Audrey Peterson

Box Score

Ill. Wesleyan IWU 26-5,13-3 CCIW

Emory EU 26-3,12-2 UAA

Ill. Wesleyan IWU

26-5,13-3 CCIW

Final

Mar. 19, 2026

Emory EU

26-3,12-2 UAA

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU	43	35	78
Emory EU	47	36	83

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 3/19/2026 5:41:00 PM

Men's Hoops Drops Elite Eight Heartbreaker to No. 2 Emory

Funk leads IWU with 36 points

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The No. 8 Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team dropped a heartbreaker in the Elite Eight round of the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament to No. 2 Emory University. The Titans fell, 83-78, Thursday afternoon, March 19, inside Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. A three-pointer off the hands of Emory's Ben Pearce with one second remaining thwarted a valiant Titan comeback, ending IWU's season with a record of 26-5.

Junior Mason Funk (Normal, Ill.-University High) led the Green and White with a career-high 36 points, 20 of which came in the first half of action. Funk's 36 are the most since sophomore Noah Cleveland (Normal, Ill.-Normal Community) put up the same amount against fellow University Athletic Association school WashU, Dec. 18, 2025. Cleveland was second in scoring for the Titans, posting 17 of his own. Senior Karlo Colak (Glencoe, Ill.-New Trier) led IWU in rebounding with 11, six of which came on the offensive glass.

Defensively, Funk posted three blocks, which ties him with David Caldwell (1990-91) for the program's single-season blocks record, as Funk swatted 75 shots this year. Additionally, Funk led IWU in steals with three. The Green and White led Emory in points in the paint (38-32) and second chance points (13-5) after pulling down 14 offensive boards. Emory maintained advantages in points off of Titan turnovers (16-8) and fast break points (9-2).

Emory could not miss from three, hitting its first four long-distance tries, to climb ahead, 14-8, in the early goings. Funk sparked Illinois Wesleyan with a three-pointer and mid-range jumper to make it a one-score game, 18-15, into the game's first media timeout at the 13:16 mark.

Colak converted a putback to pull IWU within one, but a dunk and triple saw the Eagles soar to a 23-17 advantage.

Funk came up with a heady dish to junior Brady Kuehl (St. Louis, Mo.-Parkway West) for a basket before the juniors teamed up once again with Funk making the bucket this go-around to cut the deficit to two, 25-23.

The score stood into the under-eight media, but Emory scored 11 of the next 12 points to bolt ahead, 34-26, with 5:55 to go in the half.

Back-to-back triples from junior Casen Lawrence (St. Louis, Mo.-Westminster Christian Academy) drew the Titans within six, 45-39. Funk drove his way inside for a bucket and slipped a pass to Cleveland the next time down the floor. The four-point spurt pulled IWU within four, 47-43, at the intermission.

Illinois Wesleyan came out of the break with a quick bucket to trim the Emory lead to two, 47-45. An ensuing Emory three-ball extended its lead again, but the Titans continued to battle back. A three from junior Jackson Niego (Western Springs, Ill.-Lyons Township) trimmed the Eagles lead, while a steal from Niego and lay-in from Cleveland shortly after had the Titans eyeing a two-point deficit, 55-53, headed into the first media timeout of the second half.

Emory came out of the break with vengeance, as the Eagles extended their lead to as many as 10. With seven minutes left on the clock, the Titans battled back. Funk's offense started to click again, as a blow-by layup and three-pointer a minute later got IWU within five. A Colak offensive rebound and putback plus a foul made it a one-possession game with three minutes to play.

With the score knotted up at 74 off of two Cleveland freebies, Emory's Ben Pearce and Funk traded tough buckets at the rim. With just a minute remaining, the Eagles and Titans each hit a pair of free throws, as Emory took possession with 20 seconds remaining on the clock. Tightly guarded by Niego, Pearce was the hero for EU, as he hit an off-balance, three pointer with 1.6 on the clock to book the Eagles a trip to the Final Four.

The loss marks the end of four Titans careers, including David Williams (Peoria, Ill.-Peoria Notre Dame), Nick Tingley (New Lenox, Ill.-Lincoln-Way Central), Nathan Boldt (Deer Park, Ill.-Barrington), and Colak. Together, the group advanced to an Elite Eight in addition to a Sweet Sixteen in 2025 in their two NCAA Tournament appearances. The group compiled an 81-33 record, earned two College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Championships and the first two CCIW tournament titles in program history.