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Cody Mitchell Men's Basketball
57
Carthage CARTH 9-12,2-10 CCIW
66
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 16-4,9-2 CCIW
Carthage CARTH
9-12,2-10 CCIW
57
Final
66
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
16-4,9-2 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Carthage CARTH 20 37 57
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 28 38 66

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Total Team Effort Pushes Titans Past Firebirds

Five Titans finish with 10+ points

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The 10th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team used a total team effort to defeat Carthage College Saturday night, Feb. 5, at the Shirk Center. IWU moved to 16-4 overall, 9-2 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, while Carthage stumbled to 9-12 (2-10 CCIW). 

Senior Matthew Leritz (St. Louis, Mo.-St. Louis University HS) put together a stat-stuffing performance with a near triple-double. Leritz finished with 13 points, a game-high 14 rebounds, and a career-best six assists in the win. Junior Cody Mitchell (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles East) scored a game-high 14 points, while senior Peter Lambesis (Mt. Prospect, Ill.-St. Viator) tallied 11 points and a team-best two steals. Freshman Nick Roper (Creve Coeur, Mo.-MICDS) and senior Cory Noe (Mahomet, Ill.-Mahomet-Seymour) recorded 10 points apiece.

The Titans compiled a field goal percentage of 38.7, with the Firebirds finishing with a 35.7 clip. Both teams hit six three-pointers, while IWU went 12-for-13 at the free throw line. CC finished 11-for-16 at the charity stripe. 

On the glass, IWU posted a 42-34 advantage. Behind Leritz's game-high 14 boards, sophomore Ryan Sroka (Lake in the Hills, Ill.-Huntley) grabbed seven. Mitchell and Lambesis finished with five rebounds each. 

The Titans finished with advantages in points off turnovers (16-14), points in the paint (28-22), fast break points (12-5), and second chance points (12-11). Carthage held a slim 18-16 edge in bench points.

A slow start saw the Green and White fall behind 5-0 in the early goings, before Lambesis' mid-range jumper got the Titans on the board at the 16:48 mark. 

With the score even at nine all, Sroka connected on a jumper to kick start a 10-0 run. Roper closed out the spurt with five points of his own, the latest coming on a three-ball in transition, to push IWU ahead 19-9 with 9:05 to go in the half.

The Firebirds fought back to trim the lead to three, but a layup by Leritz and a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Roper sent the Titans into the locker room leading 28-20.

Mitchell kept the Titans rolling with an and-one to start the second half. Noe followed with a triple and a great find by Leritz to extend the lead to 34-20 just a minute and a half in.

Carthage used a 7-0 run over three and a half minutes to claw within five and force an IWU timeout with 13:39 to play. 

That was as close as the Firebirds would get, however, as Ron Rose's timely pause got the Titans back on track. 

The Green and White charged ahead by as many as 17, as Leritz fed Mitchell for an easy lay-in, before securing the 66-57 victory.

Illinois Wesleyan is back at home Monday night, Feb. 7, with a 7 p.m. contest against North Park University.

 
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