OSHKOSH, Wis. - The No. 21 Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team could not overcome third-ranked University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Saturday evening, Nov. 26, at Kolf Sports Center. The Green and White dipped to 2-3 on the season, while UWO moved to 5-2 on the year.

Junior Ryan Sroka (Lake in the Hills, Ill.-Huntley) paced IWU with a career-high 18 points, highlighted by four three-pointers. Senior Lucas Heflen (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) also finished in double figures with 11 points, while senior Cody Mitchell (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles East) added eight points and a team-high 10 rebounds.

Illinois Wesleyan shot just 36.5 percent (19-of-52) from the floor, including a 7-for-23 showing from beyond the arc. IWU was successful at the free throw line, but only earned two FTs, hitting both. Meanwhile, UWO did not finish much better from the floor as the home team went 23-for-62 (37.1 percent). Oshkosh used a 9-for-20 effort from distance and hit 11-of-17 free throws to seperate from IWU.

The Green and White used a trio of three-pointers from Sroka to stake a 9-8 lead with 15:27 to play in the first half. UW-Oshkosh responded with a seven-point run to charge ahead 15-6 just three minutes later.

UWO extended its lead to as many as eight in the opening 20. Trailing 27-19 with 2:44 to go until halftime, sophomore Nick Roper (St. Louis, Mo.-MICDS) converted a jumper in the paint and Heflen drilled a three to trim the deficit to one possession, 27-24. Back-to-back jumpers by Sroka evened the score at 28 with 31 seconds left in the period, but UWO's Cole Booth hit a shot before the buzzer to lift the home team to a 30-28 lead at the break.

The Green and White scored the first bucket of the second half, a jumper by sophomore Harrison Wilmsen (St. Louis, Mo.-St. Louis Priory) at the 19:17 mark, but Oshkosh rattled off nine straight points to move ahead, 39-30, with 15:29 left. 

Illinois Wesleyan pieced together a run after UWO pushed its advantage to double digits as Roper found Heflen for a triple. The senior guard nailed another three-ball to pull the Green and White within four, 42-38, and force the home team to call a timeout.

Sroka got IWU within three with his fourth three-pointer of the day, this one in transition, on a heady pass from Heflen. Within three with 11 and a half minutes to play, Illinois Wesleyan hit a two and a half minute scoring drought which allowed UW-Oshkosh to pull away. 

The Green and White turns its focus to College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play, beginning with a Wednesday night game at Elmhurst University, Nov. 30. Tipoff between the Titans and last year's national runner-up is set for 7 p.m. at R.A. Faganel Hall.