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Marko Anderson vs. Elmhurst
Kodiak Creative
68
Winner Elmhurst ELM 22-5,12-4 CCIW
64
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 19-8,14-2 CCIW
Winner
Elmhurst ELM
22-5,12-4 CCIW
68
Final
64
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
19-8,14-2 CCIW
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Elmhurst ELM 30 38 68
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 22 42 64

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Hoops Bounced in CCIW Tournament Championship

Titans record sits at 19-8 ahead of NCAA selection show

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team's comeback attempt fell short Saturday night, Feb. 24, inside the Shirk Center as the Titans (19-8) fell in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament Championship to second-seeded Elmhurst University, 68-64. IWU now awaits Monday's NCAA Selection Show to find out its postseason fate. The bracket will be unveiled Feb. 26 at 1 p.m. ET.

Junior Marko Anderson (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South) led the way with 15 points, nine of which came in the second half. Fellow junior Harrison Wilmsen (St. Louis, Mo.-Priory) was not far behind with 13 points, while Hakim Williams (Round Lake, Ill.-Round Lake) added 11 points. Senior Luke Yoder (Normal, Ill.-Central Catholic) rounded out the Titans' double-digit scorers with 10. Yoder led the Green and White with six assists, while Williams led the Titans in rebounding with eight. Williams also tallied two blocks. 

Illinois Wesleyan led Elmhurst in points in the paint (40-28) and bench points (17-10). The Bluejays ended with advantages in three-point percentage, shooting 36.8 percent compared to the Titans' 10.5 percent clip. Additionally, Elmhurst won the free throw contest, going 11-of-15 opposed to Illinois Wesleyan's 12-of-17 clip. 

A 10-0 Elmhurst run early in the first half gave the Bluejays a 19-10 advantage, before back-to-back tough finishes in the paint from Yoder cut into the Bluejays' lead. Out of a Ron Rose, junior Trey Bazzell (Fairbury, Ill.-Prairie Central) drained a pull-up jumper to cut the Bluejay lead to eight. 

Illinois Wesleyan would come out of halftime staring down an eight point deficit before Elmhurst ballooned their lead to 41-29. A trio of buckets by Anderson, including a timely and-one, cut the Elmhurst advantage to 43-38. 

After the under-12 media timeout, a steal and lay-in from Yoder plus four free throws off the hands of Wilmsen got the Titans within two, 46-44. Illinois Wesleyan would not get any closer the remainder of the game, despite two thunderous dunks from Nick Roper (St. Louis, Mo.-Priory) down the stretch. With 1:18 to play, a Williams and-one gave the Titans hope as they climbed within five, but Elmhurst free throws would end the game in favor of the Bluejays. 

The Titans, who won the CCIW Regular Season Championship outright, head into the selection show with a 19-8 record. Monday's selection show can be viewed on ncaa.com.

 
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