MT. PLEASANT, Iowa - Westminster men's basketball suffered a 75-59 loss to Iowa Wesleyan Saturday, their third loss in the conference.

The Blue Jays fall to 7-9 overall and 6-3 in the SLIAC. 

"This was definitely a tough afternoon for our guys," said Westminster Head Coach Matt Mitchell. "We didn't handle our emotions well early when things weren't going our way. Our energy and effort was consistent but we let our poor shooting affect our mentality. IWC played very hard and deserved to win the game."

The Blue Jays remained within striking distance in the first half, but the Tigers took their biggest lead of the game with just over 13 minutes to play at 15-6. 

The Westminster scoring woes continued with the Tigers taking their first double-digit lead at 17-7 at the 13:09 mark, increasing it to 13 in the next possession. Six points from Kobe and Carter Wands and back-to-back buckets from Romo Tabb and Stu Hollandsworth put Westminster back within six points of the lead, but a Tiger 6-0 run gave Iowa Wesleyan back the double-digit lead with less than four minutes remaining in the half, ending the first 20 minutes of play with a 36-27 lead. 

An 8-2 run to start the half put Westminster back within three points of the lead. Romo Tabb sunk a three-pointer at the 14:34 mark to take back the lead at 41-39, but back-to-back three-pointers at the 12:46 mark put the Tigers back up 47-43. 

Another Tiger three-pointer with under 10 minutes remaining in the half put Westminster back in a 10-point deficit. 

Westminster tried to recover but was unsuccessful for the rest of the second half, eventually falling 75-59. 

Carter Wands led all scorers with 21 points, adding eight rebounds. Kobe Wands (12) anda Tabb (11) each added double figures. 

Westminster comes home to face undefeated SLIAC team Greenville Monday at 1 p.m.