Dupage Policy Journal

The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament after defeating Bethany Lutheran College 101-67 on Friday evening. The game took place at the Ratner Athletic Center, with Illinois Wesleyan improving its season record to 23-5 and ending Bethany Lutheran's season at 14-14.

This marked the first time since February 13, 2019, that Illinois Wesleyan scored over 100 points in a game. Junior Karlo Colak had a standout performance, scoring a career-high 20 points with impressive shooting accuracy. Senior Nick Roper contributed 17 points and led the team with eight rebounds. Additionally, Roper and senior Hakim Williams both provided five assists each.

Illinois Wesleyan showed strong shooting overall, making 37 of their 68 shot attempts and hitting 14 out of 16 free throws. In contrast, Bethany Lutheran shot at a rate of 45 percent and struggled from three-point range.

The Titans also led in several statistical categories including points off turnovers, points in the paint, second-chance scoring, fastbreak scoring, and bench scoring. They dominated rebounding with a significant lead over their opponents and recorded a season-high number of assists.

With this victory, Illinois Wesleyan moves forward to face either St. John's University (Minn.) or the University of Chicago in tomorrow night's regional championship game scheduled for a tipoff at 6:30 p.m., again at the Ratner Athletic Center.