Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The No. 21 Illinois Wesleyan Titans fended off a late scare to Yeshiva on Saturday night, 76-71. Harrison Wilmsen finished with 19 points to lead the Titans.
Kodiak Creative
71
Yeshiva YU 0-2,0-0 Skyline
76
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 1-0,0-0 CCIW
Yeshiva YU
0-2,0-0 Skyline
71
Final
76
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
1-0,0-0 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Yeshiva YU 36 35 71
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 37 39 76

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Hoops Edges Yeshiva to Advance to Sikma Hall of Fame Title Game

Three Titans score in double figures

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The No. 21 Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team overcame a career day from Yeshiva University's Zevi Samet to lift the lid on the 2022-23 season in winning fashion Saturday night, Nov. 12. The Titans (1-0) held off a 38-point night by Samet to edge the Maccabees (0-2), 76-71, as part of the second annual Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational inside the Shirk Center.

The Titans were led in scoring by sophomore Harrison Wilmsen (St. Louis, Mo.-Priory), who scored a career-high 19 points and tied for the team lead with seven rebounds. Also finishing in double figures were junior Ryan Sroka (Lake in the Hills, Ill.-Huntley) and sophomore Nick Roper (St. Louis, Mo.-MICDS). Sroka tallied 16 points and pulled in seven boards, while Roper tallied 14 points. 

As a team, IWU shot 44.4 percent as the Green and White went 28-for-63 from the floor. Illinois Wesleyan went an impressive 15-for-17 at the free throw line, while Yeshiva went 0-for-4 at the stripe. The Maccabees held the upperhand from distance, connecting on 13 of 32 three-point attempts to the Titans 5-for-26 from three-point range.

Yeshiva got out to a quick start, taking a 10-5 lead, but sophomore Hakim Williams (Round Lake, Ill.-Round Lake) found Wilmsen for an easy bucket. Senior Lucas Heflen (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) followed with a steal and fed Wilmsen for a quick two in transition before junior Evan Schneider's (St. Louis, Mo.-Ladue) free throws gave IWU its first lead of the night, 11-10, with 13:40 on the clock.

After leading by as many eight, the Titans saw the Maccabees battle back to take a 29-25 lead. Junior Pryce Punkay (Champaign, Ill.-Champaign Central) broke up the YU run with a pair of free throws and Roper nailed a buzzer-beater from just inside half court to end the half, 37-36, in favor of the Titans.

In the second half, Illinois Wesleyan leaned on its bigs as Wilmsen scored on a putback and drilled a three-ball to push IWU ahead, 53-47. 

Out of a Titan timeout with around nine minutes to play, senior Cody Mitchell (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles East) fed Wilmsen on a high-low on back-to-back possessions to keep the home team in control, 61-56.

Illinois Wesleyan stretched its lead to seven as Roper hit an acrobatic bucket to give IWU a 72-65 advantage with 2:07 to play, but Yeshiva was not done. A three-pointer by YU's Samet forced a timeout by IWU with the Titans' lead trimmed to four, 72-68.

The break in action did little to slow the hot-shooting Samet, who sunk a three-pointer from well beyond the arc to make it a one point game with 31.1 seconds remaining. 

Clutch free throws from Sroka and a Maccabee turnover was enough to close out a 76-71 season-opening win for the Green and White.

With the win, the Titans advance to tomorrow's Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational title game. IWU will battle University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point inside the Shirk Center Sunday, Nov. 13, at 3 p.m.

 
Print Friendly Version