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BLOOMINGTON, IL - NCAA Basketball - #6 Illinois Wesleyan vs. UW-Stout at Shirk Center on November 29, 2025. UW-Stout defeated #6 Illinois Wesleyan, 66-58. (Photo by Jimmy Naprstek/Kodiak Creative)
Jimmy Naprstek/Kodiak Creative
85
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 6-1,1-0 CCIW
81
Carthage CARTH 3-3,0-1 CCIW
Winner
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
6-1,1-0 CCIW
85
Final
81
Carthage CARTH
3-3,0-1 CCIW
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 35 38 12 85
Carthage CARTH 35 38 8 81

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Hoops Clips Carthage in OT

Funk fuels Titans with career-high 35 points

KENOSHA, Wis. - Behind a career night from junior Mason Funk (Normal, Ill.-University High) the 10th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team outlasted Carthage College, 85-81, in overtime Wednesday night, Dec. 3. The Titans jump to 6-1 overall and 1-0 in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play, while the Firebirds fall to 3-3 on the year (0-1 CCIW).

Funk finished with a game-high and career-best 35 points. Funk's 35 points is the most by a Titan since Brady Rose scored 35 against Elmhurst Jan. 6, 2018. Funk's career night came on 14-of-22 shooting including a 4-for-6 effort beyond the arc.

Junior Casen Lawrence (St. Louis, Mo.-Westminster Christian) and senior Karlo Colak (Glencoe, Ill.-New Trier) each chipped in 12 points. Colak tied junior Jackson Niego (Western Springs, Ill.-Lyons Township) for the team lead with seven assists. 

Illinois Wesleyan, the top blocking team in Division III, registered eight rejections on the night. Funk swatted four shots, while sophomore Noah Cleveland (Normal, Ill.-Normal Community) added two. Junior Brady Kuehl (St. Louis, Mo.-Parkway West) and senior Nathan Boldt (Deer Park, Ill.-Barrington) tacked on one apiece. Cleveland topped the Titans with 12 rebounds as the Green and White finished with a 45-44 edge. Colak followed with eight.

With six minutes left, Cleveland made a spin move towards the hoop and threw it down with two hands to give the Titans the lead, 62-60. Colak then scored on back-to-back possessions as IWU boosted its lead to six with five minutes remaining. 

A foul with under a minute remaining put Chris Schlesinger at the free throw line. Schlesinger drained one of two freebies, getting the Firebirds within one, 70-69. The Titans came down the court and Cleveland made a familiar spin move in the paint before dishing it to Funk for three in front of the Firebird bench to give IWU a 73-69 lead with 35 seconds remaining. 

Free throws down the stretch in regulation proved to be key, as Carthage got within two points with under 10 seconds remaining. Misses from the line gave Schlesinger the ball and an open lane down the court, where he laid it in to send the game to overtime. 

In the extra period, Niego and Lawrence knocked down shots to lift the Titans to a slim lead. Niego began the score in OT with a pull-up jumper but Carthage used free throws from Ryan Johnson to level the score at 75. Cleveland pulled in an offensive rebound the next time down the floor and kicked out for a Lawrence trey. Another three-ball from Lawrence answered a jumper from the Firebirds and gave IWU an 81-77 advantage with 1:26 to go. 

The Titans head to Naperville, Ill. for a clash with North Central College in Gregory Arena. Tipoff is set for 7:15 p.m. and will be the second leg of a doubleheader with the IWU women's basketball team. 

 
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