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Peter Lambesis (Mt. Prospect, Ill./St. Viator) brings the ball up the court in the second half … (3) Illinois Wesleyan improved to 19-8 with a 74-70 win over (2) Augustana, advancing to the CCIW Tournament Championship on Saturday, February 29, 2020.
© Jimmy Naprstek
74
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 1-0,1-0 CCIW
59
Carroll (WI) CAR 0-1,0-1 CCIW
Winner
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
1-0,1-0 CCIW
74
Final
59
Carroll (WI) CAR
0-1,0-1 CCIW
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 33 41 74
Carroll (WI) CAR 26 33 59

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Titans Topple Pioneers in Season Opener

Lambesis led all scorers with 24 points

WAUKESHA, Wis. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team began the 2020-21 season with a 74-59 victory over Carroll University Saturday, Jan. 23, at Van Male Field House. The Titans (1-0) have now won five straight season openers, and five straight against the Pioneers (0-1).

Juniors Peter Lambesis (Mt. Prospect, Ill.-St. Viator) and Matthew Leritz (St. Louis, Mo.-St. Louis University HS) led the way for the Titans. Lambesis notched the third 20-point game of his career with a game-high 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting. He also added a career-high six steals, the most by a Titan since Eliud Gonzalez tallied six against Wittenberg, March 10, 2012. Leritz added a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double. Also finishing with double-digit points was junior Cory Noe (Mahomet, Ill.-Mahomet-Seymour), who recorded 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting.

As a team, Illinois Wesleyan shot at a 53.6 clip (30-of-56) overall and went 8-of-16 from beyond the arc. Carroll finished 20-for-52 from the floor (38.5 percent) and 7-of-26 from distance. The Titans held a 35-23 edge on the glass, but the Pioneers held the upperhand in steals (12-7).

Back-to-back three pointers by Lambesis and junior Keondre Schumacher (Bloomington, Ill.-University High), paired with a couple of defensive stops, pushed the Titans ahead 12-6 with 14:20 to go in the opening period. From there, IWU extended its lead to as many as eight, but a three-minute scoring drought allowed Carroll to even the game at 18 all.

Another triple from Schumacher got the Titans back on track and sparked a 12-2 IWU run. Freshman Ryan Sroka (Huntley, Ill.-Huntley) capped it with a three-ball, the first points of his career, to give Illinois Wesleyan its largest lead of the afternoon, 30-20, with 3:52 to go in the half. 

Led by nine first-half points from Lambesis, the Titans took a 33-26 lead into halftime.

In the second half, Illinois Wesleyan maintained control, going up by as many as 18. The Pioneers appeared poised for a comeback, but an IWU timeout cut their momentum. Senior Doug Wallen (Champaign, Ill.-Champaign Central) and Noe scored a pair of layups to keep Illinois Wesleyan in control as the Titans cruised to a 74-59 win.

IWU will look to sweep the season series Monday, Jan. 25, when Carroll visits the Shirk Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.


 
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