SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- In a game of scoring streaks, the Illinois Wesleyan men's basketball team downed No. 25-ranked Texas Lutheran, 92-86, in the Trinity University Holiday Tournament in San Antonio, Texas, on Saturday, Dec. 19.
 
The Titans won for the second straight day in Texas and improved to 6-4 while the Bulldogs had their five-game winning streak snapped and are now 6-2.
 
The Titans scored the first six points of the games but the Bulldogs caught them and tied the game at 12-12 with 13:06 before halftime. There were nine lead changes in the first half and Texas Lutheran took a 40-38 lead into the locker room at the half.
 
Illinois Wesleyan outscored Texas Lutheran 21-7 in the first five minutes of the final half to get a 12-point lead at 59-47 with 15:11 to play. But the Bulldogs then went on a 21-8 run of their own and regained the lead at 68-67 with 7:32 remaining.
 
Junior Jaylen Beasley's lay-in gave IWU a 71-70 lead with 5:23 to go and baskets by junior Alec Bausch, freshman Mark Falotico and junior Andy Stempel staked the Titans to a 78-70 lead with 1:50 to go but the Bulldogs could get no closer than five the rest of the way.
 
Five players scored in double figures for the Titans, led by senior Bryce Dolan with 19. Stempel scored 16 and had a team-best six assists, senior Joel Pennington had 13 points and Beasley and Falotico each had 10. The Titans got 37 points from non-starters compared to 14 for Texas Lutheran.
 
Junior Trevor Seibring, who did not score in the first half and finished with seven points, was the IWU leader with 10 rebounds as the Titans had a 38-30 rebound edge in the contest/
 
"I couldn't be prouder of this group," said IWU head coach Ron Rose. "They really showed Titan Pride out there. I thought the attitude of the team, the energy on the bench and on the floor was terrific and something we can build on after a week off. The mind-set and dynamic of this team is terrific."
 
The Bulldogs were led by Sterling Holmes with 27 points and six rebounds. Jordan Kouremetis added 20 points, Zach Behr had 15 and Harris Jowell had 10 points and six boards.
 
What's Next?
The Titans next competitive action to close out their nonconference schedule will be on Wednesday, Dec. 30, at Milwaukee School of Engineering for a 7 p.m. tip-off. The Raiders (4-4) have won two in a row and will not play until the IWU game. One of their losses was to Benedictine, 84-58, who also defeated IWU.