2004-05 Previews, Articles & Notes
Randy Reinhardt stories courtesy of the Bloomington Pantagraph
Hanover hinders Titans
Host IWU suffers five-point loss in Div. III tourney
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- The Hanover College basketball team apparently is going to wait until it crosses the Indiana border to blink.
With an unwavering focus and a cold-blooded, almost machine-like shooting efficiency, 12th-ranked Hanover shot No. 6 Illinois Wesleyan out of the NCAA Division III Tournament Saturday.
Firing in an amazing 74 percent of their second-half shots, the Panthers ousted IWU, 81-76, before a standing room only Shirk Center crowd of 2,850.
"They played better than we did," Wesleyan coach Scott Trost said. "Give them credit. They made plays. That's the mark of a good, experienced team."
Hanover, which was knocked out of last season's NCAA Tournament by IWU, moved to 25-5 and will meet Trinity (Texas) Friday in sectional competition.
"Generally speaking, that would be good enough to beat us," Panthers' coach Mike Beitzel said of the Titans' offensive output. "But we played real well the second half. We really passed the ball well and made a lot of shots, some tough shots."
IWU (21-5) lost its NCAA Tournament opener for the first time since a 1999 defeat at Ripon.
"The last couple weeks we haven't played well. Tonight wasn't much different. We played well in spurts, but we weren't consistent for 40 minutes," said Trost. "I'm disappointed because I thought we were better than this.
"Our guys have accomplished a lot and have a lot to be proud of, but it's disappointing when the season ends like it did."
Hanover extended a 33-29 halftime lead to 41-31 with the help of three quick Tommy Dennis baskets. Dennis would connect on 8 of 9 shots and finish with 18 points.
IWU scrapped back within 43-40 when a Chris Jones rebound of a missed Titan free throw led to an Adam Dauksas 3-pointer.
A Dauksas three-point play and a fast break basket by the Wesleyan point guard forged a 47-47 tie with 12:43 remaining and brought the Shirk Center crowd to its feet.
Keelan Amelianovich nailed a 3-pointer to give IWU its first lead since 23-22, and the Titans held a 53-49 margin after a 3-pointer from the inspired Dauksas.
Yet when the home crowd was at its loudest, Hanover was at its calmest.
"We thought we had the momentum and were going to go for the kill," said Dauksas, whose 27 points were one shy of a season high. "They definitely hit some big shots."
The Panthers received rapid-fire 3-pointers from Brian Chrin, Matt Moore, Nate Minyard and Ben Lye (his first of the season) to seize a 61-55 lead.
"It's very impressive that on one or two occasions when Illinois Wesleyan made their run and the joint was jumping, we just came down and made baskets and answered," Beitzel said. "We had both our center (Dennis) and power forward (Lye) make threes. We haven't done that all year."
The Titans got back to a 61-61 tie on six straight Amelianovich points before Hanover surged ahead once again. Dennis' fifth 3-pointer of the season capped an 11-1 spurt for a 72-62 lead with 3:45 remaining.
IWU did not get closer than the final score the rest of the way.
"They do a lot of things well," said Amelianovich, who scored 23 points. "You could tell they're well coached and disciplined. They find the open man. It seemed like they made bigger shots than we did."
Eight of 10 from the field, Chrin joined Dennis with 18 points. Lye chipped in 16 and Moore 11.
The Titans outrebounded the rugged Panthers, 33-26, behind eight boards from Cory Jones and seven from Dauksas.
"They made plays. That's what you've got to do to pull it out," Cory Jones said. "We didn't all the time."
Hanover's 17 of 23 second-half shooting gave the Panthers a 54 percent mark for the game (28 of 52). The visitors' nine turnovers were four less than Wesleyan.
"That's their team," Dauksas said. "They are not going to make a whole lot of mistakes."
Neither did Wesleyan. But it was still too many.
Titans hit right notes in 2nd half to grab win
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
----------
BLOOMINGTON -- Unbeknownst to the standing room only Shirk Center crowd of 3,000, the Illinois Wesleyan and Millikin basketball teams had secretly formed a gigantic boy band prior to Saturday's game.
"Out Of Sync" debuted in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin regular-season finale for both teams.
And while Millikin continued to warble hideously the entire evening, IWU located some sense of harmony in the second half to claim a decidedly weird 74-51 victory.
"The first half was a mess," said Titans' junior Keelan Amelianovich. "We didn't play hard and there was no flow to the offense. But sometimes you have to deal with what the game brings you and persevere through what happens."
IWU, which accepted the conference championship trophy after the game, moved to 21-4 overall and 12-2 in the CCIW. The Titans will be part of the NCAA Division III Tournament pairings announced this evening.
"It was an ugly first half. We couldn't get any flow. It was foul after foul," IWU coach Scott Trost said.
"We played with a little better tempo and rhythm the second half. We certainly have to play better in the tournament."
With lone senior Steve Jeretina contributing an early basket in his first career start on Senior Nigh, IWU led 7-0 and 17-9 before hitting the offensive skids.
The Titans would hit just one shot -- a Zach Freeman dunk -- in the final 11:45 of the first half.
Remarkably, and with the help of 12 of 19 free throw shooting, IWU led 31-28 at the break despite a season-worst first-half shooting percentage of 33.3.
Millikin (12-13, 4-10 in the CCIW) was 44 percent from the field in the first half but committed 11 turnovers and 16 fouls.
"We just had trouble," Big Blue coach Tim Littrell said. "We struggled offensively all night, and that's a tough thing against Wesleyan. You usually have to outscore them. Wesleyan had a wonderful year. They are well deserving of the conference championship."
IWU led 37-35 when junior center Chris Jones nailed just his second 3-pointer of the season. Jones followed with two more baskets to extend the Titans' lead to 44-35.
"We just came out absolutely sluggish and not focused," said Jones, who scored all 11 of his points in the second half. "I wanted to try to do whatever I could to give the team a spark. We were flat."
"Chris is a high intensity player," Amelianovich said. "That's what he can do."
Wesleyan led 46-37 when official John Hodel left the court to confront a fan who had apparently been yelling at him from the first row behind the west basket. Hodel went nose-to-nose with the spectator before fellow official Trent Eshleman intervened and ejected the fan.
Adam Dauksas nailed a 3-pointer and Freeman dunked again at the 5:57 mark for a 57-41 Titan advantage.
Millikin was an abysmal 7 of 32 from the field (22 percent) in the second half and finished at 31.6 percent. Jason Fisher was the lone Big Blue player in double figures with 13 points. Millikin had 20 turnover to just six assists.
Amelianovich paced IWU with 18 points, while Freeman chipped in 16 points and nine rebounds. Cory Jones contributed nine points and 11 rebounds.
"Sometimes we have a lack of respect for opponents," Trost said. "We can't do that."
Dauksas had five assists to match Paul Petersen for fourth on the IWU career list with 377.
The Titans shot 58.6 percent in the second half and 47 percent overall.
Millikin @ #7 Illinois Wesleyan
February 26, 2005 - 7:30pm
Probable Starters:
|
||
G |
Adam Dauksas (6-3/185, JR) 14.9 pts, 3.6 reb, 5.7 assists |
Chuck Williams (6-0 SR) 17.2, 2.7 reb, 2.9 assists |
G |
Matt Arnold (5-11/160), JR) 6.2 pts, 1.4 reb |
Jason Fisher (6-2 SR) 15.2 pts, 2.5 reb |
F |
Keelan Amelianovich (6-6/210, JR) 17.7 pts, 4.8 reb |
Adam Russell (6-0 SR) 4.2 pts, 2.3 reb |
F |
Zach Freeman (6-7/205, SOPH) 14.4 pts, 6.9 reb |
Mike Gavic (6-4 SOPH) 5.5 pts, 4.0 reb |
C |
Steve Jeretina (6-7/230, SR) 0.7 pts, 0.8 reb |
Quintin Howard (6-5 JR) 9.4 pts, 5.3 reb |
Reserve 1 |
Steve Schweer, F (6-6/205, JR) 4.4 pts, 3.5 reb |
Bryon Graven, G (6-2 SOPH) 4.7 pts, 1.9 reb |
| Reserve 2 | Cory Jones, C (6-6/225, JR) 6.2 pts, 3.8 reb |
Tyler Nohren, F (6-6 FR) 3.9 pts, 3.3 reb |
Team Averages
|
Illinois Wesleyan (20-4, 11-2) |
Millikin (9-6, 1-3) |
Points Scored Per Game |
77.6 |
73.6 |
Points Allowed Per Game |
65.3 |
71.0 |
Field Goal % Avg FG Attempts Per Game |
.513 54 |
.456 57 |
Opponent's Field Goal % |
.403 |
.456 |
3-point % Avg 3-pt FG Att/Game |
.433 16 |
.400 17 |
Opponent's 3-point % |
.348 |
.325 |
Free Throw % |
.712 |
.674 |
Rebounds Per Game |
36.3 |
32.4 |
Rebounds Allowed Per Game |
31.0 |
34.3 |
| Assist to 1 T.O Ratio | 1.10 | .80 |
| Opponent's Assist to 1 T.O. Ratio | 1.00 | .80 |
Titans earn share of 3rd consecutive CCIW title
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
CHICAGO -- Second place is a noteworthy accomplishment in a quality Division III basketball league such as the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.
For the third straight season, Illinois Wesleyan has absolutely no idea how that feels.
Second place was not an option for a Titan team unanimously picked in the preseason to win the CCIW title, and IWU made certain it was not the final outcome Wednesday at North Park Gymnasium.
Keelan Amelianovich scored a career-high 29 points as Wesleyan survived uncommonly hot North Park shooting to claim a 98-89 victory and clinch a share of its third straight CCIW championship before a crowd of 1,239.
"These kids have a lot to be proud of," said IWU coach Scott Trost of the first CCIW team to win three straight titles in 25 years. "It's quite a tribute to them and their work ethic. It's a great accomplishment."
Ranked No. 7 nationally, Wesleyan (20-4, 11-2 in the CCIW) hit the 20-win plateau for the eighth time in the past 11 seasons.
"To clinch a share feels awesome," Amelianovich said, "but it's not as good as an outright title."
The Titans can sew up that outright championship and the CCIW's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament Saturday in the regular-season finale against Millikin at Shirk Center. A loss by Wheaton (9-3 in the CCIW) either today at Augustana or Saturday at Carthage also would do the trick.
"Everyone says smile," said a still reserved Trost. "I'll smile after Saturday if we get a win."
IWU enjoyed a collective grin after scoring 20 points in the first 6:13 of the second half to assume a 67-46 advantage. Wesleyan led 79-53 when North Park (4-20, 0-13) started tossing in 3-pointers from the suburbs.
The Vikings connected on 9 of 12 second-half shots from beyond the arc and finished an uncanny 14 of 22 (63.6 percent) on 3-point attempts.
"They shot the living daylights out of it," Trost marveled. "And they hit tough shots."
Senior Lamar Townsend scored a career-high 29 points in his final home game. Cory Wilks also nailed four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points.
The Vikings rallied within 83-69 with 5:57 remaining. And even after the decision was sealed, North Park made three 3-pointers in the final minute to tidy up a final margin that stood at 97-80 with just over a minute to go.
"Give North Park all the credit in the world," said IWU center Chris Jones, who totaled 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. "We had them down and they kept fighting the whole game."
The Titans reached a season-high point total with the help of 19 from junior point guard Adam Dauksas, who pushed his career total to 1,005 points and became the 35th member of IWU's 1,000-point club.
"It feels great, but we're not done," said Dauksas, who also had six assists, five rebounds and three steals. "We were picked first and we want to finish that out."
Zach Freeman added 13 points and Matt Arnold 12 as all five Wesleyan starters reached double figures. Freeman also grabbed eight rebounds as the taller, more muscular Titans controlled the boards, 32-22.
"Coach wanted us to take advantage of that from the beginning and play physical," Jones said of IWU's size advantage.
That became a bit difficult in the first half because Amelianovich seemingly couldn't miss from the perimeter.
The junior forward connected on 8 of 10 first-half shots, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range, for 22 points as the Titans took a 47-37 lead into the break.
"The guys did a great job setting screens and that left me wide open," said Amelianovich. "It feels great to finally get in a good rhythm."
Wesleyan shot just under 70 percent (16 of 23) in a wild second half that saw 103 points and finished at 61 percent (33 of 54) while making 24 of 27 free throws for 89 percent.
North Park, which also received 20 points from Brett Mathisen, shot 60.6 percent in the second half and 54 percent overall. The Vikings stayed within range aided by 10 assists and just one turnover in the opening half.
The last CCIW team to capture three consecutive league titles was North Park from 1978 to '80.
#7 Illinois Wesleyan @ North Park
February 23, 2005 - 7:30pm
Probable Starters:
|
||
G |
Adam Dauksas (6-3/185, JR) 14.7 pts, 3.5 reb, 5.7 assists |
Cory Wilks (5-10/170, SOPH) 6.6 pts, 1.7 reb, 1.7 assists |
G |
Matt Arnold (5-11/160), JR) 5.9 pts, 1.5 reb |
Matt Lindahl (6-0/195, SR) 5.1 pts, 1.2 reb |
F |
Keelan Amelianovich (6-6/210, JR) 17.2 pts, 5.0 reb |
Lamar Townsend (6-3/185, SR) 11.9 pts, 2.5 reb |
F |
Zach Freeman (6-7/205, SOPH) 14.5 pts, 6.8 reb |
Brett Mathisen (6-5/210, JR) 11.6 pts, 6.3 reb |
C |
Chris Jones (6-6/210, JR) 6.5 pts, 6.3 reb |
Jay Alexander (6-6/175, FR) 4.0 pts, 4.6 reb |
Reserve 1 |
Steve Schweer, F (6-6/205, JR) 4.4 pts, 3.7 reb |
Eric Samuelson (6-5/185, JR) 4.6 pts, 2.3 reb |
| Reserve 2 | Cory Jones, C (6-6/225, JR) 6.4 pts, 6.1 reb |
Mike Peterson (6-5/185, JR) 5.4 pts, 1.9 reb |
Team Averages
|
Illinois Wesleyan (19-4, 10-2) |
North Park (4-19, 0-12) |
Points Scored Per Game |
76.7 |
65.0 |
Points Allowed Per Game |
64.3 |
74.8 |
Field Goal % Avg FG Attempts Per Game |
.509 54 |
.413 59 |
Opponent's Field Goal % |
.396 |
.488 |
3-point % Avg 3-pt FG Att/Game |
.420 15 |
.319 17 |
Opponent's 3-point % |
.336 |
.356 |
Free Throw % |
.702 |
.669 |
Rebounds Per Game |
36.5 |
31.9 |
Rebounds Allowed Per Game |
31.3 |
35.1 |
| Assist to 1 T.O Ratio | 1.10 | .80 |
| Opponent's Assist to 1 T.O. Ratio | .90 | .90 |
Free throws save Titans
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
-----
NAPERVILLE -- For 39 minutes, 58 seconds, Monday's basketball game at Merner Fieldhouse was just like the North Central baton twirler's instrument of entertainment.
Up in the air.
Yet when the final shot -- unlike the expertly handled baton -- hit the floor, Illinois Wesleyan retained what had looked like a slippery grip on sole possession of first place in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.
Matt Arnold cooly connected on four free throws in the final 20 seconds, and IWU survived a Ray Vicario last-ditch 3-point attempt to escape with a tense 73-70 victory before a crowd of 450.
"We were resilient down the stretch and hit some clutch free throws," IWU coach Scott Trost said. "Championship teams find a way to win on the road when they don't play their best."
No. 9-ranked Wesleyan (19-4 overall) is one win away from sewing up a share of its third straight CCIW championship. The Titans (10-2 in the CCIW) moved a full game ahead of second-place Wheaton (9-3) and meet league cellar dweller North Park in Chicago Wednesday.
After two Adam Dauksas free throws at the 33-second mark, North Central (14-10, 4-9) got back within 69-67 on a Daniel Walton shot.
Two Arnold free throws extended the IWU margin to 71-67 before Vicario tossed in a 3-pointer with 13 seconds showing to shave the Titan lead to one.
Arnold again converted two foul shots with 10 seconds left. Vicario's 3-point attempt bounced off the mark with two seconds left, and Cory Jones' rebound sealed the Wesleyan victory.
"You have to go up with confidence. I know I'm a good free throw shooter," Arnold said. "I like to be in those spots. Opportunity is what it's all about.
"We showed a lot of maturity at the end. A win here, if it's three or 20 points, is a good win. They play really well here."
Playing without junior guard Mike Wilson, who scored 34 points earlier this season against IWU at Shirk Center, because of an ankle injury, North Central did not surrender the lead until a Zach Freeman three-point play with 5:59 left gave IWU a 59-58 edge.
"Our kids played hard. We had kids make plays for 37 minutes, they had it for 40," said Cardinals' coach Todd Raridon. "Give Illinois Wesleyan credit. They didn't panic and 22 (Dauksas) and 30 (Freeman) stepped up and made plays when they had to."
Freeman scored 14 of his team-high 20 points in the second half. It was the sophomore's first 20-point game since Dec. 4.
"I challenged Zach at halftime and he responded real well," Trost said. "He played more inspired the second half."
Keelan Amelianovich added 13 points and Jones and Dauksas chipped in 10 each. Jones led Wesleyan to a 32-21 rebounding advantage with a game-high nine boards. The Titans committed just seven turnovers.
The Cardinals showed from the beginning that despite having lost eight of their last nine, they weren't going to roll over for the league leaders.
North Central shot out to a 13-5 lead on a Walton 3-pointer. IWU closed its deficit to 22-19 before another Cardinals' spurt saw an Adam Krumtinger basket push the North Central lead at 30-22.
Two Freeman free throws brought Wesleyan within 32-30, but a driving basket from Vicario with three seconds showing sent North Central into the locker room with a 34-30 lead.
It marked just the fifth time all season IWU trailed at the half.
"I don't really know how to explain why we keep playing like that, but we can't keep doing it," Freeman said of IWU's slow start. "It's frustrating individually and as a team."
Walton finished with a career-high 24 points, while Anthony Simmons scored 17 and Vicario 14. North Central hit 26 of 47 shots from the field (55 percent) to become the first IWU opponent all season to exceed 50 percent.
"We turned the ball over the last two minutes at two key times," said Raridon. "They took advantage both times. That's what good teams do."
Krumtinger, a Normal Community High School teammate of Zach and Andrew Freeman, had four points and four rebounds off the bench.
# 9 Illinios Wesleyan @ North Central
February 21, 2005 - 7:30pm, Gregory Arena
Probable Starters:
|
||
G |
Adam Dauksas (6-3/185, JR) 14.9 pts, 3.5 reb, 5.9 assists |
Ray Viccario (6-0/170, JR) 9.3 pts, 2.2 reb, 2.7 assists |
G |
Matt Arnold (5-11/160), JR) 5.8 pts, 1.5 reb |
Mike Wilson (6-4/170, JR) 14.3 pts, 5.1 reb |
F |
Keelan Amelianovich (6-6/210, JR) 17.4 pts, 5.1 reb |
Patrick Flanagan (6-3/170, SR) 5.2 pts, 3.3 reb |
F |
Zach Freeman (6-7/205, SOPH) 14.2 pts, 6.8 reb |
Daniel Walton (6-5/180, SOPH) 12.8 pts, 6.2 reb |
C |
Chris Jones (6-6/210, JR) 6.6 pts, 6.5 reb |
Anthony Simmons, F/C (6-6/225, SOPH) 14.8 pts, 6.1 reb |
Reserve 1 |
Steve Schweer, F (6-6/205, JR) 4.5 pts, 3.8 reb |
Adam Krumtinger (6-7/220, SOPH) 8.6 pts, 3.8 reb |
| Reserve 2 | Cory Jones, C (6-6/225, JR) 6.0 pts, 3.6 reb |
Adam Teising, G (5-11/160, JR) 4.0 pts, 2.1 reb |
Team Averages
|
Illinois Wesleyan (18-4, 9-2) |
North Central (14-9, 4-8) |
Points Scored Per Game |
76.9 |
73.7 |
Points Allowed Per Game |
64.0 |
68.3 |
Field Goal % Avg FG Attempts Per Game |
.508 54 |
.521 51 |
Opponent's Field Goal % |
.391 |
.421 |
3-point % Avg 3-pt FG Att/Game |
.436 16 |
.387 13 |
Opponent's 3-point % |
.331 |
.352 |
Free Throw % |
.706 |
.681 |
Rebounds Per Game |
36.7 |
33.7 |
Rebounds Allowed Per Game |
31.8 |
30.1 |
| Assist to 1 T.O Ratio | 1.10 | 1.30 |
| Opponent's Assist to 1 T.O. Ratio | .90 | .90 |
Titans pick up defense, victory
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
-----
ELMHURST -- Scott Trost did the math and quickly decided the only thing adding up was the Elmhurst College point total.
After a switch in defense and a strongly encouraged switch in mindset of his Illinois Wesleyan basketball team, Trost is suddenly extremely fond of the numbers that make up the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin standings.
IWU held Elmhurst to 20 second-half points and seized firm control of the CCIW championship race Saturday with a 75-59 victory before a season-high Faganel Hall crowd of 1,780.
"I told them (his players) defense was going to win us some games and it did," Trost said. "It was a big win, a complete team victory."
The No. 9-ranked Titans moved to 18-4 overall and 9-2 in the CCIW, while dropping Elmhurst (16-7, 8-4) two games back in the loss column.
With Wheaton (9-3 in league play) in second, IWU needs two wins in its final three games to clinch a share of the conference championship and the CCIW's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Elmhurst held a 25-19 lead with 9:33 left in the first half. Noting the Bluejays were nearly on pace for 100 points, Trost switched to a man-to-man defense.
"We went man and our kids fought back," said Trost. "Maybe it made the kids a little more aggressive."
"Defend. We had to get out there and defend," Wesleyan junior center Cory Jones said. "We played defense the second half much better than the first half. I felt they played harder the first half."
Elmhurst coach Mark Scherer felt the fact IWU rallied to take a 40-39 halftime lead was critical.
"Our kids really needed to believe they could beat Wesleyan," Scherer said. "It was only a one-point lead, but it really shook our confidence. The second half we pressed and missed shots we were making against Wheaton (in a key win Wednesday)."
The Titans extended their edge to 53-43 on a Jones basket with 12:24 left. Jones also scored the next six IWU points and finished with a season-high 15 points off the bench.
"That's the Cory we know from last year," said Trost, who started Chris Jones in place of Cory after Cory did not score Wednesday at Carthage. "That's the mark of a junior leader and captain. He responded in a positive way."
"I felt like I was due," Cory Jones said. "I was thinking too much. I just played the way I know how to play."
The Bluejays pulled within 55-52 on a Nick Michael 3-pointer with 7:38 left. But a 12-3 IWU run that featured an Adam Dauksas 3-pointer from the corner was capped by a Keelan Amelianovich three-point play that produced a 67-55 margin at the 2:46 mark.
The second of two straight Steve Schweer inside baskets pushed the Wesleyan advantage to 71-55 and brought a triumphant fist pump from Trost.
"It was basically just intensity. We picked up the intensity and it paid off," Schweer said. "It was a pretty pivotal game for us."
Amelianovich matched Cory Jones with 15 points. Dauksas added 13 and Zach Freeman contributed 11 points and eight rebounds for IWU, which shot 61 percent in the second half and 55 percent overall.
Michael scored a game-high 18 points for Elmhurst. The Bluejays slumped badly to 34 percent shooting from the field after hitting 10 of their first 16 shots.
"We missed open shots. I didn't feel like Wesleyan did anything different other than they locked down on me a little more," said Elmhurst junior and CCIW top scorer Chris Martin of Eureka. "I feed off my defense and I wasn't necessarily getting that the second half."
Martin scored just two of his 13 points in the second half. Evan Patchett added 12 and David Gershenzon 10 for the Bluejays.
"It's a good win against a good team, but it's one win," Trost said. "We have a big game Monday, and we don't need to give this one back."
IWU travels to Naperville Monday to meet North Central in the makeup of a contest that was postponed Jan. 22 because of inclement weather.
#9 Illinois Wesleyan @ Elmhurst
February 19, 2005
Probable Starters:
|
||
G |
Adam Dauksas (6-3/185, JR) 15.0 pts, 3.5 reb, 6.0 assists |
Craig Schau (6-1/190, SR) 4.2 pts, 1.8 reb, 2.0 assists |
G |
Matt Arnold (5-11/160), JR) 5.7 pts, 1.5 reb |
Chris Ihlenfeldt (6-1/185, JR) 5.4 pts, 1.8 reb |
F |
Keelan Amelianovich (6-6/210, JR) 17.5 pts, 5.2 reb |
Chris Martin (6-6/205, JR) 17.7 pts, 8.6 reb |
F |
Zach Freeman (6-7/205, SOPH) 14.4 pts, 6.8 reb |
Jay Bizzolara (6-3/210, SOPH) 4.9 pts, 1.9 reb |
C |
Chris Jones (6-6/210, JR) 6.6 pts, 6.6 reb |
Nick Michael (6-10/220, SOPH) 12.4 pts, 4.7 reb |
Reserve 1 |
Steve Schweer, F (6-6/205, JR) 4.5 pts, 4.6 reb |
David Gershenzon, G (6-2/180, JR) 11.7 pts, 1.5 reb |
| Reserve 2 | Andrew Freeman, F (6-6/200, JR) 5.3 pts, 2.8 reb |
Andrew Mohney, C (6-7/200, JR)
2.0 pts, 3.3 reb |
Team Averages
|
Illinois Wesleyan (17-4, 8-2) |
Elmhurst (16-6, 8-3) |
Points Scored Per Game |
77.0 |
71.7 |
Points Allowed Per Game |
64.2 |
67.5 |
Field Goal % Avg FG Attempts Per Game |
.506 54 |
.474 54 |
Opponent's Field Goal % |
.393 |
.468 |
3-point % Avg 3-pt FG Att/Game |
.440 16 |
.379 16 |
Opponent's 3-point % |
.332 |
.384 |
Free Throw % |
.709 |
.731 |
Rebounds Per Game |
36.9 |
32.1 |
Rebounds Allowed Per Game |
31.8 |
28.2 |
| Assist to 1 T.O Ratio | 1.10 | .84 |
| Opponent's Assist to 1 T.O. Ratio | .90 | .81 |
Titans grab lead and don't let go
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
-----
KENOSHA, Wis. -- The Illinois Wesleyan basketball team is back where it wants to be and four games from getting where it wants to go.
The Titans pulled away with a 10-0 second-half spurt and held tight for a 76-68 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory over Carthage on Wednesday night before a Physical Education Center crowd of 1,375.
"We were not losing this game," said junior guard Adam Dauksas, who missed a career high by one with 28 points. "We needed to have it and we need the rest of them. We found a way. That's the most important part."
The No. 9-ranked Titans (17-4, 8-2 in the CCIW) snapped a two-game losing streak and moved back into first place in the conference. Elmhurst's victory over Wheaton on Wednesday left both teams at 8-3 ahead of IWU's showdown Saturday at Elmhurst.
"It was not always pretty, but we gutted it out," IWU coach Scott Trost said. "Anytime you win it's a confidence builder. I hope this will help us get our confidence back. But it's still not the team I saw out there two weeks ago."
Carthage (11-11, 5-6) had the tempo in its favor and trailed just 55-54 after a Navarro Thompson basket with 7:04 remaining.
"I don't think we could ask for any more," Redmen coach Bosko Djurickovic said. "But we're a closer short. We had some good individual efforts, but we can't quite finish."
Dauksas started the pivotal run with a bank shot, and Chris Jones put back a rebound basket.
After two Zach Freeman free throws, Jones took a charge that led to two Dauksas free throws. Two more Freeman free throws gave IWU a 65-54 lead at the 3:42 mark.
"Chris really gave us a big lift," said Trost. "He was aggressive and played well down the stretch."
Jones scored all 10 of his points and grabbed six of his eight rebounds in the second half.
"I was a lot more aggressive," Jones said. "Coach got into us at halftime about the posts playing harder. I took it personally and gave it my all. I'm happy to help the team win."
Carthage did rally within 72-66 in the final minute. But Dauksas, who was 8 of 9 from the field and 12 of 13 from the free throw line, kept Wesleyan in control with four free throws in the final 52 seconds.
"It's Dauksas' team like it was McDaniel's team," Djurickovic said of Antoine McDaniel, his former standout point guard. "We won 94 games in four years, but now the shoe is on the other foot."
Carthage was effective at all but eliminating the IWU fast break. However, the Titans shot 52 percent from the field and outrebounded the Redmen, 32-19.
"They were playing some junk defenses and slowing us down," said Trost. "But we maintained our poise and made sure we got good shots every time down."
Matt Arnold added 15 points on 5 of 8 3-point shooting for IWU. The junior guard ran into a pick and was knocked unconscious with 3:19 remaining and did not return. IWU trainer Bill Kauth said Arnold suffered a mild concussion.
"I don't know. All of a sudden I'm on my back," Arnold said. "Everything went blind. I've got a headache, but that's it."
Titan junior forward Keelan Amelianovich was held to a season-low five points, just the second time all season he didn't reach double figures. Freeman chipped in 11 points.
Mike Hart paced the Redmen with 23 points, while Kevin Menard added 13 and Kyle Jeffery 10. Carthage's leading scorer and rebounder, Pat Kalmatas, started but left the game in the opening minute because of a hip injury and did not return.
The Titans, who made 21 of 24 free throws, led by as much as 32-25 in the first half as Arnold connected on one of his four 3-pointers before the break.
Carthage responded with seven straight points for the fifth tie of the half. Five Dauksas points over the final two minutes sent Wesleyan into the locker room with a 39-35 halftime lead.
#9 Illinois Wesleyan @ Carthage
February 16, 2005 - 7:30pm
Radio - Broadcastmonsters.com (Carthage broadcast)
Probable Starters
|
||
G |
Adam Dauksas (6-3/185, JR) 14.4 pts, 3.5 reb, 6.1 assists |
Navarro Thompson (5-8/140, SOPH) 3.5 pts, 1.7 reb, 1.9 assists |
G |
Matt Arnold (5-11/160), JR) 5.3 pts, 1.5 reb |
Kevin Menard (6-6/205, SR) 13.1 pts, 4.7 reb |
F |
Keelan Amelianovich (6-6/210, JR) 18.1 pts, 5.3 reb |
Kyle Jeffery (6-6/225, FR) 6.8 pts, 4.2 reb |
F |
Zach Freeman (6-7/205, SOPH) 14.6 pts, 6.9 reb |
Brian Schlemm (6-7/235, SOPH) 10.0 pts, 3.4 reb |
C |
Cory Jones (6-6/225, JR) 5.6 pts, 3.8 reb |
Pat Kalamatas (6-5/220, SR) 13.1 pts, 8.3 reb |
Reserve 1 |
Steve Schweer, F (6-6/205, JR) 4.5 pts, 3.8 reb |
Malik Imani, G (6-2/210, FR) 7.3 pts, 3.3 reb |
| Reserve 2 | Jason Fisher, G (6-2/206, JR) 5.5 pts, 1.7 reb |
Mark Morrison, F (6-6/230, JR) 8.8 pts, 4.0 reb |
Team Averages
|
Illinois Wesleyan (16-4, 7-2) |
Carthage (11-10, 5-5) |
Points Scored Per Game |
77.0 |
72.4 |
Points Allowed Per Game |
64.1 |
69.8 |
Field Goal % Avg FG Attempts Per Game |
.505 56 |
.428 59 |
Opponent's Field Goal % |
.389 |
.444 |
3-point % Avg 3-pt FG Att/Game |
.437 16 |
.355 21 |
Opponent's 3-point % |
.332 |
.356 |
Free Throw % |
.700 |
.646 |
Rebounds Per Game |
37.1 |
37.2 |
Rebounds Allowed Per Game |
32.4 |
35.3 |
| Assist to 1 T.O Ratio | 1.10 | 1.10 |
| Opponent's Assist to 1 T.O. Ratio | .90 | .90 |
Augustana deals top-ranked IWU 2nd straight loss
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
ROCK ISLAND -- The Illinois Wesleyan basketball team has gone from ranked No. 1 in the nation to second in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin in two games.
The No. 1-ranked Titans sparred with a determined Augustana team all evening and could not land the final blow as IWU dropped a heartbreaking 77-76 game before a suddenly enthusiastic Carver Center crowd of 1,804.
Adam Dauksas' driving shot bounced off the back of the rim in the final seconds, and IWU lost its second game in four days to slip to 16-4 overall and 7-2 in the CCIW, one half-game behind 8-2 Wheaton.
"They wanted it more and fought harder than we did," IWU coach Scott Trost said. "Turnovers and offensive rebounds, those two things (hurt us)."
Augustana outrebounded Wesleyan, 18-12, in the second half with nine off the offensive glass while improving to 14-7 and 6-4 in the CCIW.
"They came to play and beat us mentally, physically and in every single aspect," Titans' forward Steve Schweer said. "We didn't come to play and they took it from us."
IWU finds itself in a similar position to last season when the Titans lost back-to-back games to Wheaton and North Park. Wesleyan responded by winning their final 10 CCIW games and advancing to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
"We're still tied for first (in the loss column)," said Trost. "These guys (his players) have to decide."
In a second half that featured 11 ties and saw neither team lead by more than five points, Augustana's Rick Harrigan capitalized on an IWU defensive breakdown for an uncontested layup to give the Vikings a 77-74 lead with 1:16 remaining.
A Dauksas drive at the 45-second mark pulled Wesleyan within a point.
After an Augustana miss, IWU's Cory Jones went to the free throw line with eight seconds left. Jones' one-and-bonus free throw danced around the rim before dropping off.
Jay McAdams-Thornton then missed a free throw, giving IWU one final chance. But Dauksas, who had kept the Titans in the game with his slashing drives, could not get the final shot to drop.
"We played with a lot of energy and we're pretty good at home," said Vikings' coach Grey Giovanine. "We had to make tough shots and get loose balls to beat a team of this caliber. It's a great win for us."
Harrigan topped Augustana with 23 points. Among his five 3-pointers was a crucial shot with 2:45 remaining and the shot clock at three that gave the Vikings a 73-72 edge they would not relinquish.
The Titans lost despite shooting 68 percent from the field in the second half (19 of 28) and 58 percent overall (32 of 55).
"We will not win a single game if we turn the ball over like that," Schweer said of IWU's 18 turnovers. "I don't feel we had a team full of guys who played their hardest. We have to figure that out."
Dauksas led Wesleyan with 23 points, while Keelan Amelianovich added 16, Zach Freeman 13 and Cory Jones 11. Jones pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds.
Drawing energy from a crowd that dwarfed the 153 people who witnessed their loss to Elmhurst Wednesday, the Vikings stormed to an 11-3 lead. Wesleyan regrouped quickly with 14 straight points for a 17-11 margin in a spurt capped by an Amelianovich dunk.
Harrigan's 12 first-half points helped Augustana rally for a 33-33 halftime tie.
"We made some adjustments to attack their zone that helped us get better looks than the last two times we played them," said Giovanine, whose team lost to IWU, 67-52, Jan. 19 in Bloomington. "We played great defense a number of times, and they still made baskets. That's why they're so good."
Joe Baumann contributed 13 points, and McAdams-Thornton 12 points and nine rebounds. Drew Wessels had eight points and six of the Vikings' 10 steals.
IWU plays the second of five straight road games Wednesday against Carthage in Kenosha, Wis.
#1 Illinois Wesleyan @ Augustana
February 12, 2005 - 7:30pm, Carver P.E. Center
Probable Starters (CCIW-only stats):
|
||
G |
Adam Dauksas (6-3/185, JR) 14.0 pts, 2.8 reb, 5.9 assists |
Drew Wessels (6-0/160, SOPH) 7.6 pts, 2.4 reb, 3.8 assists |
G |
Matt Arnold (5-11/160), JR) 9.9 pts, 4.3 reb |
Rick Harrigan (6-3/210, JR) 12.0 pts, 3.4 reb |
F |
Keelan Amelianovich (6-6/210, JR) 17.8 pts, 5.5 reb |
Jay McAdams-Thorton (6-3/210, JR) 15.3 pts, 6.0 reb |
F |
Zach Freeman (6-7/205, SOPH) 16.0 pts, 6.3 reb |
Matt Salisbury (6-4/220, SR) 6.8 pts, 4.0 reb |
C |
Cory Jones (6-6/225, JR) 7.5 pts, 3.5 reb |
Travis Hoyt (6-6/220, SR) 7.8 pts, 4.2 reb |
Reserve 1 |
Chris Jones, C (6-6/210, JR) 7.3 pts, 6.4 reb |
Joe Baumann, G (6-3/210, JR) 5.7 pts, 2.4 reb |
| Reserve 2 | Steve Schweer, F (6-6/205, JR) 4.1 pts, 3.0 reb |
Shaun Rose, F (6-5/200, SOPH) 6.8 pts, 3.4 reb |
| Reserve 3 | Jason Fisher, G (6-2/206, JR) 4.0 pts, 1.2 reb |
Joe Caricato (6-9/237, SOPH) 3.6 pts, 3.3 reb |
| Reserve 4 | Andrew Freeman, F (6-6/200, SOPH)
9.9 pts, 4.3 reb |
Jordan Delp (6-0/165, FR) 2.6 pts, 1.3 reb |
Team Averages (CCIW-only stats)
|
Illinois Wesleyan (16-3, 7-1) |
Augustana (13-7, 5-4) |
Points Scored Per Game |
79.0 |
71.0 |
Points Allowed Per Game |
66.4 |
68.0 |
Field Goal % Avg FG Attempts Per Game |
.541 55 |
.456 58 |
Opponent's Field Goal % |
.416 |
.433 |
3-point % Avg 3-pt FG Att/Game |
.513 14 |
.396 13 |
Opponent's 3-point % |
.408 |
.364 |
Free Throw % |
.718 |
.724 |
Rebounds Per Game |
33.8 |
35.0 |
Rebounds Allowed Per Game |
31.1 |
34.4 |
| Assist to 1 T.O Ratio | 1.2 | .80 |
| Opponent's Assist to 1 T.O. Ratio | .90 | .80 |
Wheaton shoots past No. 1 Titans
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
-----
BLOOMINGTON -- The race for the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin basketball championship could have been all but over.
Wheaton College emphatically declared Wednesday at Shirk Center that it has only begun.
Exhibiting superior marksmanship from beyond the 3-point arc and at the free throw line, the No. 9-ranked Thunder pulled within a half-game of No. 1 Illinois Wesleyan in the CCIW with an 86-74 victory before a crowd of 2,750.
"We've given everybody else in this league hope," IWU coach Scott Trost said. "We're still in the lead. We've got to play six teams we've beaten, and we're done playing Wheaton."
The Titans dropped to 16-3 overall and 7-1 in the CCIW with their first loss since December. Second-place Wheaton is 17-3 and 7-2 in conference play after its seventh straight victory.
IWU had a nine-game winning streak snapped. Wesleyan also had won 17 consecutive CCIW games overall, 20 games in a row at Shirk and 21 straight conference contests at home.
"I look at it this way, it was a wake up call," said Titans' junior Cory Jones. "It showed us we're not invincible. I'm not saying our guys thought that, but sometimes you need that loss. We've got to improve on what our mistakes were tonight. But it's a loss. It still hurts."
Wheaton was 13 of 25 from 3-point range and connected on 23 of 25 free throws while handing Wesleyan just its 11th loss overall (133-11) and its seventh CCIW loss (66-7) in nearly 11 full seasons at Shirk.
"We maintained the poise," Thunder coach Bill Harris said. "Last year here we were up nine with seven minutes left and we just lost our poise. This year we made our free throws. That's critical against great teams."
IWU led 56-53 after a Cory Jones basket with 11:43 remaining. Wheaton responded with the game-deciding run.
The Thunder reeled off 14 straight points for a 67-56 lead in a stretch that included a controversial call and a technical on Trost.
With Wheaton leading 62-56, Wesleyan's Steve Schweer drove hard to the basket and hit the shot. From near mid court, official Eric Anderson overruled a call from another official under the basket. The shot was nullified and Schweer was instead called for a charge.
"The official underneath the basket had a block," Trost said. "They didn't even talk about it. It was a big call, that's all I'll say."
After a three-point play by Jonathan Steven, Anderson whistled Trost for a technical. The resulting two Kent Raymond free throws put Wheaton ahead 67-56.
An Adam Dauksas driving basket and one Cory Jones free throw brought the Titans within 78-72 with 1:19 left. But Wheaton's free throw shooting kept IWU at bay.
"They are a really good team and they played really hard," said Wesleyan junior guard Adam Dauksas. "We got the momentum and they got it right back with a three or a drive to the basket. We didn't get out and defend the ball like we should, and they hit some open shots."
Dauksas scored 24 points and handed out six assists, while fellow junior Keelan Amelianovich had 23 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
Raymond was perfect on 11 free throws and led the Thunder with 23 points. Jon Nielson and Steven added 18 each, Trimiew had 12 and Andrew Lettinga contributed a key 11 points off the bench.
"Our shot selection was disciplined," Harris said. "They have a hard time guarding us man (to man) because of the matchups."
The Titans, who had not given up more than 73 points in a game all season, shot 54.5 percent from the floor and outrebounded Wheaton, 32-25.
"They shot the ball well and we didn't execute against their pressure," said Trost. "Rather than look at what we didn't do, I would rather look at what they did do. And they played very, very well."
Another large momentum swing came near the end of the first half. After IWU's Chris Jones missed an uncontested layup, Steven tossed in a 24-foot 3-pointer with one second remaining for a 43-38 Wheaton margin.
The Titans begin a stretch of five consecutive road games Saturday at Augustana.
"You better believe when we get into practice (Thursday) everybody will be focused," said Cory Jones, who had nine points. "We all hate to lose. Hate to lose."
#8 Wheaton @ #1 Illinois Wesleyan
February 9, 2005 - 7:30pm, Shirk Center
Probable Starters (CCIW-only stats):
|
||
G |
Adam Dauksas (6-3/185, JR) 12.6 pts, 3.0 reb, 5.9 assists |
Jon Nielson (6-0/185, SR) 13.5 pts, 2.5 reb, 5.6 reb |
G |
Matt Arnold (5-11/160), JR) 10.9 pts, 1.9 reb |
Kent Raymond (6-2/185, FR) 19.1 pts, 2.9 reb |
F |
Keelan Amelianovich (6-6/210, JR) 17.0 pts, 5.1 reb |
Jonathan Steven (6-5/220, SR) 11.9 pts, 6.9 reb |
F |
Andrew Freeman (6-6/200, SOPH) 10.1 pts, 4.4 reb |
Martin Trimiew (6-3/210, SR) 9.4 pts, 6.0 reb |
C |
Chris Jones (6-6/210, JR) 7.7 pts, 6.6 reb |
Jim Fortosis (6-8/220, SR) 7.6 pts, 4.9 reb |
Reserve 1 |
Steve Schweer, F (6-6/205, JR) 4.4 pts, 2.9 reb |
Tony Bollier, G (6-2/180, JR) 5.0 pts, 1.5 reb |
| Reserve 2 | Jason Fisher, G (6-2/206, JR) 4.6 pts, 1.0 reb |
Andrew Lettinga, F (6-7/200, JR)
5.6 pts, 3.3 reb |
| Reserve 3 | Cory Jones, C (6-6/225, JR) 4.4 pts, 2.9 reb |
Michael Fiddler, F (6-6/190, SOPH)
1.5 pts, 1.5 reb |
Team Averages (CCIW-only stats)
|
Illinois Wesleyan (16-2, 7-0) |
Wheaton (16-3, 6-2) |
Points Scored Per Game |
79.7 |
75.2 |
Points Allowed Per Game |
63.6 |
72.8 |
Field Goal % Avg FG Attempts Per Game |
.541 54 |
.465 55 |
Opponent's Field Goal % |
.409 |
.466 |
3-point % Avg 3-pt FG Att/Game |
.535 14 |
.425 21 |
Opponent's 3-point % |
.389 |
.376 |
Free Throw % |
.730 |
.752 |
Rebounds Per Game |
34.0 |
32.4 |
Rebounds Allowed Per Game |
32.0 |
33.1 |
| Assist to 1 T.O Ratio | 1.3 | 1.0 |
| Opponent's Assist to 1 T.O. Ratio | .80 | .70 |
Titans answer coach's prayers
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
-----
BLOOMINGTON -- Scott Trost has been preaching.
And when the Illinois Wesleyan basketball coach opened his locker room door after Saturday's game against Carthage, he heard from the choir.
"FORTY MINUTES," the Titans yelled in unison, their voices clearly heard well beyond the room's confines.
Trost was in total agreement that his team had delivered that coveted "40 minutes" of fine play after IWU thrashed Carthage, 91-67, before a standing room only Shirk Center crowd of 2,900.
"I challenged them that we hadn't played 40 minutes in awhile," Trost said. "We were searching, and we found it. The challenge now is to keep it there."
The No. 1-ranked Titans withstood an early Carthage 3-point barrage and matched a season high with 12 3-pointers of their own while improving to 16-2 overall and 7-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.
"That's probably the closest to a good 40 minutes we've had all year," said junior Keelan Amelianovich. "It's a great feeling to put a game together. The team is happy, and I'm sure Coach is happy to be 7-0 in the league."
The Titans have won nine straight games, 17 consecutive CCIW games and 20 home contests in a row.
"They are as good as anybody in the country at the offensive end. They have a chance to have a special season," Carthage coach Bosko Djurickovic said. "We do have some talented kids. This was a benchmark for us. We wanted to see where we're at and we found out. We're not very good. We got our butt kicked."
Amelianovich scored 19 of his 27 points in the second half to fall one short of a season and career high. The 6-foot-6 forward was 9 of 15 from the field, 5 of 7 from 3-point range and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
"He showed tonight why he's an All-American," Trost said. "He has a quick release and he can shoot over people inside. He's developing his game."
Carthage (11-9, 5-4) led 18-15 with all of the Redmen points coming on six 3-pointers in 11 tries.
"We knew they would hit some. They're good players," said Trost. "But could they continue that the whole game?"
They could not. The Redmen cooled down considerably to finish at 11 of 31 from beyond the arc.
IWU scored 13 straight points to extend a one-point lead to 39-25 and led 43-31 at the half.
"Coach gets on us about playing 40 minutes and we got pretty close," junior point guard Adam Dauksas said. "We did it together. That's the best part. We were running, sharing the ball and making the extra pass. It all clicked."
Dauksas celebrated his 21st birthday a day late with 12 points, seven assists, six rebounds and two blocks.
Wesleyan led 53-33 after an Amelianovich steal and layup and enjoyed a 73-46 margin after an Andrew Freeman alley oop dunk on a Dauksas feed.
"You have to stop their transition game and that's impossible," Djurickovic said. "And you have to make them work to get harder shots. We didn't do either one."
The Titans made two-thirds of their second-half shots (18 of 27) and finished at 58.3 percent from the field (35 of 60) while reaching the 90-point mark for the fourth time this season.
"We were solid in all areas," Trost said. "I didn't think they could guard us in transition. We were quicker at almost every spot."
Kevin Menard was 6 of 11 from 3-point range and led Carthage with 24 points. Brian Schlemm added 16 points and Pat Kalamatas 11.
The Redmen shot 30 percent in the second half and 32 percent overall.
Carthage @ #1 Illinois Wesleyan
February 5, 2005 - 7:30pm, Shirk Center
Radio - Broadcastmonsters.com (Carthage broadcast)
Probable Starters
|
||
G |
Adam Dauksas (6-3/185, JR) 12.7 pts, 2.5 reb, 5.7 assists |
Navarro Thompson (5-8/140, SOPH) 3.7 pts, 1.8 reb, 1.8 assists |
G |
Matt Arnold (5-11/160), JR) 10.5 pts, 1.5 reb |
Kevin Menard (6-6/205, SR) 12.8 pts, 4.6 reb |
F |
Keelan Amelianovich (6-6/210, JR) 15.3 pts, 4.8 reb |
Kyle Jeffery (6-6/225, FR) 7.6 pts, 4.2 reb |
F |
Andrew Freeman (6-6/200, SOPH) 10.2 pts, 4.3 reb |
Brian Schlemm (6-7/235, SOPH) 9.9 pts, 3.4 reb |
C |
Chris Jones (6-6/210, JR) 8.0 pts, 6.8 reb |
Pat Kalamatas (6-5/220, SR) 12.7 pts, 8.4 reb |
Reserve 1 |
Steve Schweer, F (6-6/205, JR) 4.3 pts, 3.3 reb |
Malik Imani, G (6-2/210, FR) 6.9 pts, 3.4 reb |
| Reserve 2 | Cory Jones, C (6-6/225, JR) 7.5 pts, 4.0 reb |
Mark Morrison, F (6-6/230, JR) 8.8 pts, 4.1 reb |
Team Averages
|
Illinois Wesleyan (15-2, 6-0) |
Carthage (11-8, 5-3) |
Points Scored Per Game |
76.4 |
72.6 |
Points Allowed Per Game |
61.8 |
68.3 |
Field Goal % Avg FG Attempts Per Game |
.493 54 |
.431 58 |
Opponent's Field Goal % |
.385 |
.435 |
3-point % Avg 3-pt FG Att/Game |
.432 16 |
.356 21 |
Opponent's 3-point % |
.314 |
.339 |
Free Throw % |
.702 |
.655 |
Rebounds Per Game |
37.7 |
37.2 |
Rebounds Allowed Per Game |
32.4 |
35.4 |
| Assist to 1 T.O Ratio | 1.10 | 1.10 |
| Opponent's Assist to 1 T.O. Ratio | .80 | .90 |
IWU finds success in numbers
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
-----
BLOOMINGTON -- Illinois Wesleyan had no defense for North Central junior forward Mike Wilson Wednesday.
Fortunately for IWU, the Titans had several more players than the Cardinals who required defending.
No. 1-ranked Wesleyan overcame Wilson's 34 points with four players in double figures in an 81-67 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory over North Central before a Shirk Center crowd of 2,400.
"It was nice to see Mike step up and play with his A game. But we need seven or eight guys to come with their A game against a team like Illinois Wesleyan, and we didn't have that tonight," North Central coach Todd Raridon said. "They have so many weapons offensively. It's hard to cover everybody, and we really didn't do a good job defensively all night."
Sophomore Andrew Freeman scored a career-high 17 points in his second start as the Titans (15-2, 6-0 in the CCIW) reeled off their eighth straight victory and their 19th consecutive win at Shirk Center.
"Andrew played well. He's doing a lot of good things," said IWU coach Scott Trost. "That's what good teams have. Guys who are given opportunities take advantage of them. That's what he's done."
The Titans led 38-22 at the half and enjoyed a 46-24 cushion after a Keelan Amelianovich reverse layup with 16:33 remaining.
North Central (13-7, 3-6) rallied within 51-40 on a Wilson 3-pointer at the 9:46 mark. Amelianovich, who matched Freeman with 17 points, responded with a three-point play.
"It should naturally progress. Take whatever you're up the first half and double it. But you can't always do that," Amelianovich said. "You can't complain, but championship teams don't give up that many points (45) in the second half."
The Cardinals cut IWU's lead back to 11 again at 55-44. But Freeman started a 9-2 Titans' spurt with a 3-pointer and Matt Arnold capped it with a layup off a steal for a 64-46 margin.
"Every game I get more comfortable out there," said Freeman, whose twin brother Zach is sidelined with a lower leg injury. "I'm not afraid to step up and take the shots anymore like I used to be. That's contributing to my success."
While scoring more than half of his team's points, Wilson's 34 was the third highest by an opponent in Shirk history. He was 13 of 19 from the field and 7 of 11 from 3-point range.
"He had 31 against us here last year," said Trost. "The kid can score. I'm not surprised by what he does."
Adam Dauksas and Chris Jones added 12 points each for the Titans, who shot 56.6 percent from the field. Jones added eight rebounds and two blocks.
"Hey, I'm ecstatic we won by 14 against a team that beat Wheaton. They've struggled, but you can see they've got some players," Trost said. "The first half was fine. But the No. 1 team in the league defensively gives up 45 points the second half. I don't know how to explain that other than we didn't have the same sense of urgency we had the first half."
Running a deliberate offense against IWU's zone that had Titan students counting aloud the number of passes, North Central had six turnovers and five points midway through the first half. A Jason Fisher 3-pointer gave the Titans a 17-5 lead as the Cardinals were misfiring on 9 of their first 11 shots.
"That's how teams are going to try to beat us, slow down our pace. When we get into that flow of running up and down the court, we're pretty much unbeatable," Amelianovich said. "We kept our focus and tried to play defense for the full 35 seconds."
Anthony Simmons chipped in 14 points and Daniel Walton 12 rebounds for North Central, which has dropped its last six games. Adam Krumtinger, a Normal Community High School teammate of the Freemans, had six points off the bench for the Cardinals.
"It was like practice (at NCHS)," Krumtinger said. "Andrew played great tonight."
North Central @ #1 Illinois Wesleyan
February 2, 2005 - 7:30pm, Shirk Center
Probable Starters:
|
||
G |
Adam Dauksas (6-3/185, JR) 13.6 pts, 3.6 reb, 6.1 assists |
Ray Vicario (6-0/170, JR) 9.7 pts, 2.3 reb, 2.9 assists |
G |
Matt Arnold (5-11/160), JR) 4.7 pts, 1.1 reb |
Mike Wilson (6-4/170, JR) 13.6 pts, 4.3 reb |
F |
Keelan Amelianovich (6-6/210, JR) 17.4 pts, 5.2 reb |
Patrick Flanagan (6-3/170, SR) 5.4 pts, 3.6 reb |
F |
Andrew Freeman (6-6/200, SOPH) 4.5 pts, 2.8 reb |
Daniel Walton (6-5/180, SOPH) 13.9 pts, 6.2 reb |
C |
Chris Jones (6-6/210, JR) 6.6 pts, 6.8 reb |
Anthony Simmons, F/C (6-6/225, SOPH) 13.1 pts, 5.3 reb |
Reserve 1 |
Steve Schweer, F (6-6/205, JR) 4.9 pts, 4.5 reb |
Adam Krumtinger (6-7/220, SOPH) 9.1 pts, 4.2 reb |
| Reserve 2 | Cory Jones, C (6-6/225, JR) 3.8 pts, 2.5 reb |
Adam Teising, G (5-11/160, JR) 4.1 pts, 2.2 reb |
Team Averages
|
Illinois Wesleyan (14-2, 5-0) |
North Central (13-6, 3-5) |
Points Scored Per Game |
76.1 |
74.5 |
Points Allowed Per Game |
61.5 |
67.4 |
Field Goal % Avg FG Attempts Per Game |
.488 54 |
.522 52 |
Opponent's Field Goal % |
.381 |
.413 |
3-point % Avg 3-pt FG Att/Game |
.424 17 |
.389 13 |
Opponent's 3-point % |
.311 |
.338 |
Free Throw % |
.701 |
.680 |
Rebounds Per Game |
38.1 |
33.9 |
Rebounds Allowed Per Game |
32.4 |
30.3 |
| Assist to 1 T.O Ratio | 1.10 | 1.40 |
| Opponent's Assist to 1 T.O. Ratio | .80 | .90 |
'Sluggish' IWU good enough for CCIW win
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
-----
BLOOMINGTON -- Much to Illinois Wesleyan basketball coach Scott Trost's chagrin, his No. 2 nationally ranked team let the league cellar dweller hang close for much of Saturday's contest at Shirk Center.
Trost extracted some comfort from the fact the Titans managed not to hang themselves.
"We didn't play great," said a shrugging Trost after IWU led by a mere six points midway through the second half before inching away for a 73-58 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory over North Park.
"I sound like a broken record sometimes, but we're searching for 40 minutes. I'll never apologize for a 15-point win. But we have to get better if we want to get where we want to go. We need to be more consistent."
A crowd of 2,550 saw the Titans (14-2, 5-0 in the CCIW) complete a perfect January with their seventh straight victory, 15th consecutive CCIW triumph and 18th home win in a row.
"We came out pretty sluggish," said junior center Chris Jones, the scoring leader in IWU's balancing act with 12 points. "We picked it up, sort of, the second half. But you can't complain about a victory."
North Park (4-13, 0-6) would love to have a CCIW victory to complain about.
"Our kids battled for 40 minutes," Vikings' coach Paul Brenegan said. "We didn't like the outcome, but I'm happy with our intensity level."
North Park trailed just 48-44 after a Brett Mathisen basket with 10:52 remaining, stirring memories of the Vikings' 77-74 upset over Wesleyan last season in Chicago.
The Titans were breathing a bit easier after three straight Chris Jones baskets and an Andrew Freeman driving shot extended their lead to 62-47.
"At times we were too quick to shoot," Trost said. "We shared the ball a little better the second half."
Chris Jones grabbed a game-high eight rebounds while welcoming the return from a broken foot of his twin brother Cory, who had 11 points and five rebounds in his first action since Dec. 18.
"It felt great. All the frustrations went out the window," said Cory Jones, who played 15 minutes. "It's a great feeling to be out there and contribute to a victory. I felt like I belonged out there."
Missing sophomore starter Zach Freeman with a lower leg injury, Trost was happy to see both Joneses play and play well.
"Chris played with energy. He was playing by the rim, he got some big rebounds and he finished inside," said the IWU coach. "It was good to get Cory some minutes. We're going to need him. He's a physical presence in there."
Keelan Amelianovich added 11 points, Adam Dauksas 10 and Andrew Freeman and Matt Arnold nine each for Wesleyan, which shot 55 percent from the field in the second half and 48 percent overall.
North Park, which received 16 points from Mathisen and 12 from Lamar Townsend, frequently took the shot clock under 10 seconds.
"They are a very explosive offensive team," Brenegan said. "One of the ways for us to be in the game was to control the ball on offense. For the most part we were able to do that."
The Vikings held an early 6-4 lead before IWU reeled off 11 straight points. The Titans led 21-10, but North Park was able to carve its deficit to 31-25 by halftime.
A Jason Fisher 3-pointer pushed the Wesleyan lead to 42-30 at the 14:17 mark of the second half, but the Vikings would prove resilient.
Amelianovich pulled down seven rebounds as IWU held a 39-29 advantage on the boards.
The Titans play the second of four straight home games Wednesday in a 7:30 p.m. contest against North Central.
North Park @ #2 Illinios Wesleyan
January 29, 2005 - 7:30pm
Probable Starters:
|
||
G |
Adam Dauksas (6-3/185, JR) 13.9 pts, 3.8 reb, 6.3 assists |
Je'shawn Stevenson (5-10/160, SOPH) 10.2, 2.3 reb, 2.6 assists |
G |
Matt Arnold (5-11/160), JR) 4.4 pts, 1.1 reb |
Matt Lindahl (6-0/195, SR) 3.2 pts, 1.2 reb |
F |
Keelan Amelianovich (6-6/210, JR) 17.9 pts, 5.1 reb |
Lamar Townsend (6-3/185, SR) 12.7 pts, 2.6 reb |
F |
Andrew Freeman (6-6/200, SOPH) 4.2 pts, 2.7 reb |
Brett Mathisen (6-5/210, JR) 11.1 pts, 5.6 reb |
C |
Chris Jones (6-6/210, JR) 6.2 pts, 6.7 reb |
Mike Haehn (6-6/200, SOPH) 7.5 pts, 5.1 reb |
Reserve 1 |
Steve Schweer, F (6-6/205, JR) 4.7 pts, 4.3 reb |
Eric Samuelson (6-5/210, FR) 4.4 pts, 2.6 reb |
| Reserve 2 | Jason Fisher, G (6-2/206, JR) 6.0 pts, 1.7 reb |
Cory Wilks (5-10/170, SOPH) 7.0 pts, 1.8 reb |
Team Averages
|
Illinois Wesleyan (13-2, 4-0) |
North Park (4-12, 0-5) |
Points Scored Per Game |
76.3 |
65.4 |
Points Allowed Per Game |
61.7 |
73.4 |
Field Goal % Avg FG Attempts Per Game |
.489 54 |
.408 60 |
Opponent's Field Goal % |
.379 |
.473 |
3-point % Avg 3-pt FG Att/Game |
.420 17 |
.297 17 |
Opponent's 3-point % |
.309 |
.352 |
Free Throw % |
.698 |
.685 |
Rebounds Per Game |
38.1 |
33.1 |
Rebounds Allowed Per Game |
32.6 |
35.3 |
| Assist to 1 T.O Ratio | 1.10 | .80 |
| Opponent's Assist to 1 T.O. Ratio | .80 | .90 |
IWU digs out in big way
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
-----
DECATUR -- Defeating the No. 2-ranked Illinois Wesleyan basketball team is a long, arduous journey that must be completed and not merely begun.
Millikin stormed to a 17-point first-half lead Wednesday only to discover it was a cruel mirage.
IWU's other guard (Matt Arnold) and other Freeman (Andrew) turned in career-best scoring performances as the Titans overcame a dreadful start to blow past the stunned Big Blue, 82-66, before a Griswold Center crowd of 1,500.
"We were bad," said Arnold after Illinois Wesleyan scored just seven points in the contest's first 10:57.
"We dug ourselves an awfully big hole, but we showed a lot of maturity coming back and winning by that much."
Securing their 14th consecutive College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory, the Titans moved to 13-2 overall and 4-0 in the CCIW.
"This game isn't rocket science. We played harder," said IWU coach Scott Trost, whose mood was decidedly subdued after sophomore forward Zach Freeman suffered a potentially serious injury late in the game. "We played with more of a sense of purpose, we cut harder and we got some easy baskets off transition with our defense."
With point guard Adam Dauksas scoring a season-low seven points, Arnold stepped into the void. Averaging 3.3 points entering the game, Arnold smashed his previous career high of 12 points with 20 on 8 of 9 shooting from the field.
Andrew Freeman posted career highs of 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
"Matt and Andrew really stepped up and were instrumental in our win," Trost said. "I'm ecstatic with their play."
The sluggish Titans faced a 24-7 deficit after Millikin's Jason Fisher drained a 25-foot 3-pointer with 9:19 left in the first half. IWU did not get its first basket scored by someone other than a Freeman until the 7:35 mark of the half.
"We didn't come ready to play," said Trost. "Give them a lot of credit. They wanted it more than we did the first 10 minutes, but we found a way to win on the road."
The Titans began chipping away at the Millikin advantage and closed to within 31-27 on two Arnold free throws at the 2:07 mark.
Arnold had stolen the ball from Fisher and drew Fisher's third foul. Millikin's senior guard scored 11 first-half points and none after the break.
After failing to take advantage of a six-inch height advantage on the Big Blue's Adam Russsell the first half, Wesleyan junior Keelan Amelianovich broke free early and often in the second half.
Amelianovich gave the Titans their first lead of the game at 38-36 with a layup after one of his three steals. Amelianovich scored 11 of his 17 points in the opening 5:26 of the second half after being held to two first-half free throws.
"I got on Keelan at halftime because he's got to play harder. When he's a marked man, he's got to know that," Trost said. "Keelan responded the second half and played much more aggressively."
Millikin (9-7, 1-4 in the CCIW) cut a 47-40 deficit to 52-50 before the Titans went on a 22-4 spurt that was as magnificent as the team's first 10 minutes were ugly.
Andrew Freeman contributed a dunk, a 3-pointer and two free throws to the game-deciding run.
"I guess I'm the hidden Freeman. But I don't mind," said Andrew. "It felt good. The more I was in there the more I felt like I was in the flow. I just wanted to get some rebounds and score when I got the chance."
IWU received 16 points from Zach Freeman and nine rebounds from Chris Jones. Dauksas handed out seven assists to pass David Kunka for eighth on the Titans' career assist chart with 331.
Quintin Howard led Millikin with 14 points, while Chuck Williams and Korte Long added 12 each. Fisher and Williams entered the game averaging over 36 points combined but were held to 23.
The Titans shot a sizzling 67 percent from the field in the second half (20 of 30) to finish at 61 percent (30 of 49).
IWU committed three turnovers before even getting off a shot in the opening 1:45, but had a mere five turnovers the remainder of the game.
#2 Illinios Wesleyan @ Millikin
January 26, 2005 - 7:30pm
Probable Starters:
|
||
G |
Adam Dauksas (6-3/185, JR) 14.4 pts, 4.0 reb, 6.3 assists |
Chuck Williams (6-0 SR) 18.9, 3.1 reb, 2.9 assists |
G |
Matt Arnold (5-11/160), JR) 3.3 pts, 1.1 reb |
Jason Fisher (6-2 SR) 17.7 pts, 2.5 reb |
F |
Keelan Amelianovich (6-6/210, JR) 17.9 pts, 5.4 reb |
Adam Russell (6-0 SR) 2.8 pts, 2.3 reb |
F |
Zach Freeman (6-7/205, SOPH) 14.6 pts, 7.6 reb |
Quintin Howard (6-5 JR) 9.4 pts, 5.6 reb |
C |
Chris Jones (6-6/210, JR) 6.2 pts, 6.6 reb |
Korte Long (6-5 SOPH) 7.5 pts, 5.1 reb |
Reserve 1 |
Steve Schweer, F (6-6/205, JR) 4.9 pts, 4.5 reb |
Mike Gavic (6-4 SOPH) 5.2 pts, 3.9 reb |
| Reserve 2 | Mike McGraw, G (6-3/176, JR) 4.5 pts, 1.4 reb |
Lance Brooks (6-5 JR) 5.3 pts, 2.9 reb |
Team Averages
|
Illinois Wesleyan (12-2, 3-0) |
Millikin (9-6, 1-3) |
Points Scored Per Game |
75.9 |
78.3 |
Points Allowed Per Game |
61.4 |
70.3 |
Field Goal % Avg FG Attempts Per Game |
.481 55 |
.464 60 |
Opponent's Field Goal % |
.375 |
.445 |
3-point % Avg 3-pt FG Att/Game |
.420 17 |
.425 19 |
Opponent's 3-point % |
.304 |
.326 |
Free Throw % |
.694 |
.655 |
Rebounds Per Game |
38.9 |
35.1 |
Rebounds Allowed Per Game |
32.9 |
34.3 |
| Assist to 1 T.O Ratio | 1.10 | .80 |
| Opponent's Assist to 1 T.O. Ratio | .80 | .60 |
# Illinios Wesleyan @ #21 North Central
January 22, 2005 - 7:30pm, Gregory Arena
Probable Starters:
|
||
G |
Adam Dauksas (6-3/185, JR) 14.4 pts, 4.0 reb, 6.3 assists |
Ray Viccario (6-0/170, JR) 9.3 pts, 2.3 reb, 2.8 assists |
G |
Matt Arnold (5-11/160), JR) 3.3 pts, 1.1 reb |
Mike Wilson (6-4/170, JR) 13.6 pts, 5.6 reb |
F |
Keelan Amelianovich (6-6/210, JR) 17.9 pts, 5.4 reb |
Patrick Flanagan (6-3/170, SR) 5.3 pts, 3.3 reb |
F |
Zach Freeman (6-7/205, SOPH) 14.6 pts, 7.6 reb |
Daniel Walton (6-5/180, SOPH) 14.2 pts, 6.4 reb |
C |
Chris Jones (6-6/210, JR) 6.2 pts, 6.6 reb |
Adam Krumtinger (6-7/220, SOPH) 9.4 pts, 4.2 reb |
Reserve 1 |
Steve Schweer, F (6-6/205, JR) 4.9 pts, 4.5 reb |
Anthony Simmons, F/C (6-6/225, SOPH) 14.4 pts, 5.4 reb |
| Reserve 2 | Mike McGraw, G (6-3/176, JR) 4.5 pts, 1.4 reb |
Adam Teising, G (5-11/160, JR) 4.4 pts, 2.3 reb |
Team Averages
|
Illinois Wesleyan (12-2, 3-0) |
North Central (13-3, 3-2) |
Points Scored Per Game |
75.9 |
76.3 |
Points Allowed Per Game |
61.4 |
66.6 |
Field Goal % Avg FG Attempts Per Game |
.481 55 |
.526 53 |
Opponent's Field Goal % |
.375 |
.409 |
3-point % Avg 3-pt FG Att/Game |
.420 17 |
.393 13 |
Opponent's 3-point % |
.304 |
.319 |
Free Throw % |
.694 |
.683 |
Rebounds Per Game |
38.9 |
34.5 |
Rebounds Allowed Per Game |
32.9 |
31.3 |
| Assist to 1 T.O Ratio | 1.10 | 1.40 |
| Opponent's Assist to 1 T.O. Ratio | .80 | .90 |
Dominating 1st half keys Titan romp
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
-----
BLOOMINGTON -- Illinois Wesleyan junior forward Keelan Amelianovich dispensed with his usual midair chest bump with reserve Steve Schweer during pregame introductions Wednesday after straining his left calf last Saturday at Wheaton.
"We were taking a precautionary measure," Schweer said. "We didn't want to add anybody to the injured list."
No matter. The Titans would take flight soon enough.
Amelianovich scored all 13 of his points in an ambush of a first half and the Titans cruised -- a little bit too much for the liking of Coach Scott Trost -- to a 67-52 victory over Augustana before a Shirk Center crowd of 2,500.
"My adrenaline was going. I didn't have any breaks so I was going up and down," Amelianovich said. "I didn't think about it and that definitely helped. It felt good, but it kind of tightened up the second half."
"He's going to be sore (Thursday)," Trost said. "He played with a lot of determination and courage. That's what we need."
The No. 3-ranked Titans, who bolted to a 28-3 lead while disposing of Augustana 84-72 last season at Rock Island, were at the Vikings' throat from the opening tip again Wednesday.
IWU rolled to an 11-0 lead as Augustana missed its first seven shots. An Adam Dauksas steal and layup produced a 21-4 Titans' advantage that grew to 29-4 on an Amelianovich pull-up jumper at the 8:18 mark of the half.
"We played. We hit shots. We made the extra pass," Trost said. "When we're hitting 3s we're going to look good."
"We have a very talented team," Amelianovich said. "When we get Adam and Matt (Arnold) running the break, they make great passes."
Wesleyan (12-2, 3-0 in the CCIW) nailed 11 of its first 16 shots from the field. Augustana (10-5, 2-2) misfired on 17 of its first 19 attempts.
"Illinois Wesleyan has a terrific team," said Vikings' coach Grey Giovanine. "I'm disappointed we didn't compete better the first half. Their zone defense was very good. We did not execute very well against it. You can't not be precise in what you're doing and be effective."
A Jason Fisher 19-footer with six seconds left sent the Titans into the halftime locker room with a bloated 40-13 margin.
Playing for pride the second half, the Vikings regained some.
The Titans led 49-25 after a Zach Freeman dunk with 15 minutes remaining when the Vikings began clawing back.
A Jay McAdams-Thornton basket at the 7:23 mark brought Augustana within 60-44.
"Sloppy. Careless," Trost said. "I guess it's human nature when you're up 27 to relax, but championship teams shouldn't do that. If we aspire to be one, then we can't lose focus. I thought we lost focus and didn't play our game the second half. Give them credit. They didn't quit."
Augustana got as close as 13 points in the late going as the Titans committed 11 of their 17 turnovers in the second half.
"Actually, the second half it was our freshmen and sophomores who I thought competed pretty effectively," Giovanine said. "I'm encouraged by the effort, but if you get that kind of lead you sometimes lose interest."
Freeman matched Amelianovich at team highs of 13 points and six rebounds. Dauksas chipped in 10 points and six assists.
"We need to be a more mature team," said Schweer, who contributed six points and five rebounds. "When we have teams down, we have to keep them down. But a 15-point win over Augustana is a good win any way you put it."
The IWU bench of Schweer, Mike McGraw, Jason Fisher and Andrew Freeman combined for 22 points. Andrew Freeman had eight points and even matched his twin brother's second-half dunk with one of his own.
Travis Hoyt and Drew Wessels scored eight points each as no Viking reached double figures. McAdams-Thornton turned in seven points and nine rebounds.
Augustana @ #3 Illinois Wesleyan
January 19, 2005 - 7:30pm, Shirk Center
Probable Starters:
|