Box Score

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – In the first round of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship tournament, the Illinois Wesleyan Titans rallied in the second half to boast a 80-71 victory over Transylvania University Saturday night at the Shirk Center.
 
IWU (22-5) will advance to the second round of the tournament to face Washington University March 9 at 7 p.m. The game site will be announced tomorrow (Sunday).
 
 
♦ IWU and Transylvania (20-8) were neck-in-neck for most of the first half, but the Pioneers extended a small lead with just over eight minutes on the clock, 18-13, after Ethan Spurlin hit a jumper to spur a lead lasting four minutes.

♦ At the 4:18 marker, Brady Zimmer nailed two free throws to put the Titans ahead by one, 27-26, and ignited a 7-2 run to close out the first half with a six-point advantage.

♦ The Titans ended the first half of regulation, 34-28, over the Pioneers, going 41.7 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from three-point land, and 69.2 percent from the free throw line.

♦ Although Transy opened the second half with an 8-0 run to put them up 36-34 with 17:44 on the clock, IWU didn't let the Pioneers run away too far, as the teams stayed within four points of each other, until 11:27 was on the clock, marking a 9-0 run to give the Titans the 51-45 lead.

♦ The Pioneers briefly tied up the game, 51-51, before the Titans topped the scoreboard thanks to defensive rebounds, several three pointers from Brady Zimmer, and key layups from Dylan Overstreet.

♦ At the buzzer, the Titans secured the victory by nine points, ending the game 52.1 percent from the field, 40.9 percent from beyond the arc, and 61.8 percent from the charity stripe.
 
Illinois Wesleyan Statistical Leaders
Brady Zimmer (23 points, 3 rebounds)
Dylan Overstreet (16 points, 6 assists)
Victor Davis (15 points, 9 rebounds)
 
Transylvania Statistical Leaders
Barrett Meyer (27 points, 3 rebounds)
Ethan Spurlin (24 points, 9 rebounds)
 
Who's Next?
The Titans will move onto the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament against Washington University on Saturday, March 9. That game's location with to be announced on Sunday. The Bears were 70-61 winners over Spalding in the first round.