ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team outlasted No. 23 Augustana College in overtime Sunday, Dec. 15, at the Roy J. Carver Center. Buckets down the stretch by juniors Charlie Bair (Glen Ellyn, Ill.-Glenbard South) and Grant Wolfe (Effingham, Ill.-Effingham) pushed the Titans past the Vikings 74-67 and gave IWU its first win in Rock Island, Ill. since the 2014-15 season.

With the win, Ron Rose recorded the 250th victory of his career. Illinois Wesleyan is now 7-2 on the season and 2-1 in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin games. Meanwhile, Augustana saw its record go to 6-3 overall and 1-1 in the CCIW.

The Vikings jumped out to a three-point lead, 64-61, with just over three and a half minutes remaining in the extra period. Wolfe and Bair combined for nine points over the following three minutes to put the Titans up by six with 21 seconds to play. A three-pointer by Augustana made it a one-possession game with 15 seconds remaining, but Wolfe converted four free throws to seal the seven-point victory.

Wolfe led the Titans with 14 points, aided by a 6-for-6 showing at the charity stripe, while tying junior Doug Wallen (Champaign, Ill.-Champaign Central) for the team lead with seven rebounds. Bair scored 13 points, 12 of which came in the second half or overtime, to go along with five rebounds and two steals. Additionally, Wallen and sophomores Peter Lambesis (Mt. Prospect, Ill.-Mt. Prospect) and Keondre Schumacher (Bloomington, Ill.-University) added nine points apiece.

Overall, the Titans shot 39.3 percent from the floor and a whopping 55 percent from three-point range. IWU was also strong from the free throw line, converting 15-of-18 freebies. Augie finished the game 35.4 percent from the field and just 24.1 percent from beyond the arc.
The Vikings held a 46-42 edge in rebounding, but IWU tallied eight steals to Augie's five. Illinois Wesleyan also owned a 22-20 advantage in the paint and held a 20-14 lead in bench points.

A back-and-forth affair early on saw the Vikings jump ahead by 10 points with three minutes left to play in the opening period. With IWU trailing 32-22, sophomore Cory Noe (Mahomet, Ill.-Mahomet-Seymour) knocked down back-to-back triples and freshman Luke Yoder (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) sunk a three-ball to cut Augie's lead to three, 34-31. Senior Alex O'Neill (Peoria, Ill.-Peoria Christian) threw down a dunk and Bair added a free throw to send the game to the break tied at 34 all.

The game remained tight in the second half as the two teams played through nine lead changes and seven ties. Ultimately, pressure free throws from Lambesis gave IWU a 61-60 lead with 27 seconds to play. After Augustana split a pair of free throws to even the game at 61-61, Illinois Wesleyan's shot at the buzzer rimmed out, sending the game to OT.

The Titans return to action Thursday, Dec. 19, as Illinois Wesleyan plays host to No. 9 Washington University in St. Louis. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside the Shirk Center.