BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team saw its comeback fall short as Washington University in St. Louis hit the game-winning shot with 0.9 seconds to play to down the Titans, 63-61, Tuesday night, Jan. 3. With the loss, IWU drops to 6-5 on the season, while WashU moves to 9-2.

A tip-in by senior Cody Mitchell (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles East) with just under five minutes trimmed the Bears' lead to eight, 54-46. Junior Ryan Sroka (Lake in the Hills, Ill.-Huntley) then found sophomore Harrison Wilmsen (St. Louis, Mo.-Priory) for a hook shot and sophomore Hakim Williams (Round Lake, Ill.-Round Lake) sunk a layup high off the glass. The big bucket by Williams pulled IWU within four, 54-50, and forced a WashU timeout with 3:23 left to play.

Just two minutes later, Williams drove baseline and kicked to Wilmsen for a three-ball from the top of the key to cut the deficit to one, 57-56, with 1:37 remaining. The momentum shifting bucket was followed by a strong defensive stop, which setup Sroka for the go-ahead bucket with 46.9 ticks on the clock. The tough layup from Sroka gave IWU its first lead of the game since the 15:11 mark of the second half.

The Bears responded with a tough bucket of their own, drawing the foul, and sinking the free throw to go ahead, 61-59, with 31.3 seconds left. 

Out of its final timeout, IWU tied the score with a Sroka bucket with a touch over 14 seconds left. The time proved to be enough for WashU's Hayden Doyle to create enough space to get off a long two-pointer, which sunk the Titans, 63-61.

Sroka paced the Green and White with 18 points, while Heflen and Mitchell added 13 and 12, respectively. Sophomore Marko Anderson (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South) pulled in a team-high nine rebounds, while Sroka added eight. 

Illinois Wesleyan shot 40.7 percent from the field, going 22-for-54, and 6-for-16 from three-point range. The Titans converted 11-of-19 free throw attempts. Meanwhile, the Bears, which entered the night with the 16th-best field goal percentage in the country, were held to 39.0 percent from the floor (23-for-59). WashU hit 8-of-20 three-balls and 9-of-13 free throws.

Despite being out-rebounded, 40-36, IWU compiled a 14-5 advantage in second chance points. Illinois Wesleyan also led in points in the paint, 26-20, and points off turnovers, 14-10. WashU led fast break points, 7-4, and bench scoring, 24-6.

The Titans turn to College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play this weekend as the Green and White travel to Carthage College Saturday, Jan. 7. Tipoff is set for 4:15 p.m. and will serve as the second leg of a doubleheader with the IWU women's basketball team.