Skip To Main Content
Casen Lawrence hyped up
© AshtinElder
57
Yeshiva YU 0-2,0-0 Skyline
84
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 1-0,0-0 CCIW
Yeshiva YU
0-2,0-0 Skyline
57
Final
84
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
1-0,0-0 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Yeshiva YU 25 32 57
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 45 39 84

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Hoops Rolls Past Yeshiva

Titans setup top-15 matchup in Sikma Championship game

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - A balanced effort propelled the sixth-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team into the Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational Championship game for the sixth straight year. The Titans downed Yeshiva University, 84-57, inside the Shirk Center in its season opener to move to 1-0 on the season. The Maccabees slipped to 0-2 and will face Benedictine University tomorrow, Nov. 15, at 1 p.m. IWU and 12th-ranked Trinity University (Texas) will tip at 3 p.m.

Four double-digit scorers led the way for the Green and White. Junior Josh Fridman (Northbrook, Ill.-Glenbrook North) finished with 16 points and five assists, while senior Casen Lawrence (St. Louis, Mo.-Westminster Christian) knocked down five three-pointers to finish with 15. Sophomore Luke Meyer (Highland, Utah-Juan Diego Catholic) followed with 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting and senior Brady Kuehl (St. Louis, Mo.-Parkway West) tacked on 11 points. 

Senior Mason Funk (Normal, Ill.-University High) led the Titans on the glass, pulling in eight rebounds. Senior Jackson Niego (Western Springs, Ill.-Lyons Township) dished out a team-high six assists, as IWU handed out 20 as a team. Fridman was credited with five helpers, while Funk dished out four. 

Illinois Wesleyan knocked down 32-of-62 shot attempts, good for a 51.6 clip. The Titans strong shooting extended beyond the arc, where they hit 13 three-pointers on 31 attempts. IWU went 7-for-9 at the charity stripe. Defensively, the Green and White held Yeshiva to a 4-of-16 showing from three-point range and 44.2 percent shooting overall (23-of-52). The Maccabees went 7-of-15 on free throw attempts. 

The Titans posted a 34-28 lead on the glass, with eight offensive boards en route to an 18-0 advantage in second chance scoring. IWU also led in points off turnovers (26-9), points in the paint (36-28), fastbreak scoring (18-12), and bench scoring (32-13).

Defense manufactured the Titan offense early as steals by Niego and Fridman gave the home team a 5-3 lead. Back-to-back triples by Lawrence along with a bucket by Meyer stretched the lead to a baker's dozen, 18-5.

Three-pointers by Lawrence and Niego sandwiched a Yeshiva bucket as IWU's advantage ballooned to 20, 41-20. Freshman Jackson Bohm (Mahomet, Ill.-Mohamet-Seymour) hit Lawrence for his fourth three-pointer of the half and Funk fed Niego for a triple before layups by junior Anthony Kemp (Bourbonnais, Ill.-Bradley Bourbonnais) and Fridman sent the Titans to the break with a 45-25 lead.

Out of the break, Illinois Wesleyan continued to roll. IWU extended its lead to as many as 29 to run away with the win and set up a top-15 matchup tomorrow, Nov. 15.

The Titans will square off against Trinity in the title game tomorrow, Nov. 15. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. following the conclusion of the consolation final between Yeshiva and Benedictine.
Print Friendly Version