McLean County Times

Senior Nick Roper played a crucial role in Illinois Wesleyan University's victory over Wheaton College on Saturday night at King Arena. Roper's three-pointer with eight seconds left forced the game into overtime, where the Titans emerged victorious with an 85-80 win in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.

Roper led the scoring with 26 points and secured a double-double by grabbing 10 rebounds. Senior Hakim Williams contributed significantly with 17 points, all scored in the second half. Other notable performances included Harrison Wilmsen and freshman Josh Fridman, each scoring nine points.

The Titans outperformed Wheaton in several areas, including rebounds (49-33), second-chance points (15-8), and points in the paint (32-22). However, Wheaton excelled in turnovers (13-9) and fastbreak scoring (7-3).

Illinois Wesleyan shot 37.7 percent from the field and struggled from three-point range at 24.2 percent but was effective at free throws, converting 25-of-29 attempts. In contrast, Wheaton had a better shooting percentage overall at 40.6 percent and made more three-pointers but fell short in free throw attempts.

Wheaton initially took control early on with a series of three-pointers to lead 9-5 within five minutes. IWU responded through Mason Funk's efforts to tie the game before taking brief leads through various players' contributions.

Despite trailing by nine late in regulation time, Illinois Wesleyan mounted a comeback fueled by key plays from Williams and Roper's consistent free throws. A decisive steal by Trey Bazzell allowed IWU to regain possession leading up to Roper’s critical tying shot.

In overtime, Williams continued his strong performance assisting both Roper and Fridman for crucial baskets that widened IWU's lead to seven points. Despite Wheaton's late attempts from beyond the arc keeping them competitive until final moments; it was Williams’ composure under pressure at charity stripe securing ultimate victory for Titans who now look forward towards next match against North Park University scheduled Wednesday January eighth tipoff slated seven p.m