McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team faced a setback against Carthage College on Saturday, February 8, at Tarble Arena in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The Titans, ranked second, experienced their second consecutive loss with a final score of 18-3 (10-3 CCIW). This result allowed Carthage to take sole possession of first place in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin standings with a 10-2 record and an overall standing of 16-6.

Senior Harrison Wilmsen led Illinois Wesleyan with 18 points. Fellow seniors Nick Roper and Hakim Williams contributed 15 and 11 points respectively, while sophomore Mason Funk added another 10 points. Roper also completed a double-double by securing 11 rebounds. Wilmsen followed closely with eight rebounds, and junior Karlo Colak finished the game with nine points and seven rebounds.

Illinois Wesleyan had a field goal percentage of 41.5 percent and went 8-for-25 from beyond the arc, making only 12 out of their 21 free throw attempts. In contrast, Carthage posted shooting percentages of 46.7 from the field, 34.8 from three-point range, and an impressive 80.8 percent from the free throw line.

Despite pulling in more rebounds than Carthage at a count of 42 to their opponent's 34, Illinois Wesleyan had only a slight advantage in second-chance scoring at nine to six. The Firebirds led in points off turnovers (13-5) and won the turnover battle by committing fewer errors (11-6). They also surpassed Illinois Wesleyan in fastbreak scoring (10-7), though the Titans held leads in points in the paint (34-24) and bench scoring (13-11).

Roper opened the game for Illinois Wesleyan with a layup before Carthage took control early on with a lead that extended to six points at one stage during the first half. However, through efforts like Colak's free throw sparking a five-point run by Roper and Wilmsen that brought them within one point at different times throughout play, they kept themselves competitive.

Carthage ultimately regained control just after halftime when they capitalized on seven straight points despite some spirited play by Illinois Wesleyan players such as Williams ending scoring droughts or Wilmsen initiating runs through successful shots like triples or floaters.

In closing moments nearing one minute left on clock-time though - despite last-minute efforts including late-game three-pointers from both Wilmsen & Roper - it was insufficient against prevailing deficits maintained till conclusion.

Illinois Wesleyan will look forward towards hosting Millikin University next Saturday February fifteenth during what’s set be Senior Day scheduled tip-off occurring four fifteen pm local time home venue once again.