Box Score
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SALEM, Va. - The Illinois Wesleyan men's basketball team saw their hopes for a national title expire on a 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds left in an 81-78 loss to Cabrini in the NCAA Division III semifinal game in Salem, Va. on Friday (March 16).
The Titans' season finishes with a 23-8 record while Cabrini will advance to Saturday's championship game with a 31-1 mark.
Jeremy Knowles, who had seven points in the game and five in the final 40 seconds, made a 3-pointer from the corner to provide the winning basket as the Cavaliers rallied from nine points behind at two different times in the second half. Knowles also had a bucket with 36 seconds left to give Cabrini a 78-76 lead before senior
Stephen Rudnicki made a leaning 15-foot jumper to tie the game at 78-78 with 13.4 remaining.
Senior
Jordan Zimmer led IWU with 19 points (14 in the first half) while senior
John Koschnitzky and Rudnicki each scored 11.
The Titans held a 42-28 edge in rebounds led by eight from junior
Kevin Reed and seven by senior
Eliud Gonzalez.
Cabrini's John Boyd had 34 points to eclipse his previous career best of 31. In the four NCAA games coming into the semifinals, Boyd had scored a total of 25 and he netted 24 in the first half against the Titans, including six 3-pointers.
Cory Lemons, who had eight assists, and Fran Rafferty each scored 11 for the Cavaliers.
Cabrini started by hitting six of its first seven shots including three 3-pointers and was hot from the field as they had a 48-45 lead at intermission. Cabrini shot 51.5 percent from the field in the first half and made 8 of 14 3-pointers.
The Titans trailed 20-15 before going on a 5-0 run and tying the game at 20-20 on a 3-pointer by
Jordan Zimmer, who had 14 first half points and knocked in four 3s.
The Titans trailed 48-40 but went on a 10-point run late in the first half and into the second half to gain a 50-48 lead after a Gonzalez free throw with 17:25 left.
Illinois Wesleyan trailed 53-50 with 16:20 to play and a 3-pointer by Koschnitzky at 14:03 gave the Titans a 55-53 lead. A basket by Gonzalez at 13:40 and a Koschnitzky layup with 12:30 to go punctuated a 9-0 run to give IWU a six-point lead.
The Titans led by nine at 66-57 with 8:30 to play and again at 70-61 with 6:58 to go before the Cavaliers roared back to tie the game at 72-72 with 3:53 to play and took a 76-73 lead. IWU tied the game at 76 on a Ziemnik free throw with 1:07 left. The game was tied seven times and there were 13 lead changes.
The Titans shot 43 percent from the field (29 of 67) and made 10 of 29 from 3-point territory (35 percent). IWU made 10 of its 14 free throw tries.
The Cavaliers, who admitted to 10 turnovers compared to 17 by IWU, cooled off for a 47 percent shooting total in the game (31 of 66) and made 13 of 25 3-pointers (52 percent). Cabrini made six of 10 from the free throw line.
NOTES: Zimmer finished his career with 1,228 points, good for No. 27 all-time in school history...He is the school career record holder for 3-pointers with 264 and season record holder in made treys (107) and attempts (251)...This is the first time in five trips to the final four that IWU will not come back with a first or a third. There is no consolation game in men's Division III. IWU was the national champion in 1997 and got third place finishes in 1996, 2001, and 2006.
