Before the NAIA DII men’s and women’s basketball tournaments were cancelled due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus, the IWU Wildcats’ season came to an end on Thursday morning as they were defeated by Dakota Wesleyan 78-67 in the NAIA National Championship Round of 32.
The Wildcats fell behind early, shooting just 36 percent in the first quarter, while the Tigers of DWU shot 50 percent (7-of-14) to build a 17-10 lead after the opening 10 minutes.
IWU found their groove in the second quarter, outscoring the Tigers 23-13 to a 33-30 halftime advantage.
However, in the second half, the Wildcats had no answer for DWU’s leading scorer Kynedi Cheeseman, who scored 13 of her 22 points in the third quarter. Dakota Wesleyan turned the tables on the Wildcats, scoring 28 points in the frame to take control of the contest.
In their final game of the 2019-2020 season, the Wildcats shot 46.3 percent from the field (25-of-54) and 37.5 percent (five-of-14) from beyond the arc.
Anne Secrest ended her comeback junior season with 21 points, leading the team, while Carly Lange wrapped up her brilliant IWU career with 16 points and nine rebounds. Jene’e Goodwin did not score any points but finished her final game with six rebounds and five assists.
IWU ended the season with a 23-10 record.
