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2026 CCIW Tournament Champions - Men's Basketball
Jimmy Naprstek/Kodiak Creative
59
Elmhurst ELM 19-9,10-6 CCIW
69
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 23-4,13-3 CCIW
Elmhurst ELM
19-9,10-6 CCIW
59
Final
69
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
23-4,13-3 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 F
Elmhurst ELM 37 19 3 59
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 19 37 13 69

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Hoops Completes Epic Comeback to Take CCIW Tournament Title

Titans trailed by as many as 19

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The No. 12 Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team claimed its second consecutive College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament Championship in electric fashion, Saturday night, Feb. 28, inside the Shirk Center. After trailing by as many as 19 in the first half, the top-seeded Titans earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament via a 69-59 overtime victory over No. 4 seeded Elmhurst University. The Bluejays fell 19-9 and will have to await final postseason selections, while IWU soars to 23-4. 

The Titans victory marks the first CCIW Tournament Championship claimed by the No. 1 seed since Augustana in 2018. It is IWU's second all-time tournament title, and the first time the Green and White have swept the regular season and tournament championships outright. 

Junior Mason Funk (Normal, Ill.-University High) led the charge for IWU, scoring a game-high 23 points. After scoring just two points in the first half, Funk exploded in the second half, including scoring nine of the Titans' 13 overtime points. Senior Karlo Colak (Glencoe, Ill.-New Trier) added 17 points and led IWU in rebounding with 11 caroms. Junior Jackson Niego (Western Springs, Ill.-Lyons Township) had a team-high four assists and chipped in 10 points of his own. Junior Casen Lawrence (St. Louis, Mo.-Westminster Christian) led the Titan defense with three steals.

The Green and White defense held the Bluejays to just 4-of-21 (19 percent) shooting in the second half, while IWU shot 15-of-30 (50 percent) during the same stretch. Illinois Wesleyan led in points in the paint (28-16) and points off turnovers (16-9), capitalizing on 13 EU miscues. 

Elmhurst came out red-hot from the field as the Bluejays hit their first four field goals of the game to charge ahead, 9-2.

Senior David Williams (Peoria, Ill.-Peoria Notre Dame) found Lawrence for a deep three-pointer to pull IWU within four, 11-7, but EU responded with a series of buckets to force a Ron Rose timeout. 

The Titans continued their cold shooting performance throughout the first half, finishing the first 20 minutes on a 2-of-18 clip from three-point land and 8-of-32 overall. IWU faced a 37-19 deficit going into halftime.

The Green and White chipped away at the Elmhurst lead throughout the second half, leaning on exceptional defense. A Funk pull-up jumper got things going out of the break, followed by a Colak three-ball to cut into the EU lead. 

Colak hit a tough bucket, before making a great defensive play on the ensuing possession. A Colak block got the Titan offense rolling, as he dished it off to Funk for his signature finger roll to force an Elmhurst timeout, as the Titans cut the deficit to 40-28. 

Shortly thereafter, IWU cut the EU lead to single digits on a Funk circus shot halfway through the second 20 minutes. Niego then found Lawrence for a deep three with 8:47 remaining as the Bluejays lead was cut to 50-44. 

Following an EU timeout, the Titans were firing on all cylinders on the offensive end. Niego drove in for a tough layup to tie up the score, 54-54, for the first time since 0-0-, with three minutes to play. A Niego steal with one second remaining on the Elmhurst shot clock gave the Titans possession and an opportunity to take the lead. Colak then rebounded his own missed layup and tipped it back in to give IWU its first edge of the game, 56-54. 

Two Elmhurst free throws tied up the game, as Dominic Trelenberg took the final shot to give Elmhurst the win, but missed the mark to send it to overtime. 

It was the Mason Funk show in OT, as the Titans never trailed in the extra period. Colak hit a pair of free throws to immediately break the deadlock, and Funk then answered with a layup, free throws, and a three-ball in overtime as the Bluejays never stood a chance. IWU outscored EU 13-3 in the final period for a 69-59 league-clinching title. 

The Titans will learn where their NCAA Tournament journey during the selection show Monday, March 2 at 12 p.m. A link to watch the show and view the bracket can be found here. 

 
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