Box Score NAPERVILLE, Ill. – In a game that had 13 ties and 14 lead changes, the No. 9 Illinois Wesleyan men's basketball team lost its College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin opener, 78-72, at North Central at the Gregory Center in Naperville on Saturday, Jan. 3.
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The Titans lost their second straight game and slipped to 8-4 overall and 0-1 in the league while No. 21 North Central improved to 11-1.
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Illinois Wesleyan trailed at halftime 36-35 but led 46-45 with 13:44 to play in the game when the Cardinals went on a 26-14 run over a 10-minute stretch to snag an 11-point lead (their largest of the game) at 71-60 with 4:05 remaining.
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But the Titans then went on a run of their own, outscoring the Cards 10-1 to close to within two at 72-70 with a minute to play after a 3-pointer by senior
Jordan Nelson. But North Central connected on six of six from the free throw line in the final minute to close out the win.
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"Our kids really battled tonight and the game could have gone either way," said IWU head coach
Ron Rose in a postgame interview on WJBC Radio. "North Central made a move in the middle of the second half to get their 10 point lead and they hit a couple of tough shots while we missed a couple. It was a hard-fought CCIW battle. I'm disappointed we lost but proud that our kids gave a good effort tonight."
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The Cardinals outrebounded IWU 39-33 and had 30 points in the paint compared to 20 for IWU. The Titans, led by Nelson's 14, had 33 bench points to 17 for the Cardinals.
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Illinois Wesleyan Statistics and LeadersField Goal Percentage - .418 (23 of 55)
3-Point Field Goal Percentage - .308 (8 of 26)
Free Throw Percentage - .667 (18 of 27)
Sophomore
Trevor Seibring (15 points, 6 rebounds)
Senior
Jordan Nelson (14 points)
Junior
Bryce Dolan (8 points)
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North Central Statistics and LeadersField Goal Percentage - .441 (26 of 59)
3-Point Field Goal Percentage - .286 (4 of 14)
Free Throw Percentage - .815 (22 of 27)
Jack Burchett (25 points, 5 rebounds)
Erwin Henry (15 points)
Jayme Moten (16 points, 5 rebounds)
Kevin Honn (11 points)
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Who's Next?The Titans continue CCIW road action on Wednesday, Jan. 7, playing at Wheaton at 7 p.m. The Thunder is 7-5 overall and 0-1 in the CCIW after an 83-75 loss at Elmhurst on Saturday.
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