McLean County Times

Illinois Wesleyan University's men's basketball team secured a narrow victory over Augustana College with a 64-60 win in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play at the Shirk Center. This marks the Titans' seventh consecutive win, bringing their record to 14-6 overall and 10-1 in the league standings. Augustana's record fell to 6-14 overall and 3-8 in the CCIW.

Junior Nick Roper led all scorers with 20 points. Junior Hakim Williams contributed 12 points and was also IWU's top rebounder with eight boards, while senior Luke Yoder added 10 points. Roper and junior Harrison Wilmsen each provided three assists for IWU.

The Titans shot 40 percent from the floor and made seven out of twenty-four three-point attempts. In contrast, Augustana finished with a field goal percentage of 42.3 percent and made eleven out of twenty-one from beyond the arc. At the free throw line, IWU converted thirteen out of twenty-one attempts, while Augustana made five out of six.

Illinois Wesleyan had a slight edge in turnovers, winning that battle by one (14-13) and capitalized on those opportunities by scoring twelve points off turnovers compared to Augustana's six. The Titans also dominated in points in the paint (30-14) and fastbreak scoring (9-2). They outrebounded their opponents 39-30, which included thirteen offensive rebounds leading to a significant advantage in second-chance points (17-1).

The game saw IWU take an early lead at 10-5 after a three-pointer by junior Trey Bazzell, assisted by freshman Jackson Niego. Although Augustana tied it up at sixteen apiece, freshman Mason Funk assisted Roper for a crucial three-pointer that helped maintain IWU's lead into halftime at 27-25.

In the second half, Roper's baseline drive resulted in a dunk that extended IWU's lead to double digits at 39-29. Despite this cushion, Augustana attempted a late comeback but was held off by clutch plays from Marko Anderson and key free throws from Williams.

The Titans are set to face Millikin University next on Wednesday, January 30th in Decatur, Illinois.