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Men's Hoops bench celebration
© AshtinElder
68
Carroll (WI) CAR 6-6,1-2 CCIW
72
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 10-3,2-2 CCIW
Carroll (WI) CAR
6-6,1-2 CCIW
68
Final
72
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
10-3,2-2 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Carroll (WI) CAR 36 32 68
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 34 38 72

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Hoops Edges Carroll

Titans host Augustana Wednesday, Jan. 7

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team defeated Carroll University, 72-68, Saturday evening, Jan. 3, inside the Shirk Center. The Titans boosted their record to 10-3 on the season, 2-2 in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play, while the Pioneers plummeted to 6-6 (1-2 CCIW).

A tight first half carried into the second as the game sat tied at 52 with 10:28 minutes to play. 

Junior Jackson Niego (Western Springs, Ill.-Lyons Township) dribbled off two ball screens before finding junior Brady Ruggles (Danville, Ill.-Wheaton) for a wide open three-pointer from the corner. The triple lifted IWU to a 55-52 lead with 7:11 to go.

Back-to-back buckets by Carroll gave the visitors a slim, 56-55, lead as the clock ticked under six minutes, but sophomore Noah Cleveland (Normal, Ill.-Normal Community) skipped a pass to junior Casen Lawrence (St. Louis, Mo.-Westminster Christian) for a triple. Senior Nathan Boldt (Deer Park, Ill.-Barrington) tacked on a pair of free throws to give the Green and White a four-point cushion, 60-56, with 5:01 on the clock.

After a Carroll bucket, Cleveland completed an and-one out of an IWU timeout and tipped in an offensive board to push the Titans ahead, 65-58. Senior Karlo Colak (Glencoe, Ill.-New Trier) swiped a pass just inside half court and dished to Cleveland on the break. In a 2-on-1, Cleveland elevated over a Carroll defender and delivered a dunk to bring the Shirk Center crowd to its feet.

Illinois Wesleyan stretched the lead to double digits on three Mason Funk (Normal, Ill.-University High) free throws as part of a 10-2 run to stake a 70-60 lead with 1:47 to play. 

The Pios made things interesting late, pulling within four with 13.7 seconds left, but Funk iced the game at the line.

Three Titans finished in double figures. Funk led all scorers with 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting, with 18 of his points coming in the first half. Cleveland followed with 17 points, seven of which came in the final three and a half minutes, while Lawrence chipped in 12 points. 

Cleveland and Colak tied for the team lead with eight boards apiece, while Niego topped the team with five assists. Funk and Lawrence finished with three steals apiece.

Illinois Wesleyan connected on a 43.1 percent clip, going for 22-for-51. The Green and White knocked down 9-of-25 three-point tries and went 19-for-27 at the free throw line. Carroll finished 24-for-49 from the field, good for a 49.0 percent mark. The Pios shot 6-of-7 from beyond the arc in the opening half, but missed their final seven attempts to finish 6-for-14 overall. CU hit 14-of-17 free throws.

Carroll earned a 35-27 lead in rebounding, but IWU scored a 10-9 edge in second-chance scoring. The visitors mustered leads in points off turnovers (23-20), points in the paint (34-20), fastbreak scoring (13-7), and bench scoring (16-6).

The Titans continue their homestand on Wednesday, Jan. 7 for a CCIW battle with Augustana College. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. inside the Shirk Center. 


 
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