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Wildcats Still Dancing After Upset of No. 2-Seed Rio Grande
March 14, 2026

Wildcats Still Dancing After Upset of No. 2-Seed Rio Grande

RIO GRANDE, OH — Indiana Wesleyan Women's Basketball upset the University of Rio Grande, 86-80, on Saturday in Newt Oliver Arena. This win advances IWU to the NAIA Round of 16 in Sioux City, IA for the sixth straight year. The Wildcats capitalized on their bench strength, contributing 43 points, to secure the victory. Emily Mattingly played a crucial rol for the Wildcats, setting career highs in points (29) and assists (7) in a near triple-double effort off the bench.

THE ESSENTIALS

  • Location: Rio Grande, OH | Newt Oliver Arena
  • Records: IWU: 19-13 | URG: 31-2
  • Seed: IWU - 10 | URG - 2


FIRST QUARTER

  • The Wildcats opened with a quick layup by Addi Hovey at 9:43, taking an early lead.
  • URG responded with a layup at 8:30 by Sophia Kline, sparking a brief exchange of leads.
  • At 4:59, Josie Graves' layup expanded URG's largest lead to four points.
  • IWU closed the quarter with a layup by Ayla Krygier to tie the game at 16-16.

SECOND QUARTER

  • The red and grey jumped to an early lead with a 3-pointer from Tori Thompson at 9:05, making it 21–18.
  • URG responded with a scoring run, including a 3-pointer by Marlee Grinstead at 7:26, tying the game at 25.
  • At 2:55, Marina Garcia Perez hit two free throws to give URG a 29–28 advantage.
  • Sophia Kline extended URG's lead with a fastbreak layup at 0:41, closing the quarter at 37–31 in favor of URG.

THIRD QUARTER

  • The Wildcats surged with a 9–0 run early in the quarter, including a pivotal 3-pointer by Krygier at 8:49, to overcome an initial deficit.
  • IWU capitalized on URG turnovers, converting them into fast-break points, highlighted by Emily Mattingly's layup at 2:26 to tie the game.
  • Indiana Wesleyan extended its lead with a significant sequence at 2:19, where Mattingly hit four consecutive free throws following a technical foul.
  • The red and grey led 60–53 at the end of the third quarter.

FOURTH QUARTER

  • IWU established a 10-point advantage with Mattingly's 3-pointer at 9:48.
  • URG chipped away at the lead with a 6-point run, highlighted by Allie Ellyson's 3-pointer at 8:31.
  • Mattingly responded with a crucial 3-pointer at 6:57, maintaining IWU's edge.
  • After RIo Grande tied the game at 75 with 2:31 remaining in the game, the Wildcats closed on an 11-5 run. This run included a dagger three from Myla Browing at 1:18 to put IWU up 4.
  • Indiana Wesleyan secured the win, closing the period with effective free-throw shooting by Mattingly, ending at 86–80.

 

KEY WILDCATS


LOOKING AHEAD

  • The Wildcats advance to Sioux City, IA where they will face Dakota State on March 19th at 4:00 PM ET.
  • Links for Live Stats and Video will be available at IWUWildcats.com.

 

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