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No. 4 Illinois Wesleyan improved to 2-0 following an 87-74 victory over Hope on Friday, November 12, 2021 as part of the inaugural Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational inside of the Shirk Center.
Kodiak Creative
91
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 4-0, 0-0
74
Alma ALMA 1-2, 0-0
Winner
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
4-0, 0-0
91
Final
74
Alma ALMA
1-2, 0-0
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 43 48 91
Alma ALMA 45 29 74

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men's Hoops Uses Strong Second Half to Soar Past Scots

Leritz ties career-high with 28 points

ALMA, Mich. - A strong second half propelled the fourth-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team to a 91-74 victory at Alma College Friday night, Nov. 19. The Titans (4-0) outscored the Scots (1-2) 48-29 in the second period to remain undefeated on the season.

Senior Matthew Leritz (St. Louis, Mo.-St. Louis University HS) tied a career-high with 28 points, shooting 13-of-21 from the floor and 2-for-4 from distance. Senior Cory Noe (Mahomet, Ill.-Mahomet-Seymour) and junior Luke Yoder (Normal, Ill.-Bloomington Central Catholic) added 13 points apiece, while juniors Cody Mitchel (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles East) and Lucas Heflen (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) added 10 points each. 

Mitchell paced the Titans with nine rebounds, while Noe and freshman Nick Roper (Creve Coeur, Mo.-MICDS) added five each. Noe also dished out a team-high four assists and posted a pair of steals. 

As a team, Illinois Wesleyan played to its strength in the paint, where IWU scored 60 of its 91 points. Meanwhile, Alma finished with 30 points in the paint. The Titans shot 55.6 percent for the game, converting 40-of-72 shots, while Alma went 28-for-61 from the field (45.9 percent). IWU hit just 4-of-14 three-point attempts, with AC going 6-for-24 from the long line. The Green and White converted 7-of-14 free throws compared to the Scots' 12-for-17 effort. 

Alma snagged a four-point lead late in the opening half before Heflen's jumper with 20 seconds to go in the period cut the Scots' lead to two, 45-43, at the break. 

The Scots pushed their lead to four in the second half before Lertiz knocked down a triple to pull IWU within one, 47-46. 

An and-one by Yoder flipped the script and put Illinois Wesleyan up two, 51-49, with 17:18 on the clock. 

Minutes later, Mitchell's triple kickstarted a quick 7-0 run for the Green and White. The short spurt proved to be part of a 22-6 run for the Titans, as Illinois Wesleyan grabbed a 70-55 advantage on a layup from Leritz with 9:21 to play. 

The Titans extended their lead to as many as 25, as sophomore Grant Hardy's (Grayslake, Ill.-Grayslake Central) layup put IWU up 85-60 with 5:10 remaining, before the Green and White cruised toa 91-74 victory. 

IWU concludes its trip to Michigan tomorrow, Nov. 20, when the Titans take on Calvin University in Grand Rapids. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET.

 
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