Bryan Moore Associate Executive Director | College Conference Of Wisconsin And Illinois
Bryan Moore Associate Executive Director | College Conference Of Wisconsin And Illinois
The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team concluded its season with a loss in the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Titans, ranked ninth, faced off against the fifth-ranked University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Eagles at Mitchell Hall on March 14. The final score was 72-65 in favor of UW-La Crosse.
Hakim Williams and Karlo Colak led the Titans' scoring efforts with 14 and 10 points, respectively. Nick Roper contributed seven points and nine rebounds. Williams also recorded three blocks and two rebounds, while Colak, Roper, Mason Funk, and Josh Fridman each made two steals.
Illinois Wesleyan shot 40.9 percent from the field but struggled from beyond the arc with a 26.1 percent success rate. They attempted only nine free throws, converting five. In contrast, UW-La Crosse capitalized on their opportunities at the line, making 19 out of 26 attempts following 21 fouls by IWU.
UW-La Crosse had advantages in points in the paint (42-34), points off turnovers (13-12), and second-chance scoring (7-6). Illinois Wesleyan excelled in fastbreak scoring (16-6) and bench contributions (22-7).
The game was tied at 21 when a technical foul against IWU gave UWL a slight edge. Williams responded by leveling the score at 25 and later pushing IWU ahead with a three-pointer assisted by Harrison Wilmsen.
Colak extended IWU's lead to four points with an old-fashioned three-point play before Marko Anderson's full-court pass to Williams secured a layup to end the first half with a four-point advantage for IWU.
The Titans began the second half strongly with a 15-3 run, taking a significant lead at 48-32. However, UW-La Crosse narrowed the gap to one point midway through the second half and eventually regained control of the game.
UW-La Crosse took the lead with just over four minutes remaining and maintained it until securing their victory over Illinois Wesleyan.
This match marked the end of college basketball careers for several Titans players: Hakim Williams, Trey Bazzell, Shane Miller, Nick Roper, Harrison Wilmsen, and Marko Anderson.
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