McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team concluded its exhibition games with a matchup against Butler University. The game took place at the historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Wednesday night, October 30. Despite a strong start, Illinois Wesleyan ultimately lost to Butler with a score of 88-47.

Illinois Wesleyan initially took the lead when senior Nick Roper hit a three-pointer and sophomore Mason Funk followed up with an offensive rebound for a putback, giving the Titans a 5-2 advantage. However, Butler responded with six consecutive points to gain a slight lead. Funk's efforts continued as he helped senior Marko Anderson level the score at 10 before the first media timeout.

A scoring drought during the first half allowed Butler to extend their lead significantly, going into halftime with a 43-14 advantage.

In the second half, Illinois Wesleyan found some offensive rhythm through senior Trey Bazzell's back-to-back three-pointers and senior Harrison Wilmsen's finish at the rim. Contributions also came from junior Karlo Colak, freshman Josh Fridman, and freshman Connor Williams.

With two exhibition games completed, Illinois Wesleyan now focuses on starting their official season. They will host the fifth annual Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational on November 8-9 at the Shirk Center. This event will feature four ranked teams: No. 2 University of Wisconsin-Platteville, No. 9 Calvin University, No. 16 IWU itself, and No. 24 Cal Lutheran. The Titans will face Cal Lutheran on Friday at 5 p.m., followed by a game between UWP and Calvin at 7 p.m.