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MBB | IWU vs UW-Oshkosh
Kodiak Creative
73
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 9-2,2-1 CCIW
59
Yeshiva YU 14-1,7-0 Skyline
Winner
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
9-2,2-1 CCIW
73
Final
59
Yeshiva YU
14-1,7-0 Skyline
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 49 24 73
Yeshiva YU 29 30 59

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

No. 4 Men’s Hoops Dominates No. 1 Yeshiva to Snap Historic Win Streak

Leritz sets single-game rebounding record in win

NEW YORK CITY - The fourth-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team snapped Yeshiva University's 50-game win streak with a 73-59 victory over the top-ranked team in Division III Thursday, Dec. 30, at the Max Stern Athletic Center. 

The Titans led from wire-to-wire as the Green and White handed the Maccabees their first loss in 783 days. IWU moved to 9-2 with the victory, while Yeshiva dropped to 14-1. 

All five of Illinois Wesleyan's starters scored in double-digits, as IWU used an incredibly balanced scoring effort to topple Yeshiva. Senior Matthew Leritz (St. Louis, Mo.-St. Louis University HS), who broke the IWU single-game rebounding record in the win, went for 14 points, 25 rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Junior Luke Yoder (Normal, Ill.-Central Catholic) led the Titans with 15 points. Senior Peter Lambesis (Mt. Prospect, Ill.-Prospect) added 13, and senior Cory Noe (Mahomet, Ill.-Mahomet-Seymour) and Cody Mitchell (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) tallied 11 and 10 points, respectively. 

IWU was credited with 20 assists on 28 made baskets, led by Lertiz and Lambesis with five apiece. Yoder added four. The Green and White shot 51.9 percent (28-for-54) from the floor and 10-for-23 (43.5 percent) from three-point range for the contest. Meanwhile, IWU's defense held one of the top offensive teams in the country in check. The Maccabees finished 22-for-54 from the field (40.7 percent), 5-for-20 (25 percent) from three, as the Titans held YU well below its 92 point per game average. 

The Green and White doubled up the Macs on the glass, as IWU out-rebounded YU 42-21. The Titans also held advantages in points off turnovers (19-11), second chance points (14-1), and fast break points (5-2).

A barrage of three-pointers and hot shooting carried the Titans to a monster first half. After back-to-back triples by Yoder and Noe to open the game, Leritz drilled a three-ball from straight on to push the Green and White's lead to 20-8 with 13:52 to play.

Illinois Wesleyan continued to pile it on from there, as Leritz sunk a putback on his own miss to extend the lead to 20, 44-24, with 5:01 remaining in the opening half. 

A steal by Lambesis thwarted Yeshiva's final possession of the period and kept the Titans well in front, 49-29, at halftime. 

Offensively, the Titans went 18-for-28 from the floor and a blistering 9-for-14 from three-point range over the first 20 minutes. The Maccabees shot 40 percent from the field, but were overwhelmed by IWU early on, going 0-for-9 from beyond the arc.

Mitchell began the second half with a statement one-handed dunk to keep the Green and White rolling in period two. 

Noe converted a shot off a drive to put the Titans up 59-34 at the under-16 media timeout, and later found sophomore Ryan Sroka (Lake in the HIlls, Ill.-Huntley) for a corner three.

The Maccabees cut into the big IWU lead late, but the Titans overpowered YU, 73-59. It marked Yeshiva's first home loss since Feb. 18, 2019, when the Maccabees fell to Purchase College, 98-96.

Illinois Wesleyan returns to College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play at home after the New Year. The Titans are slated to host Elmhurst University Wednesday night, Jan. 5, at 7 p.m. inside the Shirk Center.

 
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