Griffin run over Iowa Wesleyan in hopes of tournament play

St. Louis, Mo. - Tonight Fontbonne men's basketball defended the homestead in a decisive 82-53 victory over Iowa Wesleyan (IW). The win gives the Griffins a 6-5 SLIAC record, but the team is still tied for third with four other teams in the tightest SLIAC race yet.

In an unusually slow slow start to the game, neither team scored until Kody Ettinger sank his first trey almost three minutes into the game. Before the first bucket, Fontbonne junior Trey Watkins had already totaled four rebounds. The transfer would record 10 on the night, all in the first half.

The Griffins then jumped out to a 6-0 start and IW managed to get on the scoreboard when Steven Archibald layed in the easy bucket with 14 minutes to play before the break. Fontbonne continued to extend their lead by scoring six straight points to lead 13-2 on another trey by Ettinger. Fontbonne reached 22 points before IW hit double-digits. The Griffins went on an 11-0 run and led 32-12 for their largest lead of the first half with 1:23 left to go.

Scoring continued for Fontbonne into the second half, including from those hot off the bench. After Ettinger totaled six three-pointers and 22 points in 27 minutes, Rio Justice Chandler decided to show fans his talents. Chandler dropped six of eight buckets and went two-of-three from long range for a total of 14 points in about seven minutes. Jared Greenlee, who was honored before the game for earning his 1000th career point, recorded 12 points and 11 rebounds to aid in the win.

Fontbonne's shot 77.8% at the charity stripe and dominated field goal percentage, shooting 44.8% compared to IW's 29.3%. The Griffins also dominated on the boards with a 52-30 advantage.

Fontbonne is on the road at Spalding this weekend and again next Wednesday at Westminster. The Griffins return home on Saturday, Feb. 6th to host the Big Bend Showdown with Webster.