Box Score Illinois Wesleyan 72, Elmhurst 68 - Box Score

ELMHURST, Ill. - The No. 24-ranked Illinois Wesleyan men's basketball team squandered a 13-point second half lead but held on for a 72-68 win at Elmhurst on Friday, Feb. 4. The Titans improved to 15-5 overall and 6-3 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.

IWU, who led by a 36-29 score at intermission, opened up a 13-point lead with 14:22 to play in the game but the Bluejays, who lost their fourth in a row, closed to within four points at 62-58 with 2:50 remaining in the game. The Titans failed to score a basket in the final 4:28 of the game.

A 3-point basket and free throw by Sean Fendley with 2:11 remaining tied the game at 62-62.
Senior Sean Johnson made two free throws with 1:20 to play to provide IWU with a 64-62 lead and senior Travis Rosenkranz made two free throws with 31 seconds left to give the Titans a 66-62 edge.

A D'Ante Foster basket with 21 seconds left made the score 66-64 but Johnson made four more late free throws to extend the lead to 70-64. The Bluejays' James Robertson hit a 3-pointer and a free throw to again bring Elmhurst within two before Johnson again knocked in two free throws to make the score 72-68.

Junior Jordan Zimmer led IWU with 14 points while senior Doug Sexauer added 13 and Rosenkranz scored 12. Johnson finished with 10, eight from the free throw line.

The Titans shot .574 from the field in the game (27 of 47) and made five of 15 (.333) 3-point field goal tries. IWU made 13 of 216 from the free throw line (.813), including 11 in the final 3:41.

Elmhurst (7-13 overall, 2-7 CCIW) shot .373 (22 of 59) from the field and made 10 of 25 (.400) from beyond the 3-point arc.

The Bluejays, who got 18 points from Zack Boyd and 13 from Fendley, made only 14 of 24 free throws (.583).

Illinois Wesleyan outrebounded the Bluejays, 33-30, and Rosenkranz was the team leader with a career-high eight rebounds. The Titans committed 11 turnovers to seven for Elmhurst.

Illinois Wesleyan will next host Millikin at the Shirk Center on Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m.