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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - No. 21 Illinois Wesleyan suffered its first loss of the season on Sunday, November 13, 2022, falling 71-67 to UW-Stevens Point at home.
Kodiak Creative
71
Winner Wis.-Stevens Point UWSP 2-1,0-0 WIAC
67
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 1-1,0-0 CCIW
Winner
Wis.-Stevens Point UWSP
2-1,0-0 WIAC
71
Final
67
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
1-1,0-0 CCIW
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Wis.-Stevens Point UWSP 28 43 71
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 38 29 67

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men's Basketball Stunned in Sikma Hall of Fame Championship by UWSP

Harrison Wilmsen named to all-tournament team

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - A late lead slipped away as the No. 21 ranked Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team was stunned by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in the second annual Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational Championship game Sunday, Nov. 13. The Titans (1-1) held a seven-point edge with about five minutes to go, but could not hold off the Pointers (2-1) as IWU fell, 71-67.

Senior Cody Mitchell (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles East) hit sophomore Nick Roper (St. Louis, Mo.-MICDS) for a layup with 2:09 to play, putting Illinois Wesleyan up 67-65. The bucket proved to be the last points of the day for the Titans however, as UWSP scored six unanswered to close out the four-point game.

Sophomore Harrison Wilmsen (St. Louis, Mo.-St. Louis Priory), who was named to the all-tournament team, tied senior Lucas Heflen (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) with a team-high 12 points. Roper added 11 and junior Ryan Sroka (Lake in the Hills, Ill.-Huntley) contributed 10 to go with a team-high seven rebounds. 

As a team, Illinois Wesleyan went 28-for-56 from the floor for a 50 percent clip. The Titans connected on just 4-of-12 three-point tries, but went 7-for-7 at the free throw line. Meanwhile, the Pointers used 11 threes on 24 attempts (45.8 percent) and shot 41.3 percent from the floor to down the Green and White. UWSP finished 8-for-9 at the stripe.

Illinois Wesleyan held a 35-31 edge on the glass, but UW-Stevens Point recorded 10 offensive boards to IWU's seven. UWSP held leads in points off turnovers (15-12), second chance points (11-6), fastbreak points (11-7), and bench points (24-23). The Titans dominated inside to the tune of a 42-22 advantage.

The Pointers got out to a 6-2 lead early, but Mitchell found Roper for a layup on a backdoor cut to kick start an IWU run. A jumper from the paint by Sroka and a triple from Heflen gave the Titans their first lead of the day, 9-6.

Seemingly finding a rhythm, Sroka made an extra pass to Roper for three before three straight buckets from Wilmsen opened up a 20-11 advantage for the home team. 

Junior Pryce Punkay (Champaign, Ill.-Champaign Central) stretched the lead to double digits with a driving layup with 10:36 remaining in the first half. 

The 10-point lead carried into the break, before expanding it to a game-high 12-point advantage with 19 minutes to play.

Illinois Wesleyan maintained a cushion into the final few minutes, before UW-Stevens Point polished off the comeback. 

The Titans next take the court Friday, Nov. 18, at the Small College Basketball Champions Classic. IWU will face Nebraska Wesleyan University at 10 a.m. in Aberdeen, S.D.

 
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