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BLOOMINGTON, IL - X (Kodiak Creative/Jimmy Naprstek)
Kodiak Creative
60
Augustana (IL) AUGIE 6-14,3-8 CCIW
64
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 14-6,10-1 CCIW
Augustana (IL) AUGIE
6-14,3-8 CCIW
60
Final
64
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
14-6,10-1 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Augustana (IL) AUGIE 25 35 60
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 27 37 64

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Hoops Edges Augie, Runs Win Streak to Seven

Roper scores game-high 20 points

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team edged Augustana College, 64-60, Saturday night, Jan. 27, in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play inside the Shirk Center. With their seventh straight win, the Titans now sit at 14-6 on the year and 10-1, atop the league standings. Augustana dropped to 6-14 overall and 3-8 in the CCIW with the loss.

Junior Nick Roper (St. Louis, Mo.-MICDS) led all scorers with 20 points, while junior Hakim Williams (Round Lake, Ill.-Round Lake) and senior Luke Yoder (Normal, Ill.-Central Catholic) added 12 and 10 points, respectively. Williams was also IWU's top rebounder, grabbing a game-high eight boards, while also pacing the Titans with three steals. Roper and junior Harrison Wilmsen (St. Louis, Mo.-Priory) recorded three assists apiece to lead IWU.

The Titans went 22-for-55 from the floor (40 percent) and 7-for-24 from three-point range (29.2 percent), while the Vikings finished 22-for-52 from the field (42.3 percent) and 11-for-21 from beyond the arc (52.4 percent). IWU made it to the charity stripe 21 times, converting on 13, while Augie knocked down 5-of-6 freebies. 

Illinois Wesleyan narrowly won the turnover battle, 14-13, and doubled up Augie in points off turnovers, 12-6. The Green and White also notched leads in points in the paint (30-14) and fastbreak scoring (9-2). IWU used a 39-30 lead in rebounding and 13 offensive boards to mount a 17-1 advantage in second chance points.

The Titans raced out to a 10-5 lead on a triple from junior Trey Bazzell (Fairbury, Ill.-Prairie Central) off an assist from freshman Jackson Niego (Western Springs, Ill.-Lyons Township), but Augie battled back to even the score at 16 all.

Freshman Mason Funk (Normal, Ill.-University High) hit Roper for a three-ball to break the deadlock and a layup pushed IWU ahead by five, 25-20. However, the Vikings scored five of the final seven points of the half to trim IWU's lead to two, 27-25, at half.

Illinois Wesleyan started the second half hot, capped off by a baseline drive and dunk from Roper. The one-handed jam by Roper stretched IWU's lead to double-digits, 39-29.

The Titans never gave up the lead, but the Vikings mounted a late comeback attempt as Augie used a three-pointer late in the shot clock to make it a one possession game, 58-55, with 2:40 to play.

Junior Marko Anderson (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South) pulled in a clutch steal to keep IWU in front, and Roper converted a tough bucket to reclaim a five-point lead with 37.7 on the clock.

After a quick bucket from Augie trimmed the Illinois Wesleyan lead to two, free throws from Williams with 0.6 seconds sealed the win.

The Titans will travel to Decatur, Ill. for a midweek matchup with Millikin University Wednesday, Jan. 30. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

 
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