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Luke Yoder drives to the basket against Illinois State Oct. 29, 2023
Kodiak Creative
72
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 2-1,0-0 CCIW
59
Wittenberg Witten 2-2,0-0 NCAC
Winner
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
2-1,0-0 CCIW
72
Final
59
Wittenberg Witten
2-2,0-0 NCAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 29 43 72
Wittenberg Witten 34 25 59

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men's Hoops Picks Up Road Victory at Wittenberg

Titans play again tomorrow, Nov. 18, against Marietta College

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team mounted a second-half comeback to defeat Wittenberg University in the Great Lakes Invitational, 72-59, Friday night, Nov. 17. The Titans improved their record to 2-1 on the season, while the Tigers fell to 2-2. 

The Titans outscored the Tigers 43-25 in the second half on their way to a victory. Senior Luke Yoder (Normal, Ill.-Central Catholic) led the Green and White in scoring with a career-high 28 points, 21 of those coming in the second half. Junior Harrison Wilmsen (St. Louis, Mo.-St. Louis Priory) finished one short of his career-best with 18 points. Senior Ryan Sroka (Lake in the Hills, Ill.-Huntley) and sophomore Karlo Colak (Glencoe, Ill.-New Trier) added seven and six points, respectively. Junior Hakim Williams (Round Lake, Ill.-Round Lake) led the Green and White with four assists, while Yoder finished with three. 

Illinois Wesleyan saw three Titans finish with a team-best five rebounds, as Williams, Sroka, and junior Nick Roper (St. Louis, Mo.-MICDS) helped secure a 32-28 advantage on the boards. Freshman Mason Funk (Normal, Ill.-University High) posted a pair of blocks, while three other Titans finished with a rejection. 

Making the most of Wittenberg miscues, IWU recorded 22 points off turnovers, while holding the Tigers to five. The Green and White also saw advantages in second chance points (8-3), bench points (35-12), and points in the paint (38-26), while Wittenberg finished with a slim advantage in fast break points (7-5). 

The Titans struck first against the Tigers, scoring in the opening 10 seconds on a Yoder layup off a feed from Sroka. Yoder continued to make his presence felt early in the game with a three and layup to make the score 15-9, forcing a Wittenberg timeout with 13 minutes left in the first half. 

Offensive woes hurt the Green and White going down the stretch in the first half. The Tigers went on an 8-0 run to make the score 28-20 with three minutes remaining. A Colak three-pointer ended the run, but the Tigers kept the pedal down, pushing their lead back to eight, 32-24, with a minute and a half remaining, causing Illinois Wesleyan to call a timeout.

The Titan defense stymied the Tigers in the final minutes, as Wilmsen made a left-handed hook shot, and Funk buried a three, cutting Wittenberg's lead to five, 34-29, heading into halftime. 

Illinois Wesleyan opened the second half on a 9-1 run to regain the lead, 38-35, thanks to a three-ball from freshman Jackson Niego (Western Springs, Ill.-Lyons Township). However, it was the Luke Yoder show for most of the second half. Yoder would go on a 7-0 run by himself midway through the half to give the Titans a 50-44 advantage. 

The Tigers cut the Titan lead to three with six minutes remaining, but back-to-back buckets from Sroka and Marko Anderson (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South), alongside key free throws down the stretch by Yoder and company, secured a Titan victory. 

Illinois Wesleyan has a quick turnaround as it takes on Marietta College tomorrow, Nov. 18, in Springfield, Ohio. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET.
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