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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team saw a fourth-quarter lead slip away Saturday afternoon, Dec. 17, in a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin bout with Wheaton College inside the Shirk Center. (Photo by Kodiak Creative/Jimmy Naprstek)
Kodiak Creative
68
Millikin MIL-U 8-8,1-6 CCIW
73
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 7-6,4-2 CCIW
Millikin MIL-U
8-8,1-6 CCIW
68
Final
73
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
7-6,4-2 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Millikin MIL-U 33 35 68
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 35 38 73

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men's Hoops Tops Millikin

Three players score in double figures

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team thwarted a second-half comeback attempt by Millikin University Wednesday night, Jan. 11, to earn a 73-68 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin win. IWU improved to 7-6 on the season and 4-2 in league play with the victory, while MU (8-8, 1-6 CCIW) suffered its third straight loss.

Senior Cody Mitchell (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles East) led the Green and White with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double as one of three Titans to finish in double figures. Junior Ryan Sroka (Lake in the Hills, Ill.-Huntley) scored a team-high 17 points and added a team-best five steals, while sophomore Hakim Williams (Round Lake, Ill.-Round Lake) added 10 points. Fellow sophomore Trey Bazzell (Fairbury, Ill.-Prairie Central) added nine points off the bench.

Illinois Wesleyan hit 27-of-57 shot attempts, 3-of-18 threes, and 16-of-22 free throws, while Millikin went 24-for-54 from the field, 8-for-21 from three-point distance, and 12-for-14 at the charity stripe. Each team finished with 32 rebounds, but IWU compiled an 11-5 edge in second chance points.

The Titans exploited their size inside to the tune of a 42-18 advantage in points in the paint. IWU also held a 17-8 lead in bench scoring and a 22-15 lead in points off turnovers despite losing the turnover battle, 15-10.

Illinois Wesleyan came out hot, using a Sroka layup to take an 11-2 lead and force a MU timeout just five minutes into the game. The Green and White expanded its advantage to 11 on an and-one by Mitchell with 4:29 remaining in the half, and used a dunk and putbacks to maintain a double-digit lead.

After a layup by senior Lucas Heflen (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) gave IWU a 35-25 edge, the Big Blue closed the period with eight straight points to trim the Titan lead to two, 35-33, at the break.

In the second half, Millikin drilled a three-pointer to go up, 49-45, with 11:32 left to play, but Illinois Wesleyan responded out of a Ron Rose timeout.

A rare four-point play by Bazzell evened the score at 49 and a tough bucket by Sroka allowed IWU to reclaim the lead, 51-49. Sroka later fed Heflen in transition for an easy two and Williams used his strength to get a bucket inside, before Mitchell's and-one gave IWU a nine-point cushion, 58-49. 

The Titans lead quickly dissipated as the Big Blue's three-point shooting sparked MU's comeback attempt. Millikin used back-to-back triples to pull with three, 63-60, with three minutes to play.

The three-point difference stood in the final minutes as IWU held a 71-68 edge before Sroka sealed the win at the free throw line, 73-68.
Illinois Wesleyan remains at home Saturday, Jan. 14, for a conference bout with Augustana College. Tipoff is set for 4:15 p.m. and will serve as the back end of a doubleheader with the IWU women's basketball team and will see the Titans recognize former standouts Lon Erickson (football) and Rob Wuethrich (men's golf). Erickson will be honored prior to tipoff, while Wuethrich's will take place at halftime.


 
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