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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Four double-digit showings fueled the Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team past Augustana College, 65-50, Saturday evening, Jan. 14, inside the Shirk Center. (Photo by Kodiak Creative/Jimmy Naprstek)
Kodiak Creative
77
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 10-8,5-4 CCIW
65
George Fox GFU 4-14,3-5 NWC
Winner
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
10-8,5-4 CCIW
77
Final
65
George Fox GFU
4-14,3-5 NWC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 36 41 77
George Fox GFU 29 36 65

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Titans Best Bruins to Close Out Non-Conference Play

Wilmsen & Heflen score 17 points each

NEWBERG, Ore. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team completed a successful trip to Oregon Tuesday night, Jan. 24, with a 77-65 win at George Fox University. The Titans notched their 10th win of the season, improving to 10-8 on the season, while GFU dipped to 4-13 on the year.

Senior Lucas Heflen (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) and sophomore Harrison Wilmsen (St. Louis, Mo.-Priory) paced the Titans with 17 points apiece. Heflen, who scored all of his points in the second half, finished 5-for-9 from three-point range. Wilmsen's 17-point night saw the big man make 3-of-4 three-point tries and haul in eight rebounds. Sophomore Trey Bazzell (Fairbury, Ill.-Prairie Central) added nine points and three assists off the bench, while junior Ryan Sroka (Lake in the Hills, Ill.-Huntley) and sophomores Marko Anderson (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South) and Hakim Williams (Round Lake, Ill.-Round Lake) tallied seven points each.

In a game that saw the teams combine to attempt 72 three-pointers, the Green and White corralled a 44-24 rebounding advantage. The Titans finished 29-for-62 from the field overall, 14-of-31 from beyond the arc, and 5-for-7 at the free throw line.The Bruins were limited to a 35.9 field goal percentage and connected on 11-of-41 threes (26.8 percent). George Fox went a perfect 8-for-8 at the stripe. IWU held a 5-2 lead in second chance points, a 38-31 edge in bench scoring, and a 26-20 lead in points in the paint. 

Junior Evan Schneider (St. Louis, Mo.-Ladue) battled for an offensive board and hit the putback to push IWU ahead, 14-13, but George Fox followed with six straight points to stake a 19-14 lead with 8:33 to go in the opening half.

Illinois Wesleyan saw Wilmsen and Bazzell drill back-to-back threes out of the media timeout to trim the lead to one, 21-20, as the under-eight media timeout rolled around.

The duo of Anderson and freshman Nathan Boldt (Deer Park, Ill.-Barrington) sparked the Green and White with about five and a half minutes left. Anderson found Boldt cutting through the line on the press break and the freshman forward threw down a two-handed slam to reclaim a 22-21 Titan advantage.

Anderson followed with four points, and senior Cody Mitchell (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles East) added a jumper to cap a 9-0 IWU run.

After Wilmsen connected on a pair of threes, Williams beat the buzzer with a triple of his own. Behind 24 points from its bench, IWU took a 36-29 advantage into halftime.

The Bruins came out of the break strong, but the Titans used an 18-2 run spanning over four minutes to take control midway through the half. Anderson connected with Heflen for a triple to begin the run. Williams found freshman Karlo Colak (Glencoe, Ill.-New Trier) for the first bucket of his career, a corner three, before Wilmsen hit his third three-pointer of the game. Williams made a layup to give Illinois Wesleyan a 62-46 cushion at the under-eight media timeout.

George Fox pulled within nine down the stretch, but the Green and White maintained a comfortable lead en route to a 77-65 victory.

Illinois Wesleyan returns to College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play Saturday, Jan. 28, for a 7:15 p.m. tipoff at Augustana College.




 
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