McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team, ranked No. 11, faced a setback in their final regular season game against Augustana College. The Titans were defeated 85-76 at the Carver Center on February 22. This result leaves IWU with a 20-5 overall record and a 12-4 standing in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. Meanwhile, Augustana improved to a 16-9 overall record and 9-7 in league play.

Sophomore Jackson Niego led the scoring for Illinois Wesleyan with all his 12 points coming in the first half. Freshman Josh Fridman topped the team's scoring chart with 16 points, while senior Hakim Williams contributed 15 points and five assists. Senior Harrison Wilmsen added seven points and led the team with five rebounds.

The Titans made 44.1 percent of their shots, converting 27 out of 60 attempts, including ten three-pointers from twenty-nine tries. Niego scored four three-pointers, while Fridman and Williams each added two more. Augustana managed a slightly better shooting percentage at 45.6 percent but excelled at free throws by making twenty-seven out of thirty-six attempts compared to IWU's twelve out of twenty.

Illinois Wesleyan had an edge in points scored in the paint (24-20) but fell behind in other areas such as rebounds (39-32), second-chance points (10-8), points off turnovers (13-9), fastbreak scoring (10-1), and bench contributions (36-28).

Augustana started strong, leading early on before Niego's three-pointer brought IWU within two points at 12-10. However, the Vikings responded with a decisive run that extended their lead significantly during the first half.

Despite efforts from Niego and others to close the gap with successful three-point shots, Augustana maintained control throughout most of the game. A late push by IWU reduced their deficit to six points towards the end of regulation time but was not enough to overcome Augustana's lead.

Looking ahead, Illinois Wesleyan has secured a bye into the CCIW Tournament semifinals scheduled for February 28 at Carthage College's Tarble Arena. They will discover their opponent after Tuesday’s quarterfinal games.