Box Score

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Illinois Wesleyan men's basketball team rallied from behind in the final 2:22 to defeat Tufts, 71-62, in the first round of the 29th Annual Lopata Classic in St. Louis, Mo., on Friday (Nov. 30).

Game Summary
• The No. 7-ranked Titans (5-1) trailed 62-59 with 2:22 to play before scoring the last 12 points of the game, including five free throws after a pair of technical fouls on Tufts' bench.
• Tufts (3-4) had eight-point leads on two occasions in the second half, including a 56-48 lead with 7:05 to go.
• Illinois Wesleyan shot 44.2 percent from the field (23 of 52) and made 5 of 12 3-pointers (41.7). IWU's late free throws helped the Titans to a 62.5 percentage (20 of 32). Tufts shot 39.3 from the floor (22 of 56) and knocked home 10 of 19 3-balls (52.6). The Jumbos made 8 of 11 from the line.
• IWU had a 36-34 lead in rebounds with 13 offensive boards. Both teams committed 13 turnovers.
• Illinois Wesleyan led at halftime 29-25 and had a nine-point lead on two occasions in the first period. The Titans led 27-18 with 4:14 to play but the Jumbos scored seven of the final nine points before intermission.

Illinois Wesleyan Statistical Leaders
Senior center Kevin Reed (12 points, 9 rebounds)
Junior guard Brady Zimmer (15 points)
Sophomore guard Dylan Overstreet (11 points, 5 assists)
Junior forward Andrew Ziemnik (10 points, 6 rebounds)

Tufts Statistical Leaders
Ben Ferris (15 points)
Scott Anderson (11 points, 7 rebounds)
Matt Lanchantin (7 rebounds)

Who's Next?
• Illinois Wesleyan plays Washington U. at 8 p.m. Saturday for the tournament title. The No. 10 ranked Bears (6-0) were 73-62 winners over Wilmington (Ohio).
• IWU leads the series against Washington U., 19-13.
• Making its fourth appearance in the Lopata Classic (1998, 2003, 2008 were the others), Illinois Wesleyan has been in the finals all four times. IWU won the tournament in 1998 with an 81-75 win over Washington U. Since then the Bears have won 26 straight games in the Lopata.