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Marko Anderson vs Wheaton
Kodiak Creative
79
Winner Wheaton (IL) WHEIL 8-2,2-1 CCIW
58
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 5-4,3-1 CCIW
Winner
Wheaton (IL) WHEIL
8-2,2-1 CCIW
79
Final
58
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
5-4,3-1 CCIW
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Wheaton (IL) WHEIL 37 42 79
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 31 27 58

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Three-Ball Sinks Titans in Loss to Thunder

IWU’s record dips to 5-4, 3-1 in the CCIW

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team could not overcome a barrage of three-pointers by 16th-ranked Wheaton College Saturday evening, Dec. 17, inside the Shirk Center. IWU (5-4, 3-1 CCIW) saw its three-game win streak halted with a 79-58 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin setback at the hands of the Thunder (8-2, 2-1 CCIW).

Illinois Wesleyan saw three players hit double-digits in points, led by senior Cody Mitchell (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles East) with 17 points. Sophomore Harrison Wilmsen (St. Louis, Mo.-Priory) and senior Lucas Heflen (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) added 11 points apiece. Mitchell also grabbed a team-high six rebounds, while sophomore Hakim Williams (Round Lake, Ill.-Round Lake) led the squad with three assists. 

The Green and White hit 41.2 percent from the field, going 21-for-51. IWU finished with four three-pointers on 10 attempts, while Wheaton went 14-for-33 from beyond the arc. The Thunder finished the game 26-for-57 from the floor overall and 13-for-15 at the free throw line. 

Illinois Wesleyan was out-rebounded for the first time this season, as Wheaton held a 36-27 edge on the glass. The Thunder held a slim 12-11 lead in second chance points and a 5-3 advantage in transition. The Titans controlled the paint, 28-18, but saw WC lead bench scoring, 20-14.

Wheaton broke away midway through the first half, going up by four, 16-11, on a layup. IWU pulled within two on Heflen's stepback three in response, but only mustered points at the free throw line over the next four minutes of play.

Wheaton three-pointers were sandwiched between four freebies from sophomore Marko Anderson (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South) as the Thunder opened up a double-digit advantage. Heflen's layup with six and half minutes remaining in the half broke the IWU run, before the Green and White used back-to-back buckets down low to trim the deficit to six, 37-31, at halftime. Junior Ryan Sroka (Lake in the Hills, Ill.-Huntley) found fellow junior Evan Schneider (St. Louis, Mo.-Ladue) for a layup and Mitchell fed Wilmsen with seconds remaining. 

The Thunder used seven first-half three-pointers and nine second-chance points to pull away from the Titans over the opening 20 minutes of play. 

Wheaton's strong shooting from beyond the arc carried over into the second half, while the Illinois Wesleyan offense struggled to find a rhythm. The Titans were limited to 27 points in the second half, while Wheaton put up 42 to snap IWU's perfect start to league play.

The Green and White head to the Windy City Tuesday night, Dec. 20, where the Titans will look to get back on track against the University of Chicago. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.


 
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