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Nick Roper puts up the game-tying three to force OT
Kodiak Creative
85
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 11-2,3-1 CCIW
80
Wheaton (IL) WHEIL 3-9,0-3 CCIW
Winner
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
11-2,3-1 CCIW
85
Final
80
Wheaton (IL) WHEIL
3-9,0-3 CCIW
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 35 34 16 85
Wheaton (IL) WHEIL 32 37 11 80

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Hoops Escapes King Arena With OT Win Over Wheaton

Williams scores 17 points in second half, Roper scores game-high 26

WHEATON, Ill. - Senior Nick Roper (St. Louis, Mo.-MICDS) hit a three-pointer with eight seconds to go to force overtime for the ninth-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team against Wheaton College Saturday night, Jan. 4, inside King Arena. The Titans (11-2, 3-1 CCIW) outscored the Thunder (3-9, 0-3 CCIW), 16-11, in the extra period to escape with an 85-80 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory.

Roper was the game's leading scorer with 26 points and also hauled in a game-high 10 rebounds to complete the double-double performance. Senior Hakim Williams (Round Lake, Ill.-Round Lake) registered 17 points, all of which came in the second half, on 4-of-7 shooting overall and a 9-of-10 effort at the free throw line. Senior Harrison Wilmsen (St. Louis, Mo.-Priory) and freshman Josh Fridman (Northbrook, Ill.-Glenbard North) scored nine points apiece, while sophomore Mason Funk (Normal, Ill.-University High) and senior Marko Anderson (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South) tallied seven points each.

The Titans outrebounded the Thunder, 49-33, including a 16-5 advantage on the offensive glass. IWU mounted a 15-8 lead in second-chance scoring, while also finishing with advantages in points in the paint (32-22) and bench scoring (17-6). Wheaton held the edge in points off turnovers (13-9) and fastbreak scoring (7-3).

IWU converted 26-of-69 attempts from the field (37.7 percent) and went just 8-for-33 from distance (24.2 percent). The Green and White was impressive at the charity stripe though, knocking down 25-of-29 attempts. Wheaton fared better offensively, going 26-for-64 overall (40.6) and made 15-of-39 three-point tries. The Thunder finished 13-for-14 at the free throw line.

Three-pointers highlighted the scoring early as Wheaton hit three triples to take a 9-5 lead five minutes in. Funk was credited with IWU's first five points, drilling a three-ball and adding a turnaround jumper at the elbow to break the WC zone. A pair of free throws from Roper drew the Titans within two, 9-7, before sophomore Jackson Niego (Western Springs, Ill.-Lyons Township) converted a floater to tie the game at, 9-9, near the 13-minute mark.

Wheaton reclaimed control with a 7-2 run to grab a 16-11 lead, but Niego drove baseline and kicked to senior Trey Bazzell (Fairbury, Ill.-Prairie Central) for a three-pointer from the wing. The triple pulled IWU within two, but another bucket by Wheaton forced a Ron Rose timeout at the midpoint of the first half.

The Titans went to Wilmsen on back-to-back trips down the floor to even the score at 18, before junior Karlo Colak (Glencoe, Ill.-New Trier) came through with some crafty plays to give IWU a 25-23 lead. Colak picked the pocket of the Thunder, which eventually led to a layup from Anderson, but a WC run gave the home team a 32-28 lead with 1:45 left in the period. 

Another timely offensive putback by Anderson knotted the game, 32-32, but a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Bazzell pushed the Green and White ahead, 35-32, into the break.

Illinois Wesleyan came out of the half strong, charging ahead by seven on Roper's tough finish at the rim. The bucket lifted the Titans to a 45-38 lead less than four minutes into the period. 

Wheaton's seemingly unstoppable three-point shooting kept IWU from distancing itself any further as an eight-point Thunder run had the Titans staring down a 54-49 deficit with 11:31 to go.

WC put together another key run, this time scoring six-of-seven points over a nearly two-minute span to climb ahead by nine, 67-58, with less than four minutes to play.

Illinois Wesleyan came up with the final run of regulation, closing the second half on an 11-2 run. After a tough layup from Williams, Roper hit four straight free throws to pull IWU within three, 67-64, with 1:56 on the clock.

Bazzell came up with a key steal, but Illinois Wesleyan could not convert. Fortunately, the Green and White came up with another stop on defense to regain possession with 35 seconds left.

Williams bodied his way through the paint to trim the deficit to one, 67-66, forcing IWU to foul with 19 seconds on the clock. After Wheaton hit a pair of free throws, Fridman dished to Roper for a three-ball from the wing to tie the game.

Roper remained hot to start the extra period, as Williams found his fellow senior for a quick layup off the jump ball. Less than a minute later, Williams assisted on a Fridman three to drive IWU ahead, 74-69, and force a Wheaton timeout.

The pause could not slow Williams, who grabbed a defensive rebound and then worked a give-and-go with Roper to extend the advantage to seven, 76-69, at the three-minute mark.

Late three-pointers from the Thunder made things interesting down the stretch, but Williams knocked down a barrage of free throws to secure the victory.

The Titans close out a roadtrip Wednesday, Jan. 8, at North Park University. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.


 
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