BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - With the 1997 national championship team in attendance on Saturday, Feb. 4, the Illinois Wesleyan men's basketball team turned in a champion-caliber performance, defeating Carroll University, 87-64.

IWU was led on offense by sophomore Colin Bonnett, who tallied 22 points on a scorching 7-of-10 shooting, which included a 4-of-6 performance from beyond the arc.

With the win the Titans improved to 14-6 overall (6-5 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) while Carroll fell to 11-10 (6-6 CCIW).

The Titans played an explosive first half, outscoring Carroll 52-29. IWU had a hard time missing in the first, shooting .600 percent from the floor and .692 from beyond the arc. Carroll got within two points of the Titans with 10:37 to play in the first, sparking a game-changing run from IWU. Illinois Wesleyan went on a 23-7 run towards the end of the half, extending their lead to 18 points. The Titans took their largest lead of the half (23) at the buzzer thanks to a half-court shot from senior Andy Stempel.

Illinois Wesleyan maintained their 23 point lead throughout the second half to earn the decisive victory. A Stempel triple extended the Titan lead to 30 points with 16:16 to play. Carroll heated up from beyond the arc in the second shooting 6-of-10 from deep, but it wasn't enough to overcome the overpowering offense of the Titans.

Stempel finished the game in double-figures with 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting, alongside three boards and two dimes. Also scoring in double-figures for the Titans were senior Trevor Seibring (14), junior Brady Rose (13) and sophomore Nick Coleman (12). Coleman tallied a career-high six assists alongside a 4-of-5 performance from deep. Seibring used his low-post prowess to shoot an efficient 6-of-8 from the field while adding a game-high five rebounds and four blocks. Seibring's four blocks is a career-high.

Senior Alec Bausch did a little of everything for IWU on Saturday scoring five points, dishing out five assists and hauling in four rebounds. Junior Jaylen Beasley had the most exciting play of the evening, catching an alley-oop from Coleman as part of his seven point outing.

At halftime Illinois Wesleyan honored the 1997 national championship team and their coaching staff, led by former head coach Dennie Bridges. The 1997 team finished with a 29-2 overall record (13-1 in winning the CCIW) and defeated Nebraska Wesleyan, 89-86, for the championship. Team captain Bryan Crabtree was chosen as the Division III "Player of the Year" as he averaged 22.6 points per game.

What's Next?
Titan alum John Baines ('98) was not able to attend the 1997 ceremony Saturday at Shirk, but he will be in attendance on Wednesday, Feb. 8 as his Elmhurst Bluejays provide the opposition for the Titans at 7 p.m. Following a loss to Wheaton on Saturday, the Bluejays sit at 6-15 overall and 2-10 in the CCIW.