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NAPERVILLE, IL - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team wore down North Central College Saturday night, Dec. 9, using a balanced effort to earn a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin win. (Kodiak Creative/Jimmy Naprstek)
Kodiak Creative/Jimmy Naprstek
86
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 12-6,8-1 CCIW
72
Carroll (WI) CAR 10-8,3-6 CCIW
Winner
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
12-6,8-1 CCIW
86
Final
72
Carroll (WI) CAR
10-8,3-6 CCIW
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 47 39 86
Carroll (WI) CAR 30 42 72

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Hoops Overpowers Carroll in Waukesha

Four Titans score in double figures

WAUKESHA, Wis. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team rode a halftime lead to an 86-72 win at Carroll University Saturday night, Jan. 20. With the win, the Titans boosted their record to 12-6 overall and 8-1 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. The Pios slipped to 10-8 on the season and 3-6 in the CCIW with the setback.

Juniors Harrison Wilmsen (St. Louis, Mo.-Priory) and Nick Roper (St. Louis, Mo.-MICDS) paced the Titans with 19 points and 18 points, respectively. Wilmsen finished 6-for-10 from the floor and 6-for-8 at the free throw line, while Roper's 18 points came on 8-for-13 shooting. Senior Ryan Sroka (Lake in the Hills, Ill.-Huntley) added 12 points and a team-best four assists, while junior Hakim Williams (Round Lake, Ill.-Round Lake) added 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

As a team, the Titans finished 32-for-60 from the floor for a 53.3 clip. The Green and White drilled 8-of-22 three-point tries, with Williams, Sroka, and senior Luke Yoder (Normal, Ill.-Central Catholic) hitting two apiece. Carroll finished 23-for-55 from the floor, good for a 41.8 clip, but went 10-for-25 from beyond the arc. CU finished 16-for-27 from the free throw line, while IWU went 14-for-16 in freebies.

The Titans finished with a 35-31 edge in rebounding, along with a 38-20 lead in points in the paint. IWU also welcomed a 16-9 advantage in transition points, while CU held a 12-11 lead in second chance scoring. IWU won the turnover battle, 13-10, and used the miscues to post a 13-6 lead in points off turnovers.

Hot shooting paired with IWU's lockdown defense saw the Titans take control in the first half. Illinois Wesleyan hit five three-pointers over the first 20 minutes of play, as five different players made a triple. 

Wilmsen was IWU's hot-hand early on, scoring the game's first five points. The St. Louis, Mo. native finished with 13 at the break, six of which came at the free throw line. 

Carroll cut what was once an 11-point Illinois Wesleyan lead to nine with just under two minutes left in the half, but IWU rattled off the final nine points of the frame. Freebies from Wilmsen and sophomore Karlo Colak (Glencoe, Ill.-New Trier) were followed by a high-soaring finish at the rim by Roper, before Sroka hit a three-ball to beat the buzzer. 

Leading comfortably, 47-30, into the second stanza, the Titans stretched their lead to as many as 22 in the second half en route to the victory.

Illinois Wesleyan returns home to the Shirk Center for its next game Wednesday night, Jan. 24, as the Titans play host to Wheaton College. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.

 
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