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Casen Lawrence
© AshtinElder
72
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 8-3,1-2 CCIW
71
Yeshiva YU 3-7,2-0 Skyline
Winner
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
8-3,1-2 CCIW
72
Final
71
Yeshiva YU
3-7,2-0 Skyline
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 30 42 72
Yeshiva YU 27 44 71

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Hoops Escapes Yeshiva

Lawrence hits go-ahead free throws

NEW YORK CITY - Junior Casen Lawrence's (St. Louis, Mo.-Westminster Christian) pressure free throws with 1.6 seconds left pushed the Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team past Yeshiva University, 72-71, at the Max Stern Athletic Center Monday night, Dec. 29, in the third-ever meeting between the two programs. IWU (8-3) led by as many as 10 in the contest, but ultimately capitalized on a YU technical foul (3-7) late to walk away victorious.  

What was once a double-digit lead for the Titans evaporated as the Maccabees converted an and-one on a putback with 5:11 to play. Junior Mason Funk (Normal, Ill.-University High) kicked to Lawrence for a wing three-pointer in front of the IWU bench to reclaim the edge, but YU battled back to tie the game at 62 before Zevi Samet put the home team up, 65-62, on a three-ball.

The triple forced an Illinois Wesleyan timeout with 3:31 on the clock. Out of the reset, senior Karlo Colak (Glencoe, Ill.-New Trier) came through with a crafty layup to pull IWU within one. Lawrence, senior David Williams (Peoria, Ill.-Peoria Notre Dame), and sophomore Noah Cleveland (Normal, Ill.-Normal Community) combined for a key defensive play to leave Yeshiva with an empty possession as the clock ticked under three minutes.

The Green and White capitalized and quickly repaid Cleveland for the defensive stop with an entry pass over the top of the Macs zone. The pass led to an easy bucket for Cleveland to push IWU ahead, 66-65.

Free throws by Yeshiva and two buckets by Colak left the game knotted at 70 with 26 seconds left. Holding the ball for the last shot, the Titans nearly saw two turnovers seal their fate. The first was whistled dead for a kicked ball, but the second saw the Macs swipe the pass and dribble down the court for a layup attempt. Yeshiva was fouled on the attempt, earning the Macs two free throws, but a technical foul assessed to YU gave IWU a pair of chances from the charity stripe as well. Stepping to the line first, Lawrence drained both to make the score 72-70 in favor of the visitors and put the pressure on the Macs. Yeshiva hit the first, but the second rimmed off and Lawrence pulled in the rebound to secure the win, 72-71.

Funk led the Titans with 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting alongside seven boards, three assists, two blocks, and a steal. Cleveland added a 12-point, 16-rebound double-double for his seventh of the year. He was also credited with three assists, one block, and one steal. Lawrence chipped in 14 points off the bench, going 4-for-7 from three-point range, while Colak scored 11. Junior Brady Kuehl (St. Louis, Mo.-Parkway West) put up 10 points and four boards as a spark in the second half.

Overall, Illinois Wesleyan converted 28-of-68 shot attempts (41.2 percent). The Titans went 7-for-25 from distance against YU's zone defense and 9-of-11 at the free throw line. Yeshiva knocked down 49.1 percent of its field goals (26-of-53) and turned in a 10-for-20 showing from beyond the arc. The Macs made 13 trips to the free throw line, converting nine.

IWU pulled in 42 rebounds to YU's 30, with the Titans notching 14 offensive boards to fuel a 7-2 edge in second-chance scoring. Illinois Wesleyan also owned leads in points off turnovers (16-15), bench scoring ( 27-9), and points in the paint (32-24). The Macs were dominant in transition, outscoring IWU, 17-5, in fastbreak points.

Illinois Wesleyan completes its non-conference schedule against Hamilton Wednesday, Dec. 31. The neutral site game, which will take place inside Yeshiva's Max Stern Athletic Center, will tip at 12 p.m. ET.
 
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