CHICAGO - A buzzer-beating layup by sophomore
Peter Lambesis (Mt. Prospect, Ill.-St. Viator HS) provided the Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team the winning margin in a 94-92 overtime thriller at North Park University in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin action, Wednesday evening, Feb. 19. With the victory, the Titans improved their record to 16-8 overall and 10-5 in the CCIW, while the Vikings dropped to 4-20 with a 2-13 mark in CCIW action.
The Titans took the lead by as many as 12 points midway through the second period and were up 81-70 with four minutes to go before the Vikings closed with a 12-2 run to tie up the score at 83-all to force five extra minutes.
IWU and NPU traded buckets through the extra period before the Vikings took the lead by one with 30 seconds to go. The Titans responded with a driving layup by sophomore Matthew Leritz (St. Louis, Mo.-St. Louis University HS) and a free throw after the basket to go up 92-90 with 14 seconds to play.
In North Park's following possession, the Vikings converted a driving layup with six ticks left, which set up the final possession for IWU. Lambesis dribbled the length of the floor off the ensuing inbounds and sank the game-winner to send the Titans home victorious.
Leritz posted the first double-double of his career with a career-high 28 points on 12-of-22 shooting and 11 rebounds, while Lambesis provided 12 points and assisted on five other baskets. Sophomore Keondre Schumacher (Bloomington, Ill.-University HS) scored 18 on 7-of-11 shooting off the bench and junior
Doug Wallen (Champaign, Ill.-Champaign Central HS) put in 10 to round out the double-digit scorers.
The Titans finished the game shooting 49.4 percent (41-of-83) from the floor, 22.2 percent (4-of-18) from three-point land and 53.3 (8-of-15) on free throws. IWU forced 20 turnovers on 13 steals and outscored NPU in bench points 28-18.
The Vikings shot 50 percent (36-of-72) from the field, 31.8 percent (7-of-22) on three-pointers and 72.2 percent (13-of-18) from the charity stripe. North Park held a 50-35 advantage over Illinois Wesleyan in rebounding for the game.
IWU concludes its regular season with a road trip to CCIW rival Carthage College, Saturday, Feb. 22. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. as the second leg of a doubleheader with the women's basketball team.
