BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team closes out the home portion of the regular season slate Wednesday night, Feb. 12, against Elmhurst College. Tipoff between the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin foes is set for 7 p.m. inside the Shirk Center.
Both Illinois Wesleyan and Elmhurst are looking to get back on track following tough CCIW setbacks, Feb. 8. The Titans dipped to 14-7 overall and 8-4 in league play with a 78-64 loss to Augustana. Elmhurst fell for the third time in four games with a 56-45 defensive battle at North Central. The Bluejays travel to Bloomington sporting an 18-4 overall record and 9-4 CCIW mark.
Fans can tune into the game via live stats or live stream, while Eric Stock and Joel Swanson will have the call on 98.3 FM WEXG. Links on how to follow along can be found on the men's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.
A LOOK AT THE ALL-TIME TALLY: Illinois Wesleyan and Elmhurst will square off against one another for the 136th time Wednesday night. The Titans hold a commanding 112-24 advantage in the all-time series.
Most recently, IWU fell to a fourth-ranked Bluejay squad 89-72 in Elmhurst, Jan. 22. Sophomore Matthew Leritz led the Titans with 22 points and eight rebounds, while Luke Yoder (12), Peter Lambesis (10), and Doug Wallen (10) also finished in double figures. Illinois Wesleyan finished the game 29-for-73 from the field, a 39.7 field goal percentage, and just 5-for-22 from the long line. Meanwhile, Elmhurst converted 55.4 (31-of-56) shot attempts, 42.9 of its three-pointers, and went 18-for-25 at the free throw line.
FAMILIAR FACE: When the Titans take on the Bluejays Wednesday night, IWU fans may recognize a familiar face in Elmhurst bench boss John Baines. A 1998 Illinois Wesleyan graduate, he was a part of teams that compiled a 103-14 record, played in the NCAA Tournament four times, reached the Final Four twice, and won a national championship in 1997.
SCOUTING REPORT - ELMHURST: Since starting the season 17-1, Elmhurst has stumbled to 18-4 overall and 9-4 in league play. Losers of three of the last four, the Bluejays' three setbacks have come by a combined 16 points.
Elmhurst is led by one of the top scorers in the conference in Jake Rhode who leads the Bluejays with 21.2 points per game. Rhode is also one of the conference's top distributors with 94 assists on the year, and leads EC with 32 steals. Derek Dotlich and Lavon Thomas add 16.5 and 13.8 points per contest, respectively, while Thomas is the team's top rebounder at 8.3 boards a game.
As a team, Elmhurst averages 84.82 points per game and shoots 47.2 percent from the floor, 35.5 percent from distance, and 73.8 percent at the free throw line. Meanwhile, the Bluejays hold opponents to 73.05 points per game, and have seen the opposition hold a field goal percentage line of 42.3-32.6-64.5. Additionally, EC has forced 312 turnovers.
TAKE AWAY SEVEN MINUTES: With 10:10 to go in the first half, Doug Wallen converted a layup to put the Titans in front 13-12 at Elmhurst, Jan. 22. From there, a seven-minute IWU scoring drought allowed EC to get ahead by 20 and take a 43-23 lead into halftime. Outside of that seven-minute stretch, Illinois Wesleyan outscored Elmhurst 72-68.
CASHING IN: Illinois Wesleyan has been one of the better teams in the conference when it comes to converting at the free throw line. Currently, IWU ranks third in free throw attempts, third in free throws made, and fourth in free throw percentage. IWU's FT percentage of 73.4 is also 89th nationally.
Freshman Luke Yoder owns the team's best free throw percentage at a 88.5 clip and ranks 21st nationally in the category. Additionally, his 88.5 free throw percentage is second-best in the CCIW and the top mark by a freshman in the country.
SHIRK'S 25TH BIRTHDAY: The 2019-20 season marks the 25th anniversary of the Shirk Center. One of the greatest athletic venues in NCAA Division III, the Shirk Center has been home to more than 600 Titan basketball games between both the men and women. The men hold a 273-56 record on their home floor, good for a .832 win percentage.
FINDING HIS GROOVE: After missing the first month of the season due to injury, sophomore Matthew Leritz has found his groove as of late. The 6-foot-7 forward is averaging 16.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game over the past five contests. He has also been efficient, converting 32-of-49 (65.3 percent) of his shot attempts and 14-of-20 free throws.
YEAR 111: Illinois Wesleyan has compiled a 1677-916 record in its history, good for a .647 winning percentage. Additionally, the Titans 1677 wins are the fourth-most all-time in NCAA Division III. Meanwhile, IWU's 745 CCIW wins are by-far-and-above the most in the league. In fact, the Titans have more than 100 conference wins than any other school in the CCIW.
KEEPIN' IT CLEAN: The Titans are averaging just 12.5 turnovers per game, the third-best mark in the CCIW and the 85th-best nationally. IWU is forcing an average of 15.24 turnovers per game, the second-most in the league, and hold the league's second-best turnover margin at +2.7 (54th nationally).
BAIR'S BOARDS: Junior Charlie Bair has owned the glass this season, pulling down 8.6 rebounds per game. Bair ranks second in the conference and 97th nationally in rebounding average, while his 3.38 offensive boards per contest are 42nd-most nationally and lead the CCIW. Additionally, Bair is one of three players in the conference with six-or-more double-doubles this season and his 180 rebounds are the third-most in the CCIW and 85th-most in all of NCAA Division III.
ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan begins a regular season-ending three-game roadtrip Saturday, Feb. 15, with a trip to Wheaton College. Tipoff between the Titans and Thunder with is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will serve as the second leg of a doubleheader with the IWU women's basketball team.
