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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team used an all-around effort to shake up the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin standings with a 77-71 win over No. 13 North Central College Wednesday night, Jan. 29, inside the Shirk Center. With the win, the Titans move to 12-6 overall and 6-3 in league play, while the Cardinals (15-4, 8-2 CCIW) saw their 11-game win streak snapped.

Sophomores Keondre Schumacher (Bloomington, Ill.-University) and Matthew Leritz (St. Louis, Mo.-St. Louis University High) along with freshman Luke Yoder (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) led the Titans with 17 points apiece. Leritz also led IWU with a team-high eight rebounds and added four assists and a block. Sophomores Cory Noe (Mahomet, Ill.-Mahomet Seymour) and Peter Lambesis (Mt. Prospect, Ill.-St. Viator) registered 11 and 10 points, respectively, to round out Illinois Wesleyan's double-digit scorers.

The first half saw the score tied four times before Lambesis found Noe in transition to put the Titans in front, 18-14, and force a North Central timeout with 10:42 to play in the opening half.

The regrouping session did little to stall IWU's momentum as Lambesis and Schumacher led a 7-0 Titan run over a three-minute span to bring about another NCC timeout.

After extending the lead to as many as 10, Schumacher capped the half with a jumper to send IWU into the break up 42-34.

North Central came out strong in the second period, but buckets by Schumacher, Yoder, and Leritz lifted Illinois Wesleyan to a 58-50 advantage with 8:58 remaining.

The Titans saw their lead trimmed to as few as three before coming away with a 77-71 victory.

IWU shot 28-of-50 (56 percent) from the field and 8-of-17 (47.1 percent) from three-point range. The Titans held the edge in fast break points over the Cardinals, 17-2.

NCC shot 27-of-51 (52.9 percent) on the floor and 9-of-24 (37.5 percent) on three-pointers. The Cardinals forced 20 turnovers with six steals while the Titans forced nine turnovers, stealing five.

Illinois Wesleyan is back in action Saturday afternoon, Feb. 1, when the Titans host Carroll University. The game, which is the second leg of a doubleheader with the IWU women's basketball team, will see IWU recognize former Titan great Jack Sikma for his induction into the Naismith Hall of Fame.