#2 Indiana Wesleyan Halts Broncos Upset Bid, 73-67
(Honolulu, HI) – The Hastings Broncos fell just short of a massive upset of undefeated #2 Indiana Wesleyan on Friday in their Honolulu finale. Hastings rallied from a 12-point fourth quarter deficit to tie it late, before the Wildcats made a tough basket with 37 seconds left, along with some defensive stops to hold on to win, 67-61.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
12 | 17 | 17 | 21 | 67 |
|
|
18 | 18 | 21 | 16 | 73 |
Team Stats
Indiana Wesleyan (IN)
| Game Statistics | Hastings | Indiana Wesleyan (IN) |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (26-65) | (26-70) |
| Field Goal % | 40.0% | 37.1% |
| Rebounds | 43 | 45 |
| Assists | 14 | 14 |
| Turnovers | 16 | 16 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 14 | 13 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 12 | 5 |
| Bench Pts | 21 | 44 |
(Honolulu, HI) – The Hastings Broncos fell just short of a massive upset of undefeated #2 Indiana Wesleyan on Friday in their Honolulu Classic finale. Hastings rallied from a 12-point fourth quarter deficit to tie it late, before the Wildcats made a tough basket with 37 seconds left, along with some defensive stops to hold on to win, 67-61.
The Wildcats led 63-51 with 7:24 left in the game, but a steal and pass ahead by junior Mariyah Avila turned into a layup at the other end for freshman Ann Bose. That basket would be the first of what turned into a 12-0 run. Hastings trimmed the lead to eight on a bucket inside from sophomore Rachel Goodon with 7:09 to go.
Later in the fourth quarter, junior Macy Bryant forced a turnover and eventually sophomore Bailey Kissinger was fouled and made both free throws to bring the deficit to six at 63-57 with under six minutes to go. After a couple empty possessions by both teams, Bose attacked the rim for two, as they got to within four.
Hastings forced a couple of misses at the other end and Avila scored to get within four. A steal and layup by sophomore Tathis Arredondo tied the game up at 63 with 2:28 left. The Wildcats broke their scoring drought of nearly seven minutes with a layup to go up two with 1:15 left. Bryant got fouled at the other end and tied it up with 48 seconds left.
The Wildcats were able to get the ball inside and she scored on a tough up-and-under move, drawing a foul on Goodon in the process. She missed the free throw and Hastings pushed the pace off of the rebound, but Arredondo's pass inside to Goodon was too difficult to handle.
After a foul by the Broncos and two free throws by the Wildcats to go up four with 22 seconds left. Arredondo got a great open look from three with 13 seconds left, but it was off the mark, as the Wildcats got the rebound and held on for a 73-67 win.
Early on in the contest, with the game knotted at seven in the first quarter, Indiana Wesleyan closed the period on a 11-5 run to go up 18-12 going into the second quarter. The Wildcats led 22-14 with 8:21 left in the half, but the Broncos fought back with some great defense, going on an 11-2 run to go up 25-24 on a Bryant three-pointer with 4:42 left. Avila scored two field goals in the run, along with a basket each from Bose and Goodon.
The Wildcats bounced back with a 5-0 run to regain control. Hastings rallied again to tie it up at 29 with 3:12 left in the first half, but Indiana Wesleyan closed the half on a 7-0, capped off by a three-point buzzer beater to go up 36-29 at the half with momentum.
Bryant and Avila each scored a couple of early baskets in the third quarter to bring the deficit to two, but the Wildcats eventually stretched the lead back to seven midway through the quarter. With the Broncos trailing 47-42, the Wildcats scored 10 of the final 14 points of the quarter to take a 11-point lead heading to the fourth.
Bose drained a three and responded to a Wildcat layup with a layup of her own. Indiana Wesleyan responded with two straight buckets to go up 63-51 with 7:24 remaining. The Broncos would go on their 12-0 run from there, but the Wildcats made just enough big plays down the stretch to win 73-67 and maintain their undefeated record.
Hastings shot 40 percent from the field and held Indiana Wesleyan to 37 percent shooting and just 28 percent from behind the arc. In the second half, the Broncos shot 45 percent on field goals and held Indiana Wesleyan to 33 percent shooting. The Wildcats held a slim two-rebound advantage and had 44 points from their bench, compared to 21 for Hastings.
Bryant was a strong presence inside, finishing with 15 points and 10 rebounds, including four offensive, along with four steals. Avila added 14 points, two assists, and three steals, while Bose came off the bench to score 13 points and grab four rebounds. Goodon also had a solid performance on the boards with seven, along with her eight points.
Hastings will return to the court after their Christmas break in a home matchup with Sterling College on Monday, Dec. 30 at 1pm.
