2007-08 Pantagraph Articles
Randy Reinhardt stories courtesy of the Bloomington Pantagraph
Titan men fall in CCIW final; D-3 tourney a 'long shot'
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
ROCK ISLAND — There was little doubt as to the identity of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin’s best basketball team entering Saturday.
Whatever remained, Augustana removed it in a 71-60 victory over Illinois Wesleyan in the CCIW Tournament championship game before a Carver Physical Education Center crowd of 1,723.
Playing without senior center and second-team CCIW all-star Dain Swetalla because of a sprained wrist suffered in Friday’s semifinal, the regular-season champion Vikings earned the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament while hiking their record to 22-5.
“The nature of our program is we’re not dependent on one guy,” Augustana coach Grey Giovanine said. “The guys have totally bought into our system. They like each other and trust each other. When things aren’t going good, they stay with our stuff.”
At 16-11, IWU’s chances of getting a Pool C (at-large) bid to the national tournament are remote at best. Pairings will be announced Monday.
“It’s a long shot,” said Wesleyan coach Ron Rose. “A lot of things would have to go right. We may have fallen a game short.”
Ranked ninth nationally, Augustana defeated IWU for the third time this season and the fifth time without a loss over the past two years.
“The spirit of our team all season has been if someone goes down, someone steps up,” said Vikings’ point guard and Central Catholic High School product Matt Pelton. “We know we have people on the bench capable of filling that gap.”
Dan Rukavina started in place of Swetalla and had seven points and seven rebounds, but the key performer was Justin Bertrand. The 6-foot-5 junior registered 13 points and 11 rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench.
“It was a collective effort,” Giovanine said. “But he (Bertrand) was a big part of it.”
A 7-0 Wesleyan spurt brought the Titans within three at the 7:31 mark. Jordan Morris nailed a 3-pointer from the corner to cut the Augustana lead to 51-48.
IWU got within three again at 56-53 but two straight Alex Washington baskets put the Vikings back in control.
“There’s no doubt we gave it our all,” said Titans’ senior Darius Gant. “They outplayed us tonight, outhustled us. There were loose balls and defensive rebounds we should have got.”
Sean Johnson paced Wesleyan with 15 points, Gant added 14 and Travis Rosenkranz 10. Brett Chamernik grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
“I loved our kids’ fight. We played very hard,” Rose said. “But we didn’t take advantage of some opportunities when we had them. They finished plays better than we did. They responded to every run we made.”
Washington led the Vikings with 14 points. Pelton contributed 11 points and eight assists.
Ultimately, IWU could not overcome 32 percent first-half shooting. Wesleyan led only at 10-9 in the opening half and missed 13 of its first 18 shots.
Augustana enjoyed a 32-21 advantage before a Gant basket in the final minute. The Vikings were holding for the final shot of the half when they were whistled for traveling.
The Titans took advantage when Johnson drilled a 25-footer from beyond the key at the buzzer to trim IWU’s deficit to 32-26.
Wesleyan cost itself two points in the first half. Pelton hit both free throws on a technical called because Matt Schick was wearing No. 4 when listed in the scorebook at his usual No. 24.
IWU finished second in both the CCIW regular season (tied with Wheaton) and tournament after being picked seventh in the league’s preseason poll.
“From an outside perspective, our season was complete being second,” said sophomore guard Sean Dwyer. “But we were capable of getting in the (NCAA) tournament. To us, it’s unfortunate.”
Titans save themselves at foul line
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
ROCK ISLAND -- Illinois Wesleyan was the worst free throw shooting team in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.
In the regular season, that is. The postseason began Friday and so did IWU’s new-found ability to hit clutch free throws.
The Titans connected on 10 of 12 from the foul line in the final 1:03 and withstood a late onslaught from Wheaton All-American Kent Raymond to earn an 81-78 victory in the semifinals of the CCIW Tournament before a crowd of 743 at the Carver Physical Education Center.
“I’m really proud of the kids,” Wesleyan coach Ron Rose said. “Free throws have not been a strong point all year, but when it counted most they came through.”
The Titans (16-10) beat Wheaton for the third time this season (by a combined total of eight points) and face Augustana today at 7:30 p.m. in the title game with the winner claiming the CCIW’s automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament.
“Wesleyan is two and a half points better than us right now,” said Wheaton coach Bill Harris, referring to IWU’s average margin of victory. “We did not play good defense. Wesleyan did not play good defense, but they sure played offense.”
The Titans shot 63.6 percent in the first half and 55.3 percent overall while moving to 14-1 when outshooting the opposition.
Wesleyan built a 67-62 second-half lead as freshman point guard Travis Rosenkranz converted three short-order driving layups.
“We’ve been emphasizing to Travis he needs to be an offensive threat,” Rose said, “and get back to the scoring mentality he had in high school.”
“The big guys did a great job setting screens,” said Rosenkranz, who scored 18 second-half points to match his career high of 20. “I tried to hit those seams hard.”
Two Rosenkranz free throws with 1:03 remaining extended the Titans’ margin to 73-66. But Raymond, a fourth-year junior who may not return for his final year of eligibility, wasn’t done.
Raymond bombed in three 3-pointers in the final 39 seconds, the last of which brought the Thunder (19-7) within 80-78 with three seconds left.
Matt Schick, who nailed his first four free throws in the final 45 seconds, sank one of two with two seconds showing. IWU freshman Duncan Lawson intercepted Wheaton’s long inbounds pass and time expired.
“Coach has got a lot of confidence in me. He feels like I can come through,” Schick said. “I work on free throws all the time. It’s nice to get in there and knock some down for the team.”
Schick found himself in the game after post players Doug Sexauer and Darius Gant fouled out at the 12:15 and 2:50 junctures, respectively.
“What a tough spot to put a young man in,” said Rose, who had four freshmen and a sophomore on the floor in the final seconds. “But Matt is such a winner. I knew he could handle that situation.”
Raymond, who totaled 34 points in the first two IWU games, finished with 34 while making 10 of 25 from the field, 5 of 14 from 3-point range and 9 of 12 at the line.
A 62.5 percent free throw shooting team entering the game, the Titans knocked down 23 of 32 for 72 percent. A 52 percent foul shooter, Gant was 6 of 7.
“Darius made all his, and Schick couldn’t have stepped up any better,” said freshman guard Sean Johnson, who scored 16 points. “We didn’t want Darius to end his career like this, and he didn’t want it to end like this. It was a matter of all of us coming together and getting the win as a family.”
Andy Wiele had 14 points and nine rebounds for Wheaton, which outrebounded Wesleyan, 39-27. Brett Chamernik chipped in 12 points for IWU.
The Titans were none too pleased with the unusual circumstances surrounding Sexauer’s fourth and fifth fouls.
With 12:42 remaining, referee Ken Falkner called Sexauer for a foul while another official closer to the play indicated Wheaton ball out of bounds. The foul was not announced over the public address, and Rose said he was told by the scorer’s bench that a foul had not been registered.
When Sexauer was whistled for another foul 27 seconds later, Falkner went to the official scorer, and after a discussion, Sexauer was determined to have five fouls. Rose protested but to no avail.
Gant, Wesleyan’s first team all-CCIW all-star, was limited to 15 minutes of action, three in the first half, because of foul trouble.
Augustana wins in OT
Junior Chandlor Collins had 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead top-seeded and No. 9 nationally ranked Augustana to a 69-68 overtime victory over Elmhurst in the second semifinal.
Alex Washington and Dain Swetalla added 14 points each for the Vikings, who improved to 21-5 and will try to defeat Wesleyan for the third time this season in today’s championship game.
Blue Ridge High School graduate Brent Ruch had 25 points and 11 rebounds for Elmhurst (18-8).
Gant's big day not enough as IWU men fall in overtime
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- The only thing that kept Illinois Wesleyan senior Darius Gant from donning Superman’s cape at Shirk Center on Saturday was the relentless tug of his teammates’ ineptitude. Photo gallery
The Titans discovered that nobody’s shoulders are that broad as Gant’s 28-point, 21-rebound home finale performance was wasted in a 67-57 overtime loss to North Park before a crowd of 2,200.
IWU players other than Gant shot a horrendous 8 of 49 (16 percent) from the field and hit just 4 of 32 from 3-point range as the Titans closed the regular season at 15-10 overall and tied with Wheaton for second in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin with at 9-5.
“This is by far the most disappointing loss of the season,” Wesleyan coach Ron Rose said. “To have that type of execution after playing good basketball for the majority of the conference season is really puzzling to me. We had no rhythm and a lack of purpose in how we ran our offense.”
Gant reached 20 points and 20 rebounds for the second time this season and was the only Titan to convert a shot from the floor over the game’s final 11 minutes, 20 seconds.
“It was a great game individually, but it doesn’t really matter. You have to be able to pull out that win as a senior leader,” said Gant. “I don’t know what happened to the other guys. I don’t doubt they played hard. I hope we got all our missed shots out of the way.”
North Park (14-11, 6-8) took control immediately in overtime as Jason Gordon nailed two 3-pointers. Two Antonio Stevens free throws gave the Vikings a 63-55 advantage. Wesleyan mustered just two free throws while missing all nine of its overtime shots.
“We have finally started playing better basketball toward the end of the year,” North Park coach Paul Brenegan said. “Gant was a ton. He is an absolute man. He’s made himself into an outstanding player. I told our returning players they need to look at him and take that to heart.”
The Titans set aside their offensive struggles long enough in the second half to score 11 straight points (six by freshman Doug Sexauer) and transform a 42-37 deficit into a 48-42 edge.
Nick Williams connected on two 3-pointers in the final 2:07 of regulation to lift the Vikings into a 55-55 tie. With North Park holding for the final shot, IWU guard Sean Dwyer drew a charge on Stevens with 2.8 seconds left. Travis Rosenkranz’ off-balance 30-foot heave at the buzzer was well off.
That’s exactly what the Titan guards were all evening, off. Way off.
Starting guards Dwyer, Rosenkranz and Sean Johnson were a combined 4 of 35 from the field and 2 of 24 from 3-point range. Reserve guard Jordan Morris was 1 of 6.
“Darius played his butt off. Nobody could do anything around him,” said Johnson. “I don’t know what happened. It was a rough night all around.”
The ugly totals revealed the Titans stumbled to a season-worst 30 percent (20 of 67) from the field.
“We couldn’t get on track shooting, but we still had opportunities,” Rose said. “Darius had a monster game. What a great individual effort. Thank goodness we had him to make the game close.”
Johnson scored 10 points but was 3 of 19 shooting. Dwyer and Morris had six rebounds each as IWU outrebounded North Park, 50-42.
Stevens topped North Park with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Williams was right behind with 17 points and 11 boards. Gordon chipped in 15 points and Jay Alexander 11 and four blocked shot.
Gant received precious little help in the opening half as well. The 6-foot-4 forward totaled 16 points and 11 rebounds over the first 20 minutes, while his teammates managed just eight points and 13 rebounds.
Other than Gant’s 8 of 11 first-half shooting, the Titans were a woeful 3 of 22 from the floor as North Park led 25-24 at the break.
Titans fall at Augustana
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
ROCK ISLAND — The swarming Augustana College defense is usually trouble enough for opponents.
But when its own defense started betraying Illinois Wesleyan on Wednesday at the Carver Physical Education Center, the Titans were in deep.
Augustana forced 12 IWU turnovers in the first half and shot 61 percent from the field in the second to clinch a share of its third straight College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin championship with an 83-68 victory over Wesleyan before a crowd of 1,700.
“They were just a more aggressive, more confident team,” Titans’ coach Ron Rose said. “We haven’t given up 80 points in a long time (since Jan. 19). Augustana doesn’t score a lot of points. Our defensive performance was disappointing. We didn’t put up the needed resistance.”
Ranked 10th nationally, the Vikings moved to 19-5 overall and 10-3 in the CCIW.
“I’m excited for our team,” said Augustana coach Grey Giovanine. “They have risen to challenges so many times.”
The Titans (15-9, 9-4) saw a five-game winning streak snapped and will return here on Feb. 29 as the second seed in the CCIW Tournament. IWU could still share the conference championship with a home win Saturday over North Park and an Augustana loss at North Central.
Central Catholic High School graduate and Augustana point guard Matt Pelton did not attempt a shot in the opening half but became a key offensive contributor after the break.
With the Vikings clinging to a 49-44 lead midway through the second half, Pelton nailed two 3-pointers during a 10-0 Augustana run.
“I was having some open areas,” said Pelton, who scored 12 points on 4 of 5 shooting from 3-point range. “We worked on playing with high energy at the defensive end. We worked the ball inside and that opened up everything.”
“Matt only takes good shots,” Giovanine said. “He’s not a big scorer, but he’s got a champion’s heart. His contributions may look subtle, but his impact on the game is exceptional.”
Augustana saw what was once a 15-point lead trimmed to 67-57 on a Sean Johnson 3-pointer with 5:20 remaining. But the Vikings scored the next seven points to repel the Titans once again.
“We didn’t play like we have the last few,” said IWU junior guard Jordan Morris. “Defensively, we were not the same team.”
Augustana connected on 17 of 28 second-half shots and finished at 51 percent from the floor (31 of 61).
Dain Swetalla led the Vikings with 17 points, Chandlor Collins added 15, Alex Washington 11 and Brett Wessels 10 as all five starters reached double figures.
“That’s been typical of our success,” Giovanine said. “We got great minutes out of a lot of players.”
The Titans made just one of their first eight shots and committed seven turnovers in the first six and a half minutes to face a 12-3 deficit.
“The first half turnovers killed us. Our tentativeness really showed itself,” said Rose. “We were being hesitant on our passes and shots.”
Three-pointers from Morris and Johnson helped Wesleyan rally for a 19-18 lead. The Vikings broke from a 22-22 tie for a 12-2 surge over the half’s final 5:09.
Augustana led by as much as 39-26 early in the second half before IWU crawled back within five.
“They came out and put it to us the first part of both halves,” Titans’ point guard Travis Rosenkranz said. “It’s disappointing. We had little slip ups on defense, miscommunications. They’re a good team. I hope we meet them again in the tournament.”
Johnson topped Wesleyan, which shot 40 percent from the field, with 17 points. Rosenkranz chipped in 11 and Darius Gant 10.
IWU post players Gant and Brett Chamernik, 56.5 and 60.8 percent shooters respectively, combined to sink just 5 of 16 shots.
Rosenkranz grabbed a career-high seven rebounds. Wessels and Swetalla had eight each as the Vikings won the rebounding battle, 41-36.
Titans hang on against Wheaton
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
WHEATON — The momentum generated by a stellar Illinois Wesleyan first half lasted exactly 45 seconds into the second.
After Sean Johnson’s 3-pointer at the 19:15 mark of the second half extended the IWU lead to 15, Wheaton launched a determined climb.
While the Thunder ascension seemed almost constant, IWU defended the peak with ferocity.
Despite not scoring over the final 2:36 and managing just eight second-half baskets, the Titans claimed a thrilling 61-59 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory Saturday before a boisterous King Arena crowd of 2,018.
“I told the guys to be in the conference championship hunt, they had to gut it out and find a way to hang on,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “Wheaton really cranked it up at the defensive end, and it was tough to get much going offensively.
“At this point, it’s a blur. I don’t know how we won. At times, it was hard to believe we were still in the lead.”
With their fifth straight win, the Titans (15-8, 9-3 in the CCIW) remained tied with Augustana for the conference lead and sewed up a berth in the CCIW Tournament on Feb. 29 and March 1.
The Titans meet Augustana in Rock Island on Wednesday. The winner of the 7:30 p.m. contest clinches a share of the CCIW championship.
“We knocked one goal down,” the freshman Johnson said of qualifying for the four-team tournament. “Hopefully, Wednesday we can knock another down and contend for the championship.”
“At the beginning of the year when you’re picked seventh, you want to find a way to get in the top four,” Rose said. “This is a wonderful accomplishment, but our sights are on bigger things.”
Wheaton (17-6, 7-5) certainly had its chances. Jacob Carwell’s layup to tie rolled off with 22 seconds left and IWU’s Darius Gant rebounded.
After Gant missed two free throws at the 19-second mark, Thunder star Kent Raymond could not connect on a game-winning 3-pointer from the right wing. The scramble for the rebound resulted in a held ball with three-tenths of a second remaining.
The possession arrow was pointing Wesleyan’s way and the Titans inbounded to send the clock to zeroes.
“We had a (missed) layup. We shot 12 percent (2 of 16 on 3-point tries) and missed free throws,” said Wheaton coach Bill Harris. “We had great looks. Naismith put a peach basket up there and that’s the goal of the game.”
Wheaton quickly closed a 38-23 deficit and trailed just 45-41 after a Jeremy Berntsen tip-in with 11:14 to play.
A Ben Panner 3-pointer brought the Thunder within 56-53 and two Raymond free throws trimmed the Wesleyan lead to one.
Johnson responded with the shot of the night, a 3-pointer at the 3:34 mark. Two Sean Dwyer free throws gave the Titans a 61-57 lead and were the visitors’ final points.
“At halftime we talked that they would make a run and we hoped to survive it,” said Wesleyan junior forward Brett Chamernik. “It wasn’t as pretty as we would like, but we survived it.”
Chamernik survived a physical battle in the lane to lead IWU with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Johnson chipped in 15 points.
“What we didn’t do was succumb to a big run,” Rose said. “We kept our composure enough to make sure we were not blitzed.”
Under the watchful defense of Dwyer, Raymond was held to 17 points on 7 of 18 shooting and was 1 of 8 from beyond the arc. Andy Wiele and Carwell each added 13.
A fast-paced first half saw a mere seven total fouls whistled. Wesleyan turned a 13-11 edge into a 25-15 lead with five-point bursts from freshman forward Doug Sexauer and freshman guard Travis Rosenkranz.
The Titans enjoyed their biggest lead of the opening half at 35-21 at the 1:15 mark as Chamernik scored inside off a Johnson assist. IWU took a 35-23 margin into halftime on the wings of a 21-9 rebounding margin.
“If we had a decent first half, we would have won the game. The horse was virtually out of the barn,” said Harris. “I told them (at halftime) they completely lost their poise at home, and they had 20 minutes to redeem 12 points. We played really hard and really well defensively, but we could not finish at the offensive end.”
Wheaton shot 46 percent overall. IWU checked in a 45 percent but was 6 of 14 on 3-point attempts and won the rebounding battle, 37-27.
“Our big men played phenomenally,” Johnson said.
In the preliminary game, Keelan Amelianovich scored 36 points to lead a team of IWU alumni to a 101-85 victory over a group of former Wheaton players.
Titans hammer Millikin
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON – With sophomore guard Sean Dwyer resting a sore toe, Illinois Wesleyan junior Jordan Morris made his first start since Jan. 19 on Wednesday at Shirk Center.
Sparked by Morris’ hot early shooting, it didn’t take long for the Titans to give Millikin the boot.
Morris nailed his first five shots and finished 8 of 9 from the field en route to a career-high 21 points as Wesleyan discolored the Big Blue, 95-52, before a crowd of 1,300.
Coupled with Augustana’s loss to Wheaton, IWU pulled into a tie for first place in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin at 8-3 with its fourth straight win.
"That feels real good since nobody thought we were going to be here,” Morris said. “We’ve got one home and two away (remaining). It’s going to be a tough battle, but I think we’re up to the challenge.”
At 14-8 overall, Wesleyan is tied with Augustana atop the CCIW with Wheaton a game back at 7-4. The Titans play at Wheaton on Saturday and visit Augustana next Wednesday.
“It’s exciting to have three games left and be tied for first,” said IWU coach Ron Rose, whose team was picked seventh in the league’s preseason poll. “We’ve got three games. We’ll see what we can make of it.”
Morris made the most of his return to the starting lineup. He scored IWU’s first five points and contributed five more to a 30-6 Titan surge that produced a 35-10 advantage.
“We came out defensively and did real well,” Morris said. “I just had to come in and play like I normally do. It definitely helps when you hit the first few.”
The Titans established season highs for points and assists (22) while narrowly missing its season best shooting performance at 55.4 percent.
“Jordan Morris really got us off to a good start, which I thought was really important,” said Rose. “It’s been pretty consistent with our team in conference play that we’ve had different guys step up at different times.
“We gave some real genuine effort and focus. I love the way we found the open man and made teammates better with our passing.”
Holding a 45-21 halftime lead, the Titans didn’t score after the break until a Morris 3-pointer with 16:08 remaining. But Millikin (9-13, 2-9) had managed just two points during IWU’s mini drought.
“We had some opportunities to make some baskets and get back in the game, but we couldn’t take advantage of it,” Big Blue coach Marc Smith said. “Wesleyan did a great job of executing their plays and playing aggressively. Kudos to them. They played a great game.”
The Wesleyan starters sat down for good with a 68-36 lead at the 9:08 mark. A reserve group led by seniors Jason Bloom, Brian Nussbaum and Kevin Bryant continued to extend the margin.
Fourteen Titans found the scoring column as IWU got 49 points from its bench.
“We’re a young team,” said Wesleyan freshman Matt Schick, “but it shows how mature we are that we can bring the same focus and energy no matter who we’re playing.”
Freshman Doug Sexauer had 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while 11 Titans scored at least five points.
Tunde Ogunleye scored 13 points to top Millikin, which was outrebounded, 47-30, and coaxed in just 1 of 11 free throws.
IWU hopes more rest will enable Dwyer to play Saturday and defend Wheaton star guard Kent Raymond.
“Sean couldn’t go, but we all stepped it up,” Morris said. “He didn’t have to play, which is good.”
Titans hold off No. 25 Elmhurst
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- The abysmal free throw shooting will be a mere footnote to Saturday’s College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin basketball game, other than a few extra points on Illinois Wesleyan coach Ron Rose’s blood pressure. | Photo gallery
Displaying precision and poise everywhere but the line, the Titans tiptoed around 20 missed free throws to hold off No. 25 Elmhurst, 75-71, before a season-best Shirk Center crowd of 2,200.
"It’s amazing we were able to overcome that given how many opportunities we had to close it out at the free throw line. I thought we played really well other than that," Rose said of his team’s 15 of 35 inaccuracy at the line. "Fortunately, we did so many other things well to compensate."
Wesleyan (13-8, 7-3 in the CCIW) solidified its hold on second place in the conference as Elmhurst slipped to 15-6 and 5-5 in league play.
"We’ve been through a lot," said IWU freshman Doug Sexauer, who contributed 11 points off the bench. "People keep calling us young, but we’re playing pretty experienced."
Titan senior Darius Gant reached double figures in points and rebounds for the fourth straight game with 20 and 13, respectively.
That, as well as his critical driving basket with 58 seconds to play, made up for Gant’s 4 of 13 free throwing. Sean Dwyer also helped the Titans hang on despite missing four of five free throws.
"We’ve really been focusing on free throws. It’s crazy it came down to free throws and we were not able to hit them," Dwyer said. "It comes down to that single play. When you break it down like that, we knew we could come out on top regardless of the free throw woes."
Wesleyan led 64-54 after a Brett Chamernik free throw with seven minutes left. The Bluejays clawed within 71-68 on a Ryan Burks driving layup at the 1:19 mark.
IWU leaned hard on its defense and rebounding to weather missing six of eight at the line the rest of the way.
"They are young, but they’re very talented," said Elmhurst junior and Farmer City native Brent Ruch, who was 11 of 14 from the field to lead all scorers with 25 points. "We couldn’t get ourselves out of the hole. We didn’t make the right decisions offensively, and they came out with the win."
With Dwyer providing the hounding defense with help from Jordan Morris, the Titans limited Bluejays’ sharpshooter Burks to one 3-pointer on two tries. Burks got eight of his 15 points on free throws.
"Wesleyan came out with more energy and excitement," Elmhurst coach Mark Scherer said. "Darius Gant played an outstanding game. He’s playing really well."
Travis Rosenkranz added 13 points and Dwyer 10 as teammate Sean Johnson was held without a 3-pointer for the first time since Nov. 24.
Chamernik grabbed seven as Wesleyan outrebounded the taller Bluejays, 36-30, despite 10 from Ruch.
"We battled on the boards all night," said Rose. "They had no offensive rebounds at halftime (and finished with three). That really showed toughness."
The Titans shot 51 percent from the field to 50 for Elmhurst, which converted 20 of 25 free throws.
"They made big plays," Burks said. "They got the ball in the post, and their post players had a great game."
The Titans took a 38-30 lead into halftime despite Rosenkranz sitting for the final 8:47 with two fouls. Rosenkranz had given Elmhurst fits with his quickness while scoring nine first-half points.
Wesleyan used an 18-10 second-half surge to open up a 10-point lead.
Titans turn back North Central
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
NAPERVILLE — First, Sean Johnson shot North Central out of its pesky 1-2-2 zone defense.
Then, the Illinois Wesleyan freshman shot the Titans into sole possession of second place in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.
Johnson nailed five 3-pointers on his way to 17 second-half points as the Titans turned away North Central, 81-67, Thursday before a pro-Wesleyan crowd of 277 at Merner Fieldhouse.
“It was a shooter’s dream out there, but I didn’t take advantage of it early,” Johnson said of the Cardinals’ sagging back to limit the IWU inside game. “I kept shooting and fortunately they started falling. If they don’t, it would have been a long night.”
Johnson finished with 24 points, one off his career high, and was 7 of 14 from 3-point range as the Titans moved to 12-8 overall and 6-3 in the CCIW.
Augustana sits atop the conference race at 7-2, while Wheaton, Elmhurst and Carthage are tied for third at 5-4. Wesleyan meets Elmhurst Saturday in a 7:30 p.m. game at Shirk Center.
“People said we would be lucky to compete in this league,” said Johnson, who sat out over 11 minutes of the first half with two fouls. “But we knew we had talent. Fun, hard work and talent equals winning games.”
With Wesleyan leading 50-47 in the second half, Johnson scored his team’s next eight points on two 3-pointers and a floater in the lane. That led to a timeout from North Central coach Todd Raridon.
“I thought we were doing a decent job with it,” Raridon said of his zone defense. “Suddenly, they hit a couple shots, and it let the air out of us. I thought Wesleyan brought more energy than we did.”
The Cardinals (9-11, 3-6) returned to the floor in a man-to-man defense and forced two quick IWU turnovers while creeping back within 58-52 on five of Matt Rogers’ team-high 23 points.
Johnson nailed a 3-pointer from the corner on an inbounds play. And after Brett Chamernik rebounded a missed Titan free throw, Johnson connected again from long range for a 64-54 Wesleyan lead with six minutes to play.
“I felt the team that had the first push would really have an advantage. Fortunately, we got out to the 10-point lead,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “We hit a few shots then we were able to get the ball inside. Our defense came through at the end. We finished the game well.”
North Central closed within 68-62 on a Chris Drennan basket at the 3:41 mark, but two Travis Rosenkranz free throws and two straight Darius Gant buckets extended the Wesleyan advantage back to 11.
“They were spreading us out and they hit some threes,” said Drennan, a Normal Community High School graduate who scored 15 points. “We didn’t have quite enough.”
Gant reached double figures in points and rebounds for the third straight game with 13 points and 14 rebounds. The 6-foot-4 senior helped IWU outrebound the Cardinals, 33-20.
Rosenkranz added 13 points and five assists, while Doug Sexauer had 10 points off the bench.
“I thought the first half we were not very focused. We had sloppy play at both ends,” Rose said. “We really cleaned it up the second half and had a much better effort. We were tougher with the ball.”
Wesleyan tied a season high with 13 3-pointers in 28 tries. The Titans surpassed 50 percent from the field for the first time in CCIW play at 52 percent (26 of 50).
The Titans trailed by eight (11-3) and led by seven (24-17) in the opening half. Sean Dwyer’s 3-pointer at the one-minute mark sent Wesleyan into the locker room ahead 34-31.
IWU nailed seven first-half 3-pointers (by six different players), but committed 10 turnovers against the North Central zone.
Chamernik, Wesleyan’s second leading scorer and rebounder, left the game and eventually the building early in the opening half. He returned to the game 1:50 before halftime with the pinkie and ring fingers on his left hand taped together.
“It was an hour wait,” Chamernik said of an emergency room trip for a dislocated pinkie. “So I came back.”
Gants leads Titans past Carthage
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- Illinois Wesleyan senior Darius Gant had 20-20 vision Saturday. And for the Shirk Center crowd of 1,950, it was a sight to behold.
Gant kept IWU in contention almost single-handedly before the rest of the Titans joined in late to secure an 87-77 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory over Carthage.
"We wanted to get it done today. We wanted to win this game so badly," said Gant, who scored a team-high 22 points to complement a career-high 20 rebounds. "It's a matter of hustle. (NBA Hall of Famer) Bill Russell said rebounds happen below the rim."
Gant's heroics lifted Wesleyan to 11-8 overall (matching last season's win total) and 5-3 in the CCIW. Carthage (11-8, 5-3) and IWU are tied for second in league play behind 6-2 Augustana.
"Twenty-two and 20. Those are numbers you put up in a video game," marveled teammate Sean Johnson. "And he did it in a first-place game. That was huge."
Gant's rebounding total was the most by a Titan since Bill Braksick hauled down 23 in 1987 and matched the record for a Carthage opponent that dates back to 1977.
"What an inspiration Darius has been for this team," said Wesleyan coach Ron Rose. "It's really rewarding to see a young man blossom the way he has in leadership, effort and consistency."
After a three-point play from Billy Shermerdiak put Carthage ahead 71-70 at the 5:07 mark, Gant banked in a spinning reverse layup and connected again from short range for a 74-71 lead.
A Travis Rosenkranz 10-footer was followed by a Gant fast break dunk off a Johnson assist for a 78-71 margin.
“That was the momentum swing," Gant said, "the dagger we needed for so long."
"I guess we don't have a matchup for him," said Red Men coach Bosko Djurickovic, who watched Gant grab 17 rebounds in an 81-79 Carthage overtime win on Jan. 12 in Kenosha, Wis. "I like the way he plays. I'm a little surprised he doesn't do it more often. He's a wonderful player. I give him all the credit."
Johnson scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half. Sean Dwyer chipped in 11 and Brett Chamernik 10 for IWU. Coach's son Steve Djurickovic paced Carthage with 28 points and Trey Bowens added 17.
Although the Titans finished at a shaky 15 of 24 from the line, they were 8 of 8 over the final 1:07.
Wesleyan coaxed in only two of its first 13 shots from beyond the arc. Doug Sexauer broke the spell at 17:06 of the second half and Johnson quickly followed with another for a 48-48 tie. Rosenkranz and Jordan Morris also nailed key 3s down the stretch.
"It was a chain reaction," Johnson said. "Once somebody gets us going, we all get into it."
The Titans shot 53 percent in the second half to finish at 47 percent and handed out 17 assists compared to just nine turnovers.
"This is a great win for the team and the program," said Rose. "Once we got a few shots from outside, it really opened up the inside. We showed real good basketball intelligence late in the game."
Wesleyan rode Gant to a 48-28 rebounding bulge.
"You just can't do it that way," Coach Djurickovic said.
Carthage shot 52 percent from the field and connected on 5 of 9 3-pointers to take a 43-38 margin into halftime despite Gant's 12 points and 13 rebounds.
3-pointer seals it for No. 10 Augustana over IWU
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- In a tight, defensive struggle, Augustana’s Brett Wessels suddenly found himself open enough to pitch a tent. Shrugging off separation anxiety and Illinois Wesleyan’s hopes for a second victory over a ranked team in eight days, Wessels drilled a 3-pointer with 16 seconds remaining Wednesday to seal No. 10 Augustana’s 65-61 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory before a Shirk Center crowd of 1,800. | Photo gallery
“That’s a hard pill to swallow,” said IWU coach Ron Rose. “I thought we competed really hard. But the last two minutes they made plays and we didn’t. We made a few mistakes and they capitalized on them.”
Augustana scored the game’s final nine points to improve to 14-4 overall and 5-2 in the CCIW, tied for first place with Carthage.
A three-point play from Justin Bertrand at the 1:04 mark gave the Vikings a 62-61 edge, their first lead since 37-34.
A Travis Rosenkranz turnover gave Augustana the ball back 13 seconds later. The Vikings ran the clock down to 21 and the shot clock to five before calling a timeout.
Out of the break, Central Catholic High School graduate Matt Pelton found Wessels all alone on the left wing. The junior guard calmly nailed his third 3-pointer of the half.
“Apparently, I didn’t communicate well enough in the timeout. We had different guys in different defenses. I take responsibility for that,” Rose said. “That just cannot happen at that stage of the game. That was the play that stuck out and certainly we needed to get that stop. But there were a lot of plays down the stretch we could have put ourselves in a good position.”
Missing two shots and committing three turnovers while failing to score in the final three minutes, Wesleyan slipped to 10-8 and 4-3 in the CCIW.
“The worst thing about it is in CCIW games, the games you should win you have to win,” said IWU senior forward Darius Gant. “This was definitely a game we should have won. Those games you have to win if you want to be a contender in the CCIW.”
Finishing with game highs of 18 points and 15 rebounds, Gant had 12 points and 11 boards in the second half. His five straight points gave the Titans a 42-37 lead and his two free throws at the 3:06 mark extended the IWU margin to 61-56.
“I guess it was a lack of focus or maybe getting nervous when we were down,” Gant said of the final minutes. “It’s just something we can’t do.”
Augustana was hoping to get Wessels a perimeter shot or get the ball inside to 6-foot-9 Dain Swetalla on the critical possession.
“He (Wessels) can miss five in a row and he’s one of those guys who thinks he’s going to make the next one. He rose up and made a big-time shot,” said Vikings’ coach Grey Giovanine. “We executed better on offense down the stretch. That made the difference in a heckuva game.”
Augustana shot just 40 percent against Wesleyan’s zone defense but got 14 points from Wessels, 13 from Bertrand, 12 from Swetalla and 10 from Chandlor Collins.
“We talked about the last two road losses we haven’t been executing and getting stops down the stretch,” said Pelton, who had six points on two first-half 3-pointers. “We really focused on that. Our hearts showed through and we played well down the stretch.”
Gant was the lone Titan with more than nine points or four rebounds. Brett Chamernik and Sean Johnson scored nine each with Rosenkranz and Jordan Morris registering eight apiece.
IWU, which finished at 44 percent from the field, trailed just 29-28 at halftime despite missing all seven 3-point attempts and connecting on just 4 of 9 free throws.
Titans edge North Park
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
CHICAGO — North Park’s colorful and creative student section adopted a beach theme for Saturday’s College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin basketball game.
At halftime, a frisbee, a beach ball and —for some unknown reason — a plastic penguin found their way onto the North Park Gymnasium court.
In the second half, Illinois Wesleyan found a way to kick sand on North Park’s blanket with a dramatic 57-55 victory.
“It’s never boring with these kids,” said IWU coach Ron Rose. “We made it hard on ourselves at times, but boy, these kids have big hearts.”
The Titans moved to 10-7 overall and 4-2 in the CCIW by clinging to a lead during a wild final minute.
“Our toughness is starting to show,” IWU freshman guard Travis Rosenkranz said. “We picked up a win in a hostile environment. That’s big for the season.”
A Sean Johnson free throw at the 16-second mark with IWU ahead 56-54 was waved off because of a Wesleyan lane violation. North Park’s Jay Alexander then hit one free throw with eight seconds left and missed the second.
The mad scramble for the rebound resulted in at least three North Park close-range shots to take the lead that narrowly missed. But the Vikings’ Nick Williams was called for a foul on Titan Jordan Morris at the :02 mark.
“A jumping contest on the last shot is not a good idea with North Park,” Rose said. “These kids are accustomed to winning and they’re finding ways. We’re competing hard.”
Morris connected on the first free throw and missed the second. Alexander’s heave at the buzzer was well short as North Park fell to 10-7 and 2-4 in league play.
The Titans led 52-44 after two baskets from freshman Doug Sexauer. After two quick North Park 3-pointers, a Sexauer three-point play extended the Wesleyan margin back to five.
“The second half I was more in the flow,” said Sexauer, who finished with 11 points. “I missed a layup the first half and wanted to redeem myself. This is huge, especially on the road.”
“Doug was huge the second half,” Rose said.
After two Alexander free throws with 1:25 to go brought North Park within 55-52, the Vikings fouled twice without IWU being in the bonus. The Titans got the second shot clock reset at the 34.7-second mark.
Junior Brett Chamernik paced Wesleyan with 14 points and seven rebounds. Sean Johnson added nine and Rosenkranz nine, all in the second half.
“At halftime our message was score more points with more passes,” Rose said. “We felt like we didn’t make their defense work the first half.”
North Park got 21 points from Nick Williams and 10 from Alexander.
The Titans shot 56 percent in the second half and 48 percent overall and were outrebounded, 29-23.
Neither team led by more than four points in a back and forth opening half. The Titans led 18-14 after a Johnson 3-pointer, but fell behind 25-23 on a Chris Brown 3-pointer with 1:03 left.
A Matt Schick fast-break basket with 11 seconds left lifted Wesleyan into a 25-25 tie entering halftime.
Williams nearly reached his 14.9 average with 14 first-half points.
The Titans begin a stretch of four home games in five outings Wednesday against Augustana at Shirk Center.
Titans hold off No. 22 Wheaton
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON — Sean Dwyer’s first career starting assignment came with specific instructions. | Photo gallery
For starters, hold No. 24 under 44.
Dwyer did much more than keeping Wheaton star Kent Raymond well below his 2007 Shirk Center record and career high of 44 points.
The IWU sophomore guard’s relentless, hounding defense frustrated Raymond, and his 3-pointer with 1:32 remaining was critical as the Titans hung on Wednesday for a 63-60 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory over 22nd-ranked Wheaton.
“I like challenges. It was fun,” Dwyer said. “Coach (Ron Rose) invested a lot of trust in me to guard Raymond, and I was up for the challenge.”
A Shirk Center crowd of 1,650 saw the Titans move to 9-7 overall and 3-2 in the CCIW. Wheaton, which never led, fell to 12-4 and 2-3 in league play.
Raymond scored 17 points, six below his average, and was called for a technical along with IWU’s Sean Johnson at the 6:22 mark. That also was Raymond’s fourth personal foul. The Thunder junior fouled out with 4:58 to go on a call that upset Wheaton coach Bill Harris.
“With one second on the shot clock, the kid (Travis Rosenkranz) was outside the arc certainly and they call — I would have to look at the tape,” Harris said. “The keys were not things a coach can do, so I’m not going to comment on that. I thought the game was more physical than the rules call for.”
Raymond, who was 20 of 20 on free throws last season at Shirk, went to the line just four times. He was 6 of 13 from the field and committed seven turnovers.
“Sean Dwyer is a tough kid. I think you could see that tonight,” Rose said. “He brings energy, he scraps, he claws, he comes up with loose balls. He was playing against if not the best guard in the country, one of the best in the country, and he really didn’t give him anything easy.”
While playing a career-high 35 minutes, Dwyer also posted career bests with 11 points, six assists and four steals.
“Sean Dwyer was Superman for us tonight,” Johnson said. “Probably 10 times he dove on the floor for this team. That shows what a team player he is. It’s great to play with him out there.”
Johnson and Raymond both picked up technicals after Dwyer fouled Raymond on a drive.
“I guess Raymond thought Dwyer tripped him, and he gave him a little shove under the pile,” Johnson said. “I wasn’t going to let Sean lie on the floor and get shoved, so I threw a shove in there.”
Wheaton pulled within 56-55 on two Phill Denham free throws at the 2:47 mark. With a chance to take their first lead, the Thunder were denied as Ben Panner’s shot from the lane rolled off.
Dwyer’s 3-pointer from the corner extended the Wesleyan lead to 59-55.
On his lone shot of the game, Jeremy Berntsen’s 3-pointer again brought Wheaton within one at 61-60.
A Dwyer turnover with 17 seconds showing gave the Thunder a chance to strike for the victory. But Panner lost control and Johnson grabbed the loose ball, was fouled and hit two free throws at the three-second mark.
“Defensively, we not only gave effort, but we gave some concentrated effort in terms of executing our defensive game plan,” Rose said. “The offensive end was a little bit of a struggle. Wheaton is a very good defensive team. It’s fun to be able to say our defense carried us.”
Johnson topped the Titans with 15 points. Rosenkranz added 10 and Darius Gant nine.
Panner and Denham chipped in 12 each for Wheaton, which outrebounded IWU, 38-25, but had 19 turnovers.
“Ron did a good job preparing them,” Harris said. “They hit a couple of huge shots with like one second on the shot clock. There were things we could have done to overcome some of the whistles, but we didn’t.”
Wesleyan completes a stretch of four road games in five contests Saturday at North Park.
Titans get going too late in loss at No. 12 Elmhurst
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
ELMHURST — The extra hour to prepare for Saturday’s College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin basketball game at Faganel Hall did Illinois Wesleyan absolutely no good.
The defensively lethargic Titans coughed up 31 points in the initial 9:15 and never fully recovered in a 90-77 loss to No. 12-ranked Elmhurst before a crowd of 1,048.
In an 8:30 p.m. start, an hour later than usual because of a wrestling tournament, Elmhurst reeled off 13 straight first-half points for a 31-13 advantage while improving to 12-3 and 2-2 in the CCIW.
“We didn’t defend,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “Certain things we wanted to take away and we didn’t come out with the aggressiveness or awareness needed to execute our game plan.”
At 2-2 in the league, IWU (8-7 overall) joins Elmhurst in a six-way tie for second place behind 3-1 Carthage.
Freshman guard Sean Johnson nearly shot the Titans into the lead with a spectacular second half. Johnson scored 20 of his career-high 25 points after the break, including five straight on a 3-pointer and two free throws to bring IWU within 71-68 with 6:14 remaining.
Johnson was 7 of 10 from beyond the arc.
Wesleyan connected on a season-high 13 3-pointers in 25 attempts but were outrebounded, 43-27, and shot just 58 percent (14 of 24) at the free throw line.
“We scrapped and clawed and gave ourselves some opportunities,” said Rose. “But we played in panic mode most of the night.”
Brett Chamernik chipped in 15 points, Jordan Morris 12 and Travis Rosenkranz 10 for Wesleyan. Chamernik and Darius Gant each had a team-high seven rebounds.
Sharp shooting for Jays
Elmhurst received 29 points from Ryan Burks, who was 14 of 14 at the line. The Bluejays shot 54.5 percent from the field, nailed 8 of 11 from 3-point range and sank 22 of 25 free throws.
Brent Ruch and Matt Ryder added 16 points and Jared Hintzsche 12 for Elmhurst. Hintzsche grabbed 11 rebounds and Ruch nine.
IWU trimmed its hefty first-half deficit to 43-36 when Matt Schick nailed a 3-pointer at the six-second mark. The Titans then trailed 43-39 when Morris opened the second half with a 3-pointer.
Elmhurst stretched its lead to 60-48 before Johnson got hot.
Titans ride defense to win over Millikin
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
DECATUR — Defense was frequently an unsubstantiated rumor for an Illinois Wesleyan basketball team that surrendered 75 or more points in seven of its first 13 games.
Wednesday at Griswold Center, the Titans showed they can control a game with stops instead of shots, sweat rather than sparkle.
“If we play defense, we can get ourselves in any game,” said IWU freshman guard Travis Rosenkranz after the Titans held Millikin to 36 percent shooting in a 62-47 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory before an estimated crowd of 1,000.
It was the lowest score for a Wesleyan opponent in a CCIW game since an 84-47 triumph over Elmhurst in 1996.
“Our defensive principles, we weren’t fulfilling them,” Rosenkranz said. “Now our team defense is a lot better.”
Millikin (8-6, 1-2 in the CCIW) managed just two points over the final five and a half minutes as IWU (8-6, 2-1) closed the game on a 14-2 surge.
“I thought we did a good job defensively. Holding a team to 62 is not bad. Our problems were on offense,” said Big Blue coach Marc Smith. “Defensively, they stay in front and contain you. We had some poor decision making that led to a turnover or a bad shot. Inside, they were physical with us and we couldn’t finish.”
Millikin trimmed a 48-39 deficit to three on a free throw and a basket from Joscar Demby and a Charles Warren 3-pointer with 5:45 remaining.
The Titans responded with two Sean Johnson free throws, a driving bucket from Rosenkranz and a Jordan Morris rebound basket to extend their margin to 54-45.
After a Keanon Harrington shot brought the Big Blue back within seven, IWU confidently pulled away.
Darius Gant offered an understated but satisfied affirmative nod of the head after a fast break basket off a Matt Schick assist pushed the Wesleyan lead to 60-47 in the final minute.
“That was a game breaker, a big swing of momentum in our favor,” said Gant, who led all scorers with 17 and just missed his eighth double-figure rebounding game of the season with nine. “It’s definitely important. If you can win road games, it’s key.”
IWU committed just five second-half turnovers despite Millikin’s use of a full-court press for much of the final 20 minutes.
“That was a battle. Both teams played really hard. Every possession was contested on both sides,” Titans’ coach Ron Rose said. “We were fortunate we had a little lead to work off of. It’s easier to play from ahead than behind.”
Playing six miles from his house in Macon, Rosenkranz had 13 points, six assists, five rebounds and two steals.
“I thought Travis helped set the tone early and throughout the game he was in control,” said Rose. “Winning on the road in the CCIW is tough. To do that showed a lot of growth in our team.”
Wesleyan, which trailed only once at 8-6, did not push its lead into double figures until two Rosenkranz free throws with 1:07 to play.
“It was an intense game in a hostile environment,” Rosenkranz said. “But we have to come out and prove ourselves again at Elmhurst (Saturday). We have to keep grinding.”
Brett Chamernik scored all 12 of his points in the first half and grabbed six rebounds for Wesleyan, while Johnson chipped in nine points and five rebounds as IWU held a 38-35 edge on the boards.
“They’ve got a lot of size,” said Rose. “Our post guys showed a lot of heart battling on the boards and defending the post.”
Millikin, which hit 9 of 25 shots from the field in each half, received 11 points each from Tunde Ogunleye and Joscar Demby.
The Big Blue’s previous low point total of the season was 56.
Carthage tips Titans in OT
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
KENOSHA, Wis. — Bosko Djurickvoic calls coaching his son Steve “the greatest reward and a difficult burden.”
Steve Djurickovic handed out a hefty reward with two seconds remaining in overtime on a fadeaway jumper that lifted Carthage to an 81-79 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory over Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday night before a Physical Education Center crowd of 1,275.
Djurickovic, the Red Men’s freshman sensation, did not get the final shot of regulation as teammate Trey Bowens missed off the back iron with the score tied at 68.
He did in overtime and made it count as Carthage moved to 6-6 and 1-1 in the CCIW.
“We tried to get it to him and hopefully he would make a good decision,” Coach Djurickovic said. “He was tired. He didn’t make as good of decisions the last seven or eight minutes.”
IWU coach Ron Rose lamented the lost opportunity to nab a road conference victory.
“This was a winnable game,” said Rose, whose Titans slipped to 7-6 and 1-1 in conference play. “We didn’t get a couple of breaks we were looking for, and we didn’t make a couple breaks we needed to make.”
The biggest may have come late in overtime as IWU’s Brett Chamernik tried to draw a charge on the younger Djurickovic but was called for the block as Djurickovic’s basket gave Carthage a 79-76 edge.
Jordan Morris’ rebound basket in the lane and free throw to complete the three-point play tied the game at 79 with 21 seconds left.
“This is a very tough loss,” said Wesleyan senior Darius Gant. “It came down to a last-second shot, and there’s nothing you can do.”
The Titans led 68-65 at the 2:57 mark of regulation on a Travis Rosenkranz 3-pointer. Carthage got one free throw from Djurickovic and two tying free throws from Joe Higgins with 1:03 remaining.
Wesleyan fumbled a chance to win on a turnover with 28 seconds left.
“We’re thrilled. Wesleyan was better the last 30 minutes. They had a couple of bad bounces and we were able to come out ahead,” Bosko Djurickovic said. “We should have won the other night (blowing a 16-point second half lead to Wheaton) and we didn’t. We probably shouldn’t have won tonight and we did.”
Titan freshman Sean Johnson, who did not score in the first half, fueled a second-half run that handed IWU its first lead. Ending with a team-high 16 points, Johnson nailed a 27-foot 3-pointer from well beyond the key for a 57-54 Wesleyan lead with 11:08 remaining.
“We had a couple of two- or three-point leads and had a chance to make it a two-possession game,” said Rose. “We never capitalized on those opportunities, and that made a big difference.”
The 6-foot-4 Gant dominated the boards, hauling down a career-high 17 rebounds to go with 12 points.
“He’s really become a very good player,” Coach Djurickovic said. “The first half he wore us out. And he doesn’t do it with height, he does it with quickness.”
IWU outrebounded the Red Men, 44-28, but the Titans connected on just 2 of 7 overtime shots.
Steve Djurickovic paced Carthage with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Sean Fendley chipped in 19 points for the Red Men, while freshman Doug Sexauer had 14 points for the Titans.
Opening in a 2-3 zone against a 30 percent 3-point shooting team did not have the desired effect for IWU.
A trio of 3-pointers in the first five minutes staked Carthage to a 13-6 lead. Even after the Titans switched to man defense, the Red Men got two baskets from Steve Djurickovic and a Higgins 3-pointer for a 20-6 cushion at the 11:57 mark.
Wesleyan spent the rest of the half clawing back into contention and got as close as 31-29 on a Sean Dwyer 3-pointer from the key with 2:30 showing.
“We knew Carthage is a team of runs. We had to keep our heads and not get down,” said Gant. “This will help us. Now we know how to come back in those situations.”
Committing zero first-half turnovers, Carthage took a 36-31 lead into halftime. IWU held a 23-10 rebounding margin at the break with Gant matching the Red Men’s team total.
Titans hold on against North Central
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- Inviting Illinois Wesleyan to shoot 3-pointers against its zone, North Central found the Titans too polite not to accept.
With long-range shots clanking off the rim and the IWU lead slowly evaporating, launching another 3-point try seemed like the last thing the Titans needed.
Jordan Morris thought otherwise. And it proved to be a profitable thought for Wesleyan.
Morris’ 3-pointer from the corner at the 8:24 mark slowed a North Central surge, and the Titans held on for a 68-59 victory Wednesday in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin opener for both teams before a Shirk Center crowd of 1,600.
“We had missed a few, but one was bound to go in eventually,” Morris said. “We’re all good shooters.”
Wesleyan (7-5 overall) saw a 21-point second-half lead trimmed as lean as seven. Freshman Travis Rosenkranz hit six straight free throws in the final 1:16 to keep the Cardinals at bay.
“That’s a great win for us. That was our goal, to come away with a win however we needed to,” said IWU coach Ron Rose. “There were stretches we played really well. We probably made it more interesting than we should have, but it protects our home turf.”
The Titans built on a 12-2 close to the first half that produced a 34-20 cushion. Two Darius Gant inside buckets and a Morris reverse layup extended the Wesleyan lead to 40-20. A Rosenkranz 3-pointer after a Gant offensive rebound gave IWU a 45-24 bulge.
“I was disappointed in our transition defense the first half,” North Central coach Todd Raridon said. “We gave up way too many 3-point shots. That’s their bread and butter. They are looking to get you in transition and get open looks. They did that and knocked them down.”
The Cardinals’ zone defense and a Mitch Raridon 3-pointer -- North Central’s first after 10 misses from beyond the arc -- sliced IWU’s lead to 46-35 before Morris’ key 3.
“They went to a zone and we got a little stagnant,” said Rose. “We quit running the ball in transition and started standing around. That transferred to not being as active on the defensive end.”
North Central (6-6) moved within 55-45 on two Matt Rogers free throws at the 3:57 mark. But a Brett Chamernik basket and a Sean Johnson 3-pointer at the shot clock buzzer eased the worried minds of the Titan faithful.
“It was key we started out at home with a good crowd. We really fed off that,” said Rosenkranz, who led all scorers with 14 and handed out a career-high eight assists. “I think our defense led to offense. That gave us a little momentum and guys made shots. They had really good shooters. We couldn’t give them an inch.”
Chamernik chipped in 13 points, Gant had 12 and a game-high 14 rebounds and Morris added 11 points as the Titans committed a season-low eight turnovers and held an opponent under 60 points for the first time all season.
“I like the fact we hung in there. They made a few runs at us and we answered,” Rose said. “The first half I thought our defense was outstanding. We were chasing shooters down and defending the post. We were very aggressive offensively at that time. That’s when we made our push.”
Already missing junior standout Chris Drennan, who is recovering from a broken hand, North Central did not start leading scorer Rogers. The junior forward still played 29 minutes and topped the Cardinals, who never led, with 13 points.
“He hadn’t practiced the last two days because of an ankle sprain,” said Coach Raridon. “We didn’t know if he was going to play or not.”
Mitch Raridon and Jeremy Williams scored 11 each for North Central, which shot 36 percent (22 of 61) from the field and 19 percent (4 of 21) from 3-point range.
IWU senior Brian Nussbaum did not dress because of a sprained ankle. Junior guard Robert Beauchamp has left the team, according to Rose.
Titan men bring the new year a winning record after Stags win
By Pantagraph staff
CLAREMONT, Calif. -- The Illinois Wesleyan basketball team celebrated the arrival of the new year with a winning record thanks to a 70-61 victory over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Monday at Ducey Gymnasium.
"It was nice to finish 2007 with a win and make the trip a lot more enjoyable coming home with a win," said IWU coach Ron Rose, whose team closed out the nonconference portion of its schedule at 6-5. "This will give us a little momentum and a little confidence."
With leading scorers and post starters Darius Gant and Brett Chamernik limited to 12 points, 15 below their combined average, the Titans’ perimeter game took over.
Freshman guard Travis Rosenkranz led Wesleyan with 18 points, hitting 3 of 5 from beyond the arc as the Titans connected on 8 of 17 3-point tries.
“Travis was much more aggressive offensively. He got into the paint a little more," Rose said. "He really put a lot of pressure on their defense."
Freshman reserve Matt Schick scored all 10 of his points in the second half. Jordan Morris also had 10, while Sean Johnson and Sean Dwyer chipped in nine each.
The Titans trailed 33-32 at the half and faced a 48-43 deficit after a Dan Winterbottom basket. IWU responded with an 11-0 spurt that featured two Rosenkranz 3-pointers, a Schick three-point play and a Gant basket.
The Stags (5-4) sliced a 62-51 Wesleyan lead to three points on two straight Beau Heidrich 3-pointers and a Craig Borengasser layup. The Titans repelled the charge with a Gant rebound bucket and two Johnson free throws. Schick helped IWU hang on with four free throws in the final 58 seconds.
"Matt Schick came in with some really valuable minutes, especially at the defensive end," Rose said. "He’s got great awareness."
Winterbottom paced CSM with 15 points and nine rebounds. Borengasser added 14 points for the Stags, who outrebounded IWU 46-31 but were just 7 of 32 from 3-point range as the Titans made extensive use of a 2-3 zone.
"They have not shot a very high percentage from beyond the arc. We thought that defense might be effective, and it proved to be that way," said Rose. "But rebounding out of it posed some problems for us."
The Titans open the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin season in a Jan. 9 home game against North Central.
IWU men stumble against Occidental College, losing 88-67
By Pantagraph staff
LOS ANGELES -- Connor Whitman lit up the Illinois Wesleyan basketball team for 37 points during a dark day for Titan coach Ron Rose, who watched his team fall to Occidental College, 88-67, in late night action Saturday.
“We didn’t play very well,” said Rose, whose team fell to 5-5. “They were bigger, faster, stronger, more aggressive and more confident.
“They built a cushion early. We just didn’t come out with the defensive mindset we needed to. We gave up 24 points the first eight minutes. That was tough to overcome.”
Doing much of the damage was Whitman, a 6-foot-1 senior guard, who sank 13 of 24 shots including 8 of 16 3-pointers to go with 3 of 5 free throws. He came in averaging 20.3 points.
“I take responsibility for allowing a kid to score over 30 against us,” Rose said. “I needed to help our guys shut down a player that talented with some different schemes. They have an outstanding guard, who scored and made other people better.”
Brett Chamernik led IWU with 16 points. Darius Gant added 14 points and 10 rebounds. IWU committed 14 turnovers and forced eight.
The Titans, who trailed 46-34 at intermission, cut the deficit to two in the second half, but got no closer.
The IWU cause was hurt when freshman starter Travis Rosenkranz fouled out with 12 minutes left. He scored four points in 14 minutes of action.
“We proceeded to throw the ball away a few times and they were able to reestablish that lead again,” Rose said. “For the amount of defensive work we put in, we’re not seeing the progress we need to. Until we get that process figured out, there will be some frustrating nights.”
Occidental (7-1) also got 11 points from Sean Anderson and 10 from Huston Conti. Occidental shot 50.8 percent from the field compared to 43.9 percent for IWU.
“They weren’t a one-man show,” Rose said. “I think almost to a man, we had moments where guys played well and moments where they didn’t.”
IWU pulls inside job to net win
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- With Hanover tossing in 3-pointers from all corners of Shirk Center, Illinois Wesleyan had to be pondering a cordial invitation for the Panthers to set up unfettered operations in the lane.
But when the Titans went inside on Tuesday, it was a hostile takeover.
With post players Darius Gant, Brett Chamernik and Doug Sexauer combining for 18 of 27 shooting, Wesleyan muscled its way to a dominating final 12 minutes that produced an 88-76 nonconference victory before a crowd of 600.
‘They killed us inside,” Hanover coach Mike Beitzel said. “I felt we would have trouble coming in because 23 (Gant) and 40 (Chamernik) were so physical. Our perimeter guys played OK, but we had nothing inside.”
Gant’s 13 rebounds were nine more than any other player on either side as the Titans controlled the boards, 38-23.
“I think more so than anything it was the energy it brought,” said Gant, whose five offensive rebounds topped Hanover’s team total of four. “It was making the team feel more confident. A lot of people starting making plays themselves after that energy was brought.”
IWU moved to 5-4 in its final outing until games in California on Dec. 29 and 31.
“At the end, Darius Gant was just not going to be denied on the boards,” Wesleyan coach Ron Rose said. “I think his effort really spurred on a great effort and hustle plays by a number of guys.”
A 20-9 Hanover second-half spurt was punctuated by a Marc O’Leary 3-pointer. The Panthers (6-4) were 14 of 26 from beyond the arc at that point and had scored 42 of their 59 points on 3-pointers.
“We just kept thinking they were going to miss them once in a while, but they kept making them,” said Titan guard Jordan Morris. “We picked up our defense and that’s when they starting missing. Something clicked where our intensity level just rose and we started playing harder and together.”
While Chamernik scored 15 of his game-high 19 points in the first half, Gant and Sexauer took over during the game’s key stretch.
The Titans trailed 65-64 when Sexauer converted a rebound basket. Gant followed with a free throw and a rebound bucket before Sexauer knocked down a 17-foot jumper.
A Gant steal led to an intentional foul on Hanover’s Brock Dawson. Gant hit one free throw, but when Wesleyan also got the ball out of bounds, Morris wriggled free for a basket off the inbounds pass that extended the Titan lead to 74-65.
“It was mostly the guards who really opened it up for us,” said Sexauer, who scored 14 points. “The passes they threw got to the perfect spot. We just turn around and put it in.”
Hanover got as close as 80-72 at the 57-second mark, but IWU’s Sean Dwyer nailed four straight free throws to seal the victory.
“I loved how we finished the game,” Rose said. “This was part of that lesson on how hard you have to play. They’re a good team. That’s a real good win for us.”
Gant added 12 points for his fourth double-double of the season. Morris scored 18 points, while freshman guards Sean Johnson and Travis Rosenkranz had eight each.
Hanover scored 21 of its first 23 points on seven 3-pointers with O’Leary and Brock Dawson combining for six first-half 3s.
“Certainly they shot the ball incredibly well, but they were open,” said Rose.
O’Leary and Dawson paced four Panthers in double figures with 15 points each. While Hanover finished 14 of 31 from beyond the arc, leading scorer Clint Parker was ironically 0 for 8.
Chicago cruises past IWU
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
CHICAGO -- In Luke Kasten, Keelan Amelianovich and Adam Dauksas, Illinois Wesleyan had more than 4,900 career points and three of its top 11 all-time scorers in attendance Saturday.
It became painfully obvious to the Titans in the second half at Ratner Center that none of that tremendous trio was in uniform.
The University of Chicago strong-armed Wesleyan with the first 18 points after halftime and cruised to an 85-70 nonconference victory before a decidedly pro-Wesleyan gathering of 185.
“We didn’t have great matchups,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “We tried to help inside and that left some shooters open outside. But we didn’t play with the intensity and toughness to overcome that.”
The Maroons improved to 4-4, while sinking the Titans to the same record.
“I thought we played really well. When Wesleyan did some good things, our good players finished some good plays,” said Chicago coach Mike McGrath. “We shared the ball very well. When our offense is clicking, we do that.”
Chicago opened the second half with an Adam Machones 3-pointer. Nate Hainje followed with a layup and a 3-pointer. The Maroons then received a Jake Pancratz 3-pointer, a Hainje rebound bucket, a Matt Corning layup and another Hainje 3-pointer for 53-34 bulge.
“That’s about as well as we’ve played in a stretch all year,” McGrath said.
“That sequence in the first minute -- they would score, we turn it over, they score and we turn it over. That established a lot of momentum for them,” said Rose. “They played more physical and better than we did.”
The lethargic Titans did not score until a pair of Darius Gant free throws with 14:59 to go. IWU did not get closer than 15 until the final minute.
“Something was missing the second half. I don’t know what it was,” said junior forward Brett Chamernik. “They live and die by the three, and we saw what happens when you let them shoot threes. We were not doing the things we’ve been taught defensively.”
Chicago shot 56 percent in the second half, a figure that was considerably higher until the last five minutes. The Maroons were 11 of 27 from behind the 3-point arc to 5 of 17 for IWU.
Hainje paced the Maroons with 25 points, Pancratz scored all 17 of his points in the second half and Corning chipped in 15.
The Titans overcame a quick 7-0 deficit on the hot shooting of Johnson, who nailed his first five shots while scoring IWU’s first 13 points. The first Wesleyan player to score other than Johnson was Doug Sexauer at the 11:48 mark of the half.
Johnson managed just three points the remainder of the game to finish with 16.
“He caught us a couple times. He’s a good player,” McGrath said. “That scared me. If he gets heated up, we’ve got some issues.”
“It was a good start. Travis (Rosenkranz) did a good job getting me open looks,” said Johnson. “The shots stopped dropping. I should have worked harder to get open shots the second half.”
Chicago opened a 33-26 margin on a Corning 19-footer before IWU trimmed the Maroons’ lead to 35-34 entering halftime with the help of a 3-pointer and a driving bank shot from Rosenkranz in the final 2:45.
Chamernik scored 13 points for Wesleyan, which shot 38 percent in the second half and was outrebounded for just the second time all season (35-30).
Titan sophomore guard Sean Dwyer saw his first game action in over a year. Dwyer, who has been sidelined with foot injuries, scored five points in nine minutes.
A group of Dwyer, Justin Anthony, Kevin Bryant, Brian Nussbaum and Josh Sutton chopped what was once a 26-point Chicago advantage to 13 in the final minutes.
“I was thrilled we didn’t quit,” said Rose, “and made some things happen at the end.”
IWU plays its first home game since Dec. 1 and makes its final Shirk Center appearance of 2007 on Tuesday in a 7:30 p.m. nonconference contest against Hanover.
No. 12 Washington tips Titans
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
ST. LOUIS -- Perhaps displeased by the aggressive defense applied by Illinois Wesleyan’s Jordan Morris, Washington University standout Tyler Nading applied a spinning elbow to Morris’ jaw on the opening possession Saturday.
Nading picked up an offensive foul, and Morris picked himself off the WU Field House floor.
Morris did not back down from the No. 12-ranked Bears (6-2), and neither did his teammates.
Spunk, determination and execution carried IWU (4-3) a long way, but it could not pull off the upset.
Washington closed the opening half on 16-5 run and survived a highly competitive second half to earn a 69-66 victory before a crowd of 1,097.
“Walking in the building, we wondered if we could compete with a nationally ranked team,” said IWU coach Ron Rose. “At halftime, we realized we were not going to be happy coming close. I love our fight. We competed really hard.”
Washington held a 48-41 lead when Wesleyan freshman guard Sean Johnson nailed a 3-pointer, scored on a back door cut courtesy of a Matt Schick assist and tossed in a 25-foot 3-pointer for a 49-48 Wesleyan edge with 11:25 to play.
The taller Bears, who blocked five Wesleyan shots, began making added use of that advantage by pounding the ball inside in the final eight minutes.
“I think what made the difference was we made some jump shots. That loosened it up inside,” said Bears’ coach Mark Edwards. “They’ve got a nice team. I’m glad we played them in December and not February.”
Washington pushed its lead to 64-56 with 4:21 to go, but IWU senior Darius Gant responded with an inside bucket and a 22-foot 3-pointer (his first of the season) to beat the shot clock.
After a pair of Morris free throws at the 1:31 mark brought Wesleyan within 66-63, Nading’s offensive rebound basket gave the Bears back a five point-lead.
“If we play that hard the rest of the season we’ll be in good shape,” Morris said. “I’m really proud of us. I don’t think anyone outside of our locker room thought it would be that close. We should have come out with the victory, but we’ve got the rest of the season to prove ourselves worthy.”
Johnson’s 3-pointer with a hand in his face trimmed the Titan deficit to 68-66 with 11 seconds remaining.
Gant rebounded a missed Aaron Thompson free throw, but the Bears forced a quick turnover. Ross Kelley converted one free throw at the four-second mark, and Morris’ desperation 3-pointer was short and released just after the buzzer sounded.
“I would like to get back a few plays. This game exemplified how every play is important,” said Rose. “But you could see our confidence growing as the game went on.”
With a previous high of 10 points and a .351 shooting percentage entering the game, Johnson paced Wesleyan with 22 points, including 6 of 10 accuracy from 3-point range.
“We played with heart and effort. When you do that, anything can happen. We put the ingredients together and almost came out with a win,” Johnson said. “I’ve been shooting the ball real well in practice. My teammates really got me open shots.”
“We knew Sean was a shooter,” Rose said. “It takes time to get acclimated to the speed and size of college players.”
Wesleyan held the Bears to seven points over the first 11 minutes and led 15-7 after a Jason Bloom basket.
The Titans saw a scoring drought of nearly four minutes vaporize a 19-13 lead. Washington knocked down four 3-pointers over the half’s final 5:44, and Danny O’Boyle’s 3-pointer at the eight-second mark sent the Bears into halftime with a 29-24 edge.
Cameron Smith led a balanced Washington attack with 15 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds. Troy Ruths and O’Boyle added 14 points each and Thompson 13. Nading was held to eight, 13 below his average.
“We knew they were very young, but they’ve got a lot of talent,” Nading said. “They’re developing into a great team.”
Gant contributed 12 points and 11 rebounds for IWU. Doug Sexauer chipped in 10 points.
Rose utilized four freshmen at several junctures and even had five first-year players on the court at one point.
Titans roll past Illinois College
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
JACKSONVILLE -- Three times early in the second half on Wednesday, Illinois College senior Joe Womble wriggled free to toss in 3-pointers.
Each time, Illinois Wesleyan senior Darius Gant failed to negotiate a screen in time to prevent tardy defense of Womble. For his shortcomings, Gant found himself on the bench.
When Gant returned, Womble and the rest of the Blueboys wished Gant never would have gotten up.
An inspired Gant scored 18 of his season-high 26 points over the final 12 minutes to carry the Titans to an 88-75 nonconference victory over Illinois College before a Bruner Center crowd of 531.
“As a competitor, when someone does something like that, you feel like you’ve got to make up for it and produce for the team,” said Gant, who was one shy of his career high of 27 points. “It was a matter of adjusting. In the beginning, I was posting up too far off the block. I had to get closer so I could finish.”
In the first of three straight road games, the Titans improved to 4-2 while dropping the Blueboys to the same record.
“When Darius is focused, Darius is really good. He was kind of fading at that point,” Rose said of the Womble-led surge that gave Illinois College its lone lead of the second half at 51-50. “Sometimes he needs a reminder. I was thrilled how he responded after that.”
After Brett Chamernik’s basket gave IWU back the lead at 52-51, Gant scored the next seven points.
“When they got close, we got the ball down in the post to Darius and Cham and they took care of it,” said junior guard Jordan Morris. “They had nobody who could guard Darius. When they put somebody smaller on him, he muscled them. When they put somebody bigger on him, he went around them.”
Two Brad Johnson free throws at the 7:05 mark brought the Blueboys within 70-64. But Gant and Titan freshman guard Travis Rosenkranz both scored on driving shots and IWU led by at least seven the rest of the way.
“We had a couple scoring droughts and they responded,” Illinois College coach Mike Worrell said. “We didn’t get them stopped. They played better. That’s the bottom line.”
Rosenkranz, who has been battling a sore lower back, scored a career-high 20 points.
“Physically, I felt better. I felt more like myself than I have,” Rosenkranz said. “I’ve been doing better in practice. I have to know when to practice and when to sit out.”
“Travis looked like the young man we recruited,” said Rose. “He was quick and creating stuff for himself and others. He was really in charge of the flow of the game. That’s exciting for us.”
A 55 percent free-throw shooting team entering the game, the Titans dropped in 22 of 30, including 18 of 22 in the second half. Wesleyan sank all eight of its free throws over the final 2:06.
“How we finished off the game was huge,” Rose said. “This is a big step in terms of understanding the urgency and intensity we need to play with.”
Morris also was one short of a career high with 18 points. The junior was 8 of 10 from the field as the Titans shot 55.4 percent from the floor (31 of 56).
Gant’s eight rebounds sparked IWU to a 36-24 rebounding edge that was 17-8 in the second half.
A 6-2 IWU deficit did not last long as the Titans reeled off 16 consecutive points for an 18-6 lead. Morris scored eight of Wesleyan’s first 11 points, and Rosenkranz turned two steals into a 3-pointer and a layup.
Illinois College trimmed a 13-point Titans’ lead to 28-23 at the 7:08 mark of the opening half. IWU opened its advantage back to 39-27 before settling for a 45-36 margin at the break as Matt Schick banked in a rebound with three seconds left.
Johnson paced the Blueboys with 21. Womble chipped in 20, 14 in the second half.
The Titans return to action Saturday against 12th-ranked Washington University for a 3 p.m. start in St. Louis.
Chamernik muscles IWU over Webster in postponed game
Junior puts up 27 points; Gilmore's status uncertain
By Randy Kindred
rkindred@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON — It took Brett Chamernik only 38 seconds to assert himself Sunday at Shirk Center. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Illinois Wesleyan junior made a power move inside, sank the shot and drew a foul.
Chamernik didn’t stop until he had muscled his way to a career-high 27 points on 9 of 11 field-goal shooting, leading the Titans to an 82-69 nonconference victory over Webster before a crowd of 650.
“Usually we don’t see post players who play behind us in the post,” said Chamernik, whose previous high was 16 points. “They were just letting us catch it. If you’re a good post player, if you catch the ball close to the rim you should be able to score.”
Chamernik had nine points in a game-opening 12-2 surge. The lead grew to 15 points in the first half, but was down to six at halftime (41-35) and just one (42-41) with 15 minutes, 40 seconds left.
A five-foot jump hook from the right side by Chamernik started IWU on a 17-5 run, which he capped with four free throws. The lead was up to 59-46, and the Titans (3-2) cruised to victory in a game postponed a day by Saturday’s ice storm.
“Brett was physical inside and did a great job of spreading out and giving us a post presence,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “He was really a mismatch for us. Thank goodness he came to play tonight, because he really carried us in a lot of ways. There were times we weren’t very smooth where he finished and kind of bailed us out of some mediocre movement.”
Six-seven freshman Doug Sexauer added a season-best 17 points on 7 of 9 shooting, helping the Titans to 55 percent accuracy from the field. Senior forward Darius Gant had 11 points and a game-high seven rebounds, while 6-5 freshman Josh Sutton of Lincoln was 4 of 4 from the floor and scored a season-high nine points.
Sexauer had 10 points and Sutton seven during an eight-minute stretch in which IWU’s lead went from 41-39 to 66-50.
“When Chammy (Chamernik) started off so well, coach said, ‘Keep looking to the post,’ ” Sexauer said. “I don’t know how many times that he drew my guy all the way down to him, and it just let me hit a wide-open jump shot.”
The Titans received a combined 64 points, 21 rebounds and 21 of 27 field-goal shooting from Chamernik, Sexauer, Gant and Sutton. That allowed IWU to win handily despite going 3 of 14 from 3-point range.
“I noticed in earlier games this season we took a lot of outside shots, contested shots,” said Chamernik, who started the day with a 10.3 scoring average. “Lately, we’ve been pounding the ball inside and it’s just been opening everything else up.”
Point guard Ryan Turk scored 16 points to lead Webster (2-3), which hit 7 of 11 from 3-point range in the first half but 2 of 8 in the second half. IWU outrebounded the Gorlocks, 37-28, with Chamernik and Sexauer grabbing five each and Sutton four.
“It was the first time Josh has gotten meaningful minutes and I thought he really gave us a shot in the arm,” Rose said. “Doug did a nice job on the offensive end as well.
“We still have a ways to go on the defensive side. If we’re going to win games in the CCIW, we really have to improve in that area and be more physical on the defensive end. But it’s a game we can build on.”
The Titans were without junior guard Andrew Gilmore because of soreness in his knees. His status for Wednesday’s game at Illinois College is uncertain.
Chamernik will be ready, and Webster coach Chris Bunch is happy someone else will have to face him.
“He looked pretty good on the tapes we had, but he didn’t look that good,” Bunch said. “He played really strong. He posted up hard and got the ball in so deep. He and 23 (Gant) both were just stronger than we were inside.”
Titans edge Dominican
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON — A visible shudder came over Ron Rose minutes after Saturday’s nonconference basketball game. | Photo gallery
The thought of what nearly transpired was haunting the Illinois Wesleyan coach.
Yet the scare Rose had experienced did not include a total disappearance of the Titans’ lead.
“We got a cushion and needed every bit of it with the decision making down the stretch,” said Rose after IWU hung on for a 69-67 victory over Dominican before a Shirk Center crowd of 850.
Dominican scored six points in the final three seconds but could not erase an 11-point deficit in the last two minutes as the Stars dropped to 1-2.
“In spurts, we showed improvement,” Rose said. “But we still have a lot of improvement to do and we still have a long way to go.”
The Titans squared their record at 2-2 on the strength of a second-half burst that turned a 46-46 tie into a 63-53 lead.
“During the period, we defended better and rebounded,” Rose said. “On the offensive end, we got the ball down low where we needed it.”
“They picked it up and we couldn’t make free throws,” said Dominican coach Mark White. “When you miss the front end of a one-and-one, it’s a momentum killer and a confidence killer. Then they scored at the other end and it got away from us.”
IWU led 60-53 after a Jordan Morris bank shot. The Titans got the ball back and with the shot clock nearing zero, freshman Travis Rosenkranz swished a 3-pointer from the key at the 3:15 mark.
“That one was in rhythm,” said Rosenkranz, who left the ground for the jumper 0 for 7 from the field. “Earlier, I was thinking about it too much.”
A Rashim Lettsome 3-pointer and a Matt Stahl layup after a steal brought the Stars within 65-59. IWU’s Brett Chamernik then hit one of two free throws on four straight trips to the line for a nine-point Titan edge.
Jose Garcia’s 3-pointer with three seconds left trimmed the IWU lead to 69-64. After the Titans were called for a five-second violation trying to inbound the ball, Lettsome tossed in another 3-pointer from the corner.
With 1.4 seconds showing, Wesleyan was able to inbound to Matt Schick and time expired.
“We definitely needed that victory. Two and two is a lot better than 1-3,” said IWU forward Darius Gant, who had his second double-double of the season with game highs of 19 points and 10 rebounds. “We moved the ball around a lot more. We got it into the post and kicked it out. We were able to stop them from getting into transition.”
Chamernik contributed 12 points and eight rebounds and also teamed with freshmen Doug Sexauer and Edmond O’Callaghan to limit 6-foot-8 Dominican standout Mike Haiduc to 11 points and seven rebounds.
“I tried to front him and let not him catch the ball,” said the 6-5 Chamernik. “If he catches it deep, he’s going to score or get fouled.”
Sexauer chipped in nine points and nine rebounds as the Titans held a 41-31 rebounding advantage.
Dan Borys matched Haiduc with 11 points, while Garcia, Andre Smith and Lettsome had 10 apiece. The Stars shot 46 percent from the field and managed just 47 percent free throw shooting (8 of 17).
Wesleyan committed a season-low nine turnovers and shot 45 percent from the field.
IWU led by as many as six (25-19) in a tight opening half. Lettsome’s driving shot with four seconds left tied the score at 31-31 entering halftime.
French, NCHS grad Bronke lift Olivet Nazarene over IWU
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON — Illinois Wesleyan encountered a language barrier Tuesday at Shirk Center. No matter how hard the Titans tried, they couldn’t master French. | Photo gallery
Behind preseason NAIA All-American Phil French and Normal Community High School graduate Josh Bronke, Olivet Nazarene spoke an offensive tongue IWU could not decipher as the Tigers ran away with a 97-79 nonconference basketball victory before a crowd of 1,550.
“We executed better. We’ve been struggling with our offense,” said Bronke, who paced Olivet with 23 points and 10 assists. “It’s a sweet victory since this is the hometown. I had a lot of family here. It was nice to play well.”
Wesleyan, which had won 11 of the previous 12 games against Olivet, dropped to 1-2. The Tigers moved to 2-4.
“We’re not going to win many games giving up 97,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “But a big part of the 97 was our offense. Poor shot selection and turnovers resulted in really fueling their fast break.”
French added 21 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for Olivet, which committed just eight turnovers and shot 57.6 percent from the field.
“More than anything, and there were a lot of good things, we didn’t have as many turnovers. The last two games we’ve had 34 and 32 turnovers,” Tigers’ coach Ralph Hodge said. “We have not been getting easy points. But with our transition, we got some of what would be categorized as easy points.”
The Titans’ lone lead of the game came at 20-19 on a Matt Schick 3-pointer. Olivet scored the next nine points before IWU drew back within 30-28.
With Bronke scoring 10 of the points, the Tigers reeled off 21 of the half’s final 28 points to take a 51-35 lead into halftime.
“If we get into situations like that, we’ve got to run more offense and really slow it down,” said Wesleyan junior Brett Chamernik. “We’re a young team. We’ve got to learn what’s a good shot and what’s not a good shot. There were a lot of long rebounds and they ran on us.”
Chamernik and freshman guard Travis Rosenkranz helped bring IWU within 60-49 early in the second half.
“It is so taunting,” said Rosenkranz, who scored 13 points off the bench. “We see these good stretches where we come back and then we have a big letdown. We have to play that way the whole time.”
A Jordan Morris 3-pointer, a Doug Sexauer reverse layup and a Darius Gant free throw trimmed the Olivet lead to 70-60 with 8:15 remaining, but the Titans would get no closer.
“I thought we really fought back and did some better things early in the second half,” Rose said. “We seemed to figure a few things out at that point, but we had dug ourselves too big a hole. We’ll get better, but we certainly have to be better defensively and rebounding to win games.”
Chamernik scored a career-high 16 points to top the Titans. Gant added 14 and Sean Johnson 10 and seven assists. Gant and Edmond O’Callaghan led IWU with six rebounds each.
Tyler Wallenfang chipped in 16 points and Ryan Paxson, the son of Chicago Bulls general manager John Paxson, had 14 for Olivet.
Wesleyan shot 51.8 percent from the field and was outrebounded, 36-32.
Albion handles IWU in championship of tourney
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
ALBION, Mich. -- Midway through the first half Saturday at Kresge Gymnasium, the Michigan-Ohio State football game in nearby Ann Arbor was removed from the video screens.
In the second half, Albion displayed an offensive prowess the Wolverines could have used.
The Britons took control with a dominating second-half surge en route to a 75-55 victory over Illinois Wesleyan in the championship game of the College Basketball Classic.
“They had 29 at the half and they scored 75. Forty-six points is way too many,” Wesleyan guard Jordan Morris said. “They got on a roll, and with our young team, we didn’t know how to get out of it, me included. Somebody needed to step up and get the job done, and nobody did that.”
The Titans dropped to 1-1 ahead of Tuesday’s 7:30 p.m. home opener against Olivet Nazarene.
“We’ve got to elevate our play and we know that,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “Our offense really sputtered. We didn’t work as a group like we needed to. They got the momentum, and we were never able to shift it back to our favor.”
Albion (2-0) reeled off a 30-8 run that transformed a 29-28 edge into a 59-36 bulge. After a Morris 3-pointer at the 16:38 mark, the Titans managed just five points over the next 8:19.
“We’ve been having lapses in practice where for a half hour we don’t get anything done,” Morris said. “We had one of those.”
“We flowed a lot better offensively the second half,” said Britons’ coach Mike Turner. “They are a good offensive team. For us to hold them to 55 is a major accomplishment. I’m pleased how our guys competed.”
Jim Cash paced Albion with 13 points, with nine of those coming in the decisive run. Drew Yancey added 11 and Andy Reule 10.
“Albion stayed the course. They were physical and played with a lot of confidence,” Rose said. “They played awfully good defense. We need to learn how to respond when it gets hard.”
IWU, which led most of the first half, grabbed a 24-15 margin on two straight baskets from freshman Duncan Lawson.
The Britons closed the half on a 14-2 spurt and seized a 29-26 lead on an Andre Bridges 3-pointer with 1:05 remaining.
“We’re all going to take something from this individually,” said Titan freshman guard Sean Johnson. “But there are no excuses. We have to play a lot better defense. They were unselfish. They had good ball movement and got a lot of open shots.”
Morris was the lone Titan scoring in double figures with 13. Darius Gant added nine and matched Johnson with a team-high five rebounds.
Wesleyan shot just 31 percent from the field in the second half and 36.5 percent overall.
“They didn’t shoot very well,” Turner said. “They will certainly be good with all the young guys and depth they have.”
IWU struggled at the free-throw line for the second straight game. After a 16 of 30 effort in a Friday win over Tri-State, the Titans converted only 11 of 28 free throws against Albion.
Cash was named the tournament Most Valuable Player and was joined on the all-tournament team by fellow Britons Bill Leising and Dean Raven. Rounding out the squad were Gant, Odai Baylor of Rochester College and Wes Weir of Tri-State.
In the consolation game, Rochester rallied to defeat Tri-State, 58-55.
Freshmen pull through for Titans in OT win
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
ALBION, Mich. — With a talented freshman class faring well during significant playing time in Friday’s season opener, the Illinois Wesleyan basketball team’s future appears to be bright.
And the present might not be so bad, either.
With six freshmen among 11 Titans to see action, senior Darius Gant and junior Jordan Morris proved older does not mean colder as the veterans scored 19 points each in IWU’s 89-82 overtime victory over Tri-State in the College Basketball Classic at Kresge Gymnasium.
“It was a real nice win for this young team. It will help us grow faster,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “Tri-State came right at us. I like the way our kids responded.”
Wesleyan meets host Albion at 3 p.m. today for the tournament championship. Albion handled Rochester College, 85-40, in Friday’s second game.
“Even as freshmen, they showed they were mature and composed. And they fed off the maturity of the older guys. It speaks volumes for what our future looks like,” said Gant, who also hauled down 13 rebounds. “It got scary there for a minute, but we stayed in it.”
Wesleyan did not trail until a Tony Benford basket to begin overtime. The Titans countered with a rebound basket from freshman Matt Schick, a Morris layup, a Doug Sexauer basket on a sparkling assist from Schick and a Gant driving shot for an 86-80 edge with 1:33 remaining.
“We played really well together,” Morris said. “There are a bunch of unselfish guys on this team. It was fun. I had a ball.”
Grabbing 17 of the game’s first 19 rebounds, Wesleyan led 24-11 after a Schick 3-pointer. Tri-State, which was picked third in the Michigan Collegiate Athletic Association preseason poll, closed to within 32-27.
The Titans then reeled off a 17-3 streak to stretch their lead to 49-30 and settled for a 51-38 margin at the break.
“We lost the game the first 15 minutes. It took too much energy to come back,” said Thunder coach Rob Harmon. “Wesleyan was a lot more aggressive. We got physically beat up. We had no answer for Gant and Morris. They are two nice players.”
IWU enjoyed a 55-41 edge early in the second half on a Morris 3-pointer. But Tri-State proved to know a bit about shooting from behind the arc as well.
Benford and Wes Weir combined for 13 of the Thunder’s 16 3-pointers on 34 attempts, and Tri-State rallied within 61-59 at the 10:38 mark but did not pull into a tie until a Benford shot in the lane with 27 seconds left.
“There was a stretch in the second half that Tri-State was the more aggressive and confident team,” said Rose. “But when they made the run, we pulled together and competed at a higher level as a team.”
Wesleyan held for the final shot of regulation, and Tri-State poked the ball out of bounds with 2.4 seconds showing. The Titans inbounded to Sexauer, who could not get off a shot in heavy traffic as the buzzer sounded.
Sexauer finished with 15 points in his college debut. Fellow freshman Sean Johnson added 10 as did junior Brett Chamernik. Schick contributed six points, a team-high six assists and eight rebounds as IWU dominated the boards, 50-33.
Benford paced all scorers with 29 points, Weir chipped in 18 and Andre Patrick 14.
“He lit me up bad,” Morris said of Benford. “But we held them off. We knew we could score, but we have to work on our defense.”
IWU freshman guard Travis Rosenkranz was not expected to play this weekend because of a back injury, but was medically cleared to play one hour before tipoff, according to Rose. Rosenkranz scored six points in 16 minutes.
“We tried to limit him to three-minute stretches,” said Rose. “He was really valuable for us.”
The game was delayed about 30 minutes in the first half as Tri-State reserve guard Ivan Danzy went down hard after running into a Gant screen in the backcourt. Danzy was taken from the court on a stretcher.
“He had neck pain shooting down his back, so they didn’t want to move him,” Harmon said. “It was more precautionary. He was moving and more coherent (at the hospital).”