STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Illinois Wesleyan had no trouble securing third place at the 15th annual CSI Tournament of Heroes at the Sports and Recreation Center in Staten Island, N.Y., handing Bridgewater College (Va.) a 79-60 setback on Friday, Dec. 30.
 
The No. 18-ranked Titans improved to 9-3 to close out their non-conference season while Bridgewater slipped to 5-6.
 
Illinois Wesleyan trailed for the final time in the game at 6-4 with 14:34 to play in the first half before going on a 15-0 run to get a 19-6 lead and never looked back. IWU built up an 18-point lead at halftime (42-24) and led by as many as 29 (65-36) with 8:22 left in the game.
 
Sophomore Nick Coleman, starting the game for flu-stricken Brady Rose, led the Titans with a career-high 13 points while seniors Austin Amann and Alec Bausch added 11 points each and senior Trevor Seibring scored 10.
Bausch, who was the only Titan named to the all-tournament team, had 10 of his points in the explosive first half and collected six rebounds while freshman Miles Curry grabbed a team-high seven boards. IWU held a 43-30 edge in rebounds with 17 on the offensive end.
 
Sophomore Colin Bonnett handed out five assists to pace IWU.
 
The Titans shot .435 from the field (27 of 62) and also .435 from 3-point vicinity (10 of 23).
 
Kevin Saylor, who was also selected to the all-tournament team, scored 17 for the Eagles and Davrion Grier added 10.
 
What's Next?
Illinois Wesleyan will play three of their next four games at the Shirk Center, beginning with a game at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, January 4, against College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin foe Millikin. The Big Blue (2-9, 0-2 CCIW) lost their first eight games of the season before five-point wins at Rose-Hulman (71-66) and against Calvin (68-63). Millikin lost at Wittenberg, 55-49, on Friday night in the title game of Wittenberg's Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic.