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BLOOMINGTON, IL - The No. 20 Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team picked up its first College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin win of the season Saturday night, Dec. 2, with a 79-69 victory over Carroll University. (Kodiak Creative/Jimmy Naprstek)
Kodiak Creative/Jimmy Naprstek
50
Millikin MIL-U 6-9,2-4 CCIW
72
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 9-6,5-1 CCIW
Millikin MIL-U
6-9,2-4 CCIW
50
Final
72
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
9-6,5-1 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Millikin MIL-U 27 23 50
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 37 35 72

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Juniors Lead Men’s Hoops to Win Over Millikin

Titans host Carthage Saturday for 4:15 p.m. tipoff

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team continued College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play with a 72-50 win over Millikin University inside the Shirk Center Wednesday night, Jan. 10. The win, which marked the Titan's 15th straight victory over the Big Blue, boosted IWU's record to 9-6 overall and 4-1 in league play, while MU's record slid to 6-9 on the season and 2-4 in the CCIW.

Junior Nick Roper (St. Louis, Mo.-MICDS) went off for 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers, while also adding three steals and a trio of rebounds. Behind four three-pointers, junior Trey Bazzell (Fairbury, Ill.-Prairie Central) joined Roper in double figures as he finished with 15 points and a couple of steals. 

Juniors Hakim Williams (Round Lake, Ill.-Round Lake) and Harrison Wilmsen (St. Louis, Mo.-Priory) contributed eight points each, with Williams pulling in a game-high seven rebounds. 

Illinois Wesleyan proved to be more efficient from the floor, shooting 48.1 percent on the night and 32 percent (8-for-25) from distance to Millikin's clips of 34.0 (18-for-53) and 22.7 (5-for-22). Millikin converted 9-of-14 free throws, while IWU went 12-for-19 at the charity stripe.

The Titans turned the Big Blue over 17 times and cashed in for a 28-13 edge in points off turnovers, while also piling up advantages in points in the paint (26-20) and bench scoring (27-21). IWU also grabbed a 40-30 lead on the glass, along with 11 steals to MU's eight.

A 10-2 spurt by Millikin saw the visitors cling to a 22-18 lead with 8:16 left in the first half. The four-point lead proved to be the Big Blue's largest of the night.

Roper ended the run with a three-pointer on an assist from Sroka to pull IWU within one, 22-21, before senior Luke Yoder (Normal, Ill.-Central Catholic) hit a layup in transition. The tough driving bucket pushed IWU ahead, 23-22, and marked the final lead change of the game as the Titans led from that point on.

The Green and White continued rolling with jumpers by freshman Mason Funk (Normal, Ill.-University High), Roper, along with three-balls from Bazzell and Roper to break open a double-digit advantage, 37-25. 

The Titans carried a 10-point, 37-27, lead into the break, but saw the Big Blue claw within four points twice in the first five minutes of the second period. 

Leading 41-37, the Green and White rattled off five straight points to regain control and hold off MU. A tough layup from junior Marko Anderson (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South) was followed by a mid-range jumper from Roper. Freshman Jackson Niego (Western Springs, Ill.-Lyons Township) split a pair of free throws to give IWU a nine-point advantage, 46-37, as the clock hit 12 minutes.

The Green and White put the game out of reach with an 11-point run to stretch the lead to 19 on Wilmsen's jumper with 5:18 to play. IWU led by as many as 25 over the final five minutes of action, running away with a 72-50 victory.

Illinois Wesleyan remains at home Saturday, Jan. 13, as host to Carthage College. TIpoff is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. and will serve as the second end of a doubleheader with the IWU women's basketball team inside the Shirk Center. The game will see Illinois Wesleyan athletics recognize the longtime contributions of Randy Reinhardt prior to tipoff.

 
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