WAVERLY, Iowa -- The Wartburg College men's basketball team (16-9 overall, 8-8 IIAC) stunned Buena Vista (14-11, 10-6) on Saturday 88-77.



The victory punched Wartburg's ticket into the Iowa Conference tournament as the No. 6 seed.

The game was close in the first half with the biggest lead amounting to just four points in favor of the Knights in the first ten minutes of play. The Orange and Black then took control and held the advantage until the 3:18 mark when the Beavers tied it up 26-26. Wartburg fought back to end the half 38-29 in their favor.

In the second, Buena Vista began to chip away at the deficit and tied the game 45-45 with 14:28 left on the clock. With just 7:37 remaining, the Beavers led by six points, 65-59, but Wartburg responded. After a 4:31 mark 71-71 game, the Knights increased their margin until finishing with their largest lead of the contest, 11 points.

The Knights were led by junior Nate Woeste (Atkins) and senior Jordan Cannon (Bolingbrook, Ill.), who both scored 20 points. Woeste was 5-5 from the free throw line and tallied three shots from behind the arc. Senior Lenart Kalan (Skofja Loka, Slovenia) and sophomore Cam Kickbush (Reinbeck) each added 10 points to round out the double digit scorers.

The team's top rebounders were Cannon and sophomore Josh Gehling (Dyersville), grabbing five rebounds apiece. Kickbush recorded three steals.

The Knights will travel to Storm Lake on Tuesday to face the No. 3 Beavers at 8 p.m.