to seal the win.
Kock, who scored 19
points in the first half, finished with a game-high 31 points and 10
boards. He was 12-17 from the field, which included a perfect
5-5 from behind the arc. Yoder picked a good time to score his career
high 17 points, and Kyle Ganton and Doug Sheckler both added 11
points.
Ganton entered the
game needing five points to reach the 2000-point milestone of his
career. He reached the mark on a three-pointer at the 14:11 mark
of the first half and joined five other Foresters in the elite club.
His career total now stands at 2006 points.
Five Wildcats
scored in double figures with Tonagel and Moon leading the way with 15
points each. IWU out-rebounded HU 29-23, but the Foresters shot
54% from the field to 49% for IWU.
Box Score
|
