2008-09 Pantagraph Articles
Randy Reinhardt stories courtesy of the Bloomington Pantagraph
Titan men fall to Wheaton
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- Illinois Wesleyan’s tale of woe that began unfolding late in the first half transformed into a complete unravel Saturday at Shirk Center.
After watching Wheaton step out to an eight-point lead with a strong first-half finish, IWU was unceremoniously shoved into utter dysfunction immediately after the break as the Thunder clapped off an 86-60 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory before a crowd of 1,500.
No. 10-ranked Wheaton moved to 20-3 overall and maintained first place in the CCIW at 9-3.
“Right now I’m just numb,” Wesleyan coach Ron Rose said. “We haven’t been beaten like that in a long time, especially at the Shirk Center. I’m disappointed we let the game get away from us that much.”
IWU (13-10, 5-7) was eliminated from contention for the four-team CCIW Tournament and can derive only limited comfort from the fact Wheaton All-American guard Kent Raymond has singed the Shirk Center nets for the final time.
Raymond, the 6-foot-3 sharpshooter who set a Shirk record with 44 points in 2007, finished with 28 points.
“One, we’re veteran. And it doesn’t hurt to have Kent Raymond and Andy Wiele on the floor healthy,” said Wheaton coach Bill Harris, who did not have Wiele available for the Thunder’s 74-70 win over IWU in early January. “We were efficient offensively. But the whole key was our defense. To hold them to 60 points, I thought our kids did a great job on defense.”
The Thunder rattled off the first 11 points of the second half as two Wesleyan timeouts did nothing to stop the bleeding.
After John Koschnitzky got IWU on the board with a 3-pointer, Raymond tossed in two straight 3-pointers and Phil Carr tacked on a basket for a bloated 56-32 advantage at the 14:03 mark.
“It comes down to taking care of the ball and being tough with it,” said Titan senior forward Brett Chamernik. “They were really denying the wings. We threw the ball away and couldn’t get a shot off.”
The Thunder, who shot 70 percent in the second half and 65 percent overall, led by as many as 30 in the second half.
“I thought they made some really tough shots, and we missed shots we needed to make,” Rose said. “Wheaton was playing at a very high level, and we allowed that to frustrate us. Once we got frustrated, we quit playing with any purpose. We were just out there on the floor.”
Wheaton closed the opening half with a 15-7 spurt to take a 37-29 lead. Wiele, who finished with 17 points, drained a 3-pointer with eight seconds left and at the shot clock buzzer for the final points.
The Titans outrebounded Wheaton, 18-7, over the initial 20 minutes but gave much of that back with 10 turnovers, six more than the Thunder.
Doug Sexauer topped IWU with 12 points. Chamernik and Sean Johnson chipped in 10 each, while Chamernik led all rebounders with seven.
Wesleyan wraps up its season with games Wednesday at Millikin and next Saturday at home against Augustana.
Koschnitzky's free throws secure IWU men's win over North Park
By Pantagraph staff
CHICAGO -- After teammates had missed five of six previous attempts from the line to put Illinois Wesleyan in a precarious position, freshman John Koschnitzky connected on two clutch free throws with 10 seconds remaining to help the Titans hang on for a 67-64 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory over North Park on Wednesday.
“I wanted to get fouled,” Koschnitzky said. “I wanted a shot at those free throws, and it ended up working out for me.”
IWU (13-9 overall) kept its hopes for a berth in the four-team CCIW Tournament alive by moving to 5-6 in league action with three games to play. Elmhurst and North Central are tied for third at 7-4, while Carthage is fifth at 6-5.
Two DJ Cooper free throws at the 14-second mark brought North Park (8-15, 0-12) within 65-64. Koschnitzky hit the first free throw, and after a Vikings’ timeout, added the second. Nick Williams’ 3-point shot at the buzzer was short.
“John stepped up even after North Park tried to ice him with a timeout. He hit two really critical free throws,” said Wesleyan coach Ron Rose. “I had a lot of confidence John was going to do that. He’s a tough kid.”
IWU led 64-52 but the Vikings rallied behind six late points from Phil Schniedermeier.
“It’s a real big win,” said Koschnitzky, who paced the Titans with 14 points. “They made a run at us, and we stayed positive. We had to execute on offense and we got stops when we needed to.”
Wesleyan has won two games in a row for the first time since Dec. 30 and Jan. 3 and clinched its 18th winning season in the past 20 years.
IWU rolled out to a 37-16 first-half lead as Jordan Zimmer nailed a 3-pointer. But North Park stormed back with the final 11 points of the opening half to close within 10.
“We really defended well the first 17 minutes and got up 21. But we didn’t finish out the half the way we should have,” said Rose. “North Park gained some confidence and had some momentum going into halftime. They really made us earn the win the second half.”
Doug Sexauer scored 11 points and led Wesleyan with seven rebounds and three blocks. Travis Rosenkranz contributed 11 points and six assists.
Williams topped North Park with 20 points and Schniedermeier added 14.
The Titans meet No. 10-ranked Wheaton in a 7:30 p.m. contest Saturday at Shirk Center.
Titans earn impressive road win at North Central
By Pantagraph staff
NAPERVILLE -- The Illinois Wesleyan men’s basketball team kept its slim hopes of qualifying for the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament alive on Saturday night by staving off North Central, 77-71.
The Titans built their biggest lead of the second half with 6 minutes, 47 seconds left on a basket by Doug Sexauer only to see North Central cut the lead to 67-66 with 3:52 remaining.
But Wesleyan (12-9, 4-6 CCIW) allowed the Cardinals just one more basket the rest of the way and closed on a 10-5 run.
The Titans shot 62.5 percent from the 3-point line and 24 of 44 overall.
“It’s amazing what making shots will do for your team,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “It was more than that, though. I thought we took a different mindset into the game. We were energetic and into it and competed at a high level.”
Travis Rosenkranz led the Titans with 18 points, including 3 of 3 from the 3-point arc. Sean Johnson added 17 points and five assists.
North Central’s Chris Drennan, a Normal Community High School product, had 19 points but on 6 of 16 shooting. Rose credited Sexauer with the defense that hampered Drennan in the final 3 minutes.
IWU needs to win its remaining four games to have a chance at earning a tournament berth.
“It’s pretty overwhelming to think of that,” Rose said. “Our key needs to be preparing for North Park on Wednesday.”
Carthage holds off IWU men 74-67
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- Carthage College’s Adam Tolo and Sean Fendley may have been wondering about their personal hygiene Wednesday at Shirk Center. | Photo gallery
With Illinois Wesleyan monitoring the every move of Carthage super sophomore Steve Djurickovic, the Titans gave the Red Men juniors plenty of space.
Tolo and Fendley took advantage of the elbow room by hoisting 22 3-pointers and converting half as Carthage held off Wesleyan for a 74-67 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory before a crowd of 1,000.
“We just didn’t execute everything we needed to do,” IWU sophomore center Doug Sexauer said. “Their one kid (Tolo) went off for 20 points. That’s just inexcusable on our part. We have to get out to the shooters, and we just didn’t do it.”
Tolo tripled his 6.7 scoring average, Fendley added 21 and Djurickovic led the way with 25 as Carthage moved to 14-6 overall and 6-3 in the CCIW.
“When you have a great player with the ball, good stuff happens way more than not,” said Carthage coach and Steve’s father Bosko Djurickovic. “We’re lucky to have that. Steve is a really good player. He makes plays for other people as well as for himself.”
Wesleyan watched its hopes to qualify for the four-team CCIW Tournament fade considerably while slipping to 3-6 in league play and 11-9 overall.
“Early on, we didn’t have the urgency we need to find shooters. We had more urgency later and did a better job of it,” Titans’ coach Ron Rose said. “The problem is we execute the game plan at times, just not enough of the time.
“When you don’t do it all the time, you have those little breakdowns that cost you in close games.”
IWU’s first and last lead since 14-12 came at the 13:14 mark of the second half as Sean Johnson banked in two straight fast break layups for a 45-43 margin.
Carthage snapped a 52-52 tie with a 3-pointer and two free throws from Fendley. Wesleyan’s Travis Rosenkranz converted a four-point play, but Tolo followed with a four-pointer of his own just 20 seconds later as Titan Brett Chamernik fouled out at the 8:30 mark.
IWU trailed by two to seven points the rest of the way.
“Frustrating is the word for it,” said Rose. “Not only were we within striking distance, but the reason we weren’t in the lead is frustrating. Offensive rebounds (given up), defensive breakdowns, turnovers, uncertainty on the offensive end in decision making made it really frustrating.”
Sexauer paced the Titans with 21 points and eight rebounds. Rosenkranz chipped in 13, Johnson 12 and John Koschnitzky 11. Johnson connected on his first two 3-point tries for the game’s initial six points but misfired on all six from beyond the arc after that.
Djurickovic handed out eight assists and Carthage grabbed 15 offensive rebounds for a 35-34 edge on the boards.
The nation’s leader in fewest turnovers at 9.1 per game, the Red Men committed just seven.
Titan men fall short against Elmhurst
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
ELMHURST -- Ruch rhymes with truck. And the Illinois Wesleyan basketball team simply couldn’t pull the ignition from the diesel-like performance of Elmhurst senior Brent Ruch on Saturday at Faganel Hall.
The Blue Ridge High School graduate scored a season-high 31 points and snared 13 rebounds to complement Elmhurst’s near automatic free throw shooting as the Bluejays outlasted Wesleyan, 98-92, in a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin thriller before a crowd of 1,542.
Ruch connected on 10 of 13 from the field, 11 of 13 at the line and had a key steal in the final minute as No. 17 Elmhurst moved to 15-4 and 6-2 in the CCIW.
“We have good guards,” Ruch said. “When we get post entries, it opens up the whole court for us.”
Ruch scored six points in a 10-4 Elmhurst spurt to start the second half, and the Bluejays never let the resulting 59-54 lead get away.
“He’s awfully good,” IWU coach Ron Rose said of Ruch. “And when their guys are shooting it in (from outside) like they did, it’s pick your poison. They have a great inside-out attack. They are a well-drilled team.”
The Titans (11-8, 3-5) trailed by as many as nine but battled within three on several occasions in the final four minutes.
Travis Rosenkranz drew a charge to give Wesleyan back the ball with a 91-88 deficit. Sean Johnson wriggled free for an open 3-pointer on the ensuing inbound pass, but was long off the back rim on the potential game-tying shot.
“We came out with a sense of urgency. That’s a nice change over how we’ve been starting games,” said Johnson, who scored a season-high 23 points. “But to beat a team like Elmhurst, you have to play 40 minutes to win. We had a couple lapses and it turned into a six-point loss.”
Elmhurst nailed 7 of 8 free throws over the final 40 seconds to cap a 29 of 32 (90.6 percent) night at the foul line.
“I thought we gave great effort,” Rose said. “On the offensive end, we made plays. But on the defensive end, we just couldn’t stop them. We closed the gap a number of times the second half, but we had undisciplined possessions offensively and defensively that really hurt us.”
Ruch got plenty of help as the Bluejays shot 54 percent overall (31 of 57) and 58 percent (7 of 12) from 3-point range. Robert Strzemp added 15 points, Ryan Burks 13, Chris Childs 12 and Matt Bernier 10 for Elmhurst.
“There’s no question he (Ruch) is an all-conference center,” said Johnson. “When their guards got hot, it caused a lot of matchup problems. When the guards got going, Ruch got going.”
The Titans shot 62 percent (36 of 58) in defeat. Doug Sexauer chipped in 15, Rosenkranz 14 and Brett Chamernik and John Koschnitzky 11 each.
Wesleyan held a 49-48 lead after a frenetic first-half shootout. The Titans, who fell behind 16-4 to Elmhurst at Shirk Center, stormed out to a 22-8 lead while nailing 10 of their first 11 shots.
“Wesleyan came up here with blood in their eyes,” Elmhurst coach Mark Scherer. “They played so well the first 10 minutes they almost blew us out of the game. We’ve only won the CCIW once in 80 years. This group is really hungry. I’m proud how they responded.”
Elmhurst clawed back with deadly 3-point shooting and the considerable inside presence of Ruch. The Bluejays pulled even at 26-26 and assumed their first lead at 40-38.
The Titans shot 67 percent in the opening half. Elmhurst countered with 57 percent marksmanship (6 of 9 from beyond the arc) and an 11-of-13 effort at the free throw line.
Titan men handle Millikin
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- Yet another listless start tagged the Illinois Wesleyan basketball team with an early 10-point deficit Wednesday at Shirk Center. | Photo gallery
This game would not, however, join the list of IWU’s College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin disappointments.
Ignited by the soft inside bank shots of Doug Sexauer and the picturesque long-range jumpers of Jordan Zimmer, the Titans regrouped for a strong first-half finish and dominated the second in an 81-64 victory over Millikin before a crowd of 700.
“We realized we have to come to play,” said Zimmer, who was 4 of 5 from 3-point range while scoring 16 points. “After the first couple minutes of settling in, we got it going. Then the second half we really took it to them.”
Casting aside a 14-4 deficit, Wesleyan finished the first half of the CCIW schedule at 3-4 and stands at 11-7 overall. Millikin slipped to 12-6 and 2-5 in league play.
“Early on, we weren’t finishing our shots. Defensively, we had some good possessions but we weren’t securing the ball on the boards,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “When we starting doing those two things, the game came a lot easier for us.”
The Titans pulled even at 17-all on a driving dunk and three-point play from John Koschnitzky. IWU took the lead for good at 26-25 and carried a 35-29 edge into halftime as Sexauer scored 14 of his game-high 20 points.
“The first half I don’t think they played their 6-7 kid (Joscar Demby) on me,” said Sexauer, who connected on 10 of 12 shots. “It seemed like a good matchup down there for me. Either I could shoot it or kick it out.”
Zimmer drilled two 3-pointers and added two free throws in a 10-2 spurt that pushed the IWU margin to 45-34 a mere 3:27 into the second half.
“We came out strong. For some reason, we hit a brick wall,” Millikin coach Marc Smith said. “We have to figure out as coaches how we can continue to score points. We have to pick it up at the offensive end.”
The Titans shot 65 percent (15 of 23) in the first half and 58 percent (28 of 48) overall.
“We can score more points by making more passes,” said Rose. “I thought our ball movement at times was much better. We were getting high percentage shots. It’s good to see some of the things we’ve been working on were executed tonight.”
Koschnitzky contributed 12 points and Travis Rosenkranz and Sean Dwyer 10 each. Edmond O’Callaghan topped Titan rebounders with six.
Robert Burton led the Big Blue with 16 points and Demby added 14.
Wesleyan plays at No. 17 Elmhurst in a 7:30 p.m. conference game on Saturday.
Augustana handles Titans at Carver
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
ROCK ISLAND -- Forty seconds into Saturday’s College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin basketball game, Illinois Wesleyan had a four-point deficit and a bloody nose.
And then it got messy for the Titans.
While a quick and ego-bruising 13-point shortfall prompted Wesleyan to extend its concerns beyond when the gauze in Doug Sexauer’s left nostril would be changed, Augustana muscled up again for 14 consecutive second-half points that hastened an 82-66 victory before a Carver Center crowd of 1,479.
“We withstood their initial rush,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “We gave some great effort at times and at times we had some letdowns. To beat a veteran team like Augustana, you can’t have letdowns at either end of the floor.”
No. 15-ranked Augustana (14-4, 5-2 in the CCIW) claimed its sixth straight win over Wesleyan and its ninth in 10 games. The Vikings are 27-1 in their last 28 conference home games.
“We came out great and put them on their heels,” said Augustana coach Grey Giovanine. “But they are so skilled offensively, they are going to make runs and they did. The last 15 minutes or so we were solid defensively and got some separation.”
The Titans (10-7, 2-4) about-faced a six-point deficit early in the second half with a 15-4 spurt that included seven points from freshman John Koschnitzky and five from Sexauer.
“They came out and got us but we came back,” Koschnitzky said. “We got up five (48-43) then we went dry a little bit offensively. They ran things through, got some buckets and went from there. It’s a very frustrating loss.”
Junior point guard Matt Pelton’s 3-pointer ignited a 14-0 Augustana run that saw Kyle Nelson score eight of his 13 points.
“They got back into the game,” said Pelton, a Central Catholic High School graduate who finished with 13 points, four steals and three assists. “But our main objective is to grind out a win. We kept playing defense, and eventually that led to scoring at the other end and victory.”
IWU got as close as 62-55 on a Brett Chamernik basket at the 5:58 mark. That shot, however, was part of a scant 10 points over a telling span of 13:43.
“We had three or four times down the floor when we didn’t execute at either end, and they got a little cushion,” Rose said.
Koschnitzky paced Wesleyan with 18 points. Fellow freshman Jordan Zimmer chipped in 12, Sean Johnson 11 and Sexauer nine.
Senior Brett Wessels topped the Vikings, who shot 57 percent in the second half, with 23 points. IWU shot 39 percent in the second half and 41 percent overall.
The Titans had eight turnovers and only five points just over eight minutes into the first half as Augustana led 18-5.
Slowly regaining its composure, Wesleyan crept within 22-17 on a Sexauer basket and 29-27 at the 2:31 mark when Zimmer completed a rare four-point play after draining a three from the left wing.
The Titans pulled into a 33-33 tie before Bryant Voiles’ 3-pointer with one second left sent the Vikings into halftime with a three-point lead.
Zimmer zeroes in for IWU men in win over North Park
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- Jordan Zimmer is branching out by moving in. Already an accomplished 3-point shooter, the Illinois Wesleyan freshman displayed a more wide-ranging arsenal Wednesday at Shirk Center.
Hitting four shots from 3-point territory and five from inside the arc, Zimmer scored a career-high 22 points as Wesleyan started fast in a 102-82 drilling of North Park before a crowd of 850.
“I know the scouting report says he likes to shoot,” Zimmer said. “If I can expand it a little bit, that will help. I’m taking what the defense gives me. If that’s what’s open, that’s what I’ll take.”
IWU moved to 10-6 overall and 2-3 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin while shooting a season-best 62.7 percent from the field and reaching the century mark for the first time since March 11, 2006.
“What a great effort Jordan gave on both ends of the floor. I thought he made some great defensive plays,” said Titans’ coach Ron Rose. “Through this early test in the CCIW, he’s finding out he needs to do more than just shoot and he’s finding ways to do that.”
Zimmer had scored 28 of his 41 field goals from 3-point range entering the game. He kept his 3-point percentage at 50 by nailing 4 of 8 and was 5 of 5 closer to the hoop.
“This is a game we had to win. We knew that going in,” said Zimmer, who also had four rebounds and three steals. “We knew we had to play hard and focus. I think we took care of business.”
Wesleyan scored 11 straight points for an 11-2 lead as freshmen Zimmer and John Koschnitzky combined for eight.
Sean Dwyer contributed a basket, two free throws and an assist in short order off the bench and Zimmer’s 3-pointer extended the Titans’ bulge to 26-6.
“We came out strong. That started our intensity and we carried that over into the second half,” said Dwyer, who scored a career-high 12 points. “We have to run on teams. We’ve got to get stops, get rebounds and go and run.”
Two straight Travis Rosenkranz fast-break buckets helped the Titans assume a 41-17 lead that stood at 53-32 entering halftime.
“We’re struggling in transition defensively,” said North Park coach Paul Brenegan said. “They beat us up and down the floor and made shots. (Doug) Sexauer was good inside, and Zimmer was making a bunch of shots from the outside. They’re tough to guard that way.”
The Vikings (8-9, 0-6) got as close as 16 points midway through the second half.
“I thought it was evident our kids were really playing to win and digging in a little bit more defensively, especially,” Rose said. “We had a lot of energy and got the fast break going a little bit.”
Sexauer chipped in 17 points, Koschnitzky 12 and Jordan Morris 11. Rosenkranz handed out a career-high 10 assists.
Freshman guard Roshawn Russell, North Park’s leading scorer at 15.2 points per game, did not enter the game until the 15:06 mark of the second half but still topped the Vikings with 19 points.
Brenegan gave a “no comment” when asked why Russell did not see action sooner.
Nick Williams added 18 points and Sean McNamee 12 for North Park.
Elmhurst handles IWU men
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- With Elmhurst senior center Brent Ruch scoring five quick points, it became apparent early Illinois Wesleyan had a matchup problem on its hands.
Soon, the Titans would be presented with a problem even bigger than the 6-foot-9, 260-pound Ruch.
Elmhurst refused to miss from 3-point range.
Flipping in their first six shots from beyond the arc as if they were layups, the 20th-ranked Bluejays compiled a bloated first-half lead and would not be caught in a 90-72 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory before a Shirk Center crowd of 2,050.
“When you come here to Shirk, you’ve got to make shots,” said Ruch, a Farmer City native who led all scorers with 25 points. “We played well, we played hard and we made shots. You’ve got to do that to beat Wesleyan.”
Elmhurst (11-4, 2-2 in the CCIW) led 13-2 just 3:02 into the proceedings and 22-7 after a Mike McCurdy three-point play. Two 3-pointers from Chris Childs, who surpassed his 6.1 average with 11 first-half points, landed the Bluejays on a 32-11 cushion.
“The game was decided the first three minutes,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “They played with more energy and effort, and we did not execute our game plan. We didn’t dig on Ruch like we needed to, we didn’t defend the ball screen like we planned and we did not get to shooters.”
Wesleyan (9-6, 1-3) opened 5 of 15 from the field and missed its first seven 3-point attempts.
“I thought we had some momentum coming in, but they really put it to us,” said Titan sophomore guard Travis Rosenkranz. “They knocked down shots, and it didn’t help we played no defense. That compounded it into an over 20-point lead.”
The Bluejays led by as many as 22 points and tailed off late in the first half to settle at 57 percent shooting and a 48-33 advantage.
“Both teams had their backs to the wall (in the CCIW) and knew it. We had not been playing well,” Elmhurst coach Mark Scherer said. “I’m proud how we stayed steady. We didn’t celebrate when we shot the ball well the first half. And Brent Ruch played an outstanding game.”
The first half saw the unexpected return of IWU senior Brett Chamernik, who has been out with an ankle injury. Clearly favoring the sore ankle, Chamernik scored seven points in 14 minutes.
“Thank goodness Brett was able to play or it would have been worse,” Rose said. “The team fed off his energy and toughness. It’s too bad he had to play on a bum ankle.”
Wesleyan fought back as close as 11 on two Edmond O’Callaghan free throws at the 11:53 mark of the second half. Elmhurst dashed any hopes for a miraculous comeback by reeling off the next nine points.
IWU trailed 81-69 after a Rosenkranz 3-pointer that was part of his team-high 19 points. Doug Sexauer added 15 points, while Sean Johnson and Jordan Zimmer had 10 each. Johnson was held without a 3-pointer for the first time this season.
Childs finished with a career-high 22 and connected on 4 of 5 from outside the arc as part of Elmhurst’s 8 of 15 3-point accuracy.
The Titans shot 54 percent in the second half while being outrebounded, 19-7, over the same span. Ruch and Robert Strzemp grabbed nine boards each. No Wesleyan player had more than four.
Sexauer lifts IWU men over Carthage
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
KENOSHA, Wis. -- The Carthage student standing at midcourt belted out “what so proudly we hailed” only to suddenly fall silent during the singing of the national anthem Thursday.
As the young lady frantically scanned her memory, someone from the crowd shouted out the next line and the anthem was completed without further interruption.
No such valuable assistance was needed for Illinois Wesleyan sophomore Doug Sexauer before a Tarble Arena crowd of 1,080.
Sexauer was a huge inside presence in the second half and blocked a potential game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds as the Titans claimed a 73-70 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory.
“We cannot let them win that game. I didn’t want them to tie it. We had to win it right there,” Sexauer said of his block of a Cody Hilton shot from beyond the arc. “At the end of the game, you’ve got to do something. We’re on a winning streak now. We’ll take it.”
Wesleyan (9-5, 1-2) avoided an 0-3 CCIW start as Sexauer scored 10 of his 16 points in the second half.
“That’s the heart we were looking for,” said IWU coach Ron Rose. “There were scramble plays, and I saw great desire and hustle to make those plays.”
Two clutch Sean Dwyer free throws at the 14-second mark pushed a tenuous IWU lead to 73-70. With the Titans blanketing Carthage superstar Steve Djurickovic, Hilton launched a shot from the left wing that Sexauer swatted away.
The rebound went to Wesleyan’s Travis Rosenkranz, who sprinted downcourt as time expired.
“We needed a win like that,” Rose said. “It was a tough win. I love that we made plays at the end.”
Sexauer added 10 rebounds and matched Sean Johnson for team scoring honors with 16. Rosenkranz added 10, Jordan Zimmer nine and Dwyer eight.
“I was frustrated the first half. They kept called traveling on me,” said Sexauer. “They (teammates) were looking for me the second half, and it started to come together.”
Djurickovic topped his 30.2-point average with 34, but the 86 percent free throw shooter missed 4 of 11 free throws. The most critical miss came on the front end of a one-and-one with 1:53 showing.
Wesleyan’s John Koschnitzky nailed one of two free throws at the 26-second mark for a 71-68 lead before Djurickovic hit a driving shot to bring Carthage (10-4, 2-1) within a point.
The Titans faced a 43-35 deficit early in the second half and did not assume their first lead until two Johnson free throws with 12:55 remaining.
Wesleyan shot 56 percent from the field in the second half and 52 percent overall. Carthage finished at 41.5 percent.
IWU trailed by eight in the first half at 24-16 before rallying within 30-29 on a Koschnitzky layup at the 4:46 mark.
Carthage took a 36-32 edge into halftime as Djurickovic scored 18 and Johnson 12.
Titan men open CCIW play with second-straight loss
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- A 74 percent free throw shooting team entering Saturday, North Central’s horrendous early work at the line could be considered puzzling. | Photo gallery
Also puzzling -- and far more costly -- was Illinois Wesleyan’s uninspired second-half play before a season-best crowd of 1,900 at Shirk Center.
As the Titans offered scant second-half resistance until the too little, too late final three minutes, North Central cashed in with a cool efficiency that produced a 77-70 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory.
“The frustrating part is we can’t figure out what went wrong,” IWU sophomore guard Sean Johnson said. “They had their run and we didn’t have a counter punch. We didn’t get the stops we needed.”
The 19th-ranked Titans (8-5) will be headed out of the national poll after its second straight loss to open the CCIW season.
“North Central outplayed us,” said Wesleyan coach Ron Rose. “The second half we had some major defensive breakdowns, and they were making jump shots. Offensively, we made it really difficult on ourselves. We did a lot of things I hadn’t seen us do all year.”
The Cardinals (10-3, 2-0) opened the second half with an 18-4 spurt to quickly erase a five-point halftime deficit.
“We weren’t matching their energy the first half. That flip flopped the second half,” said North Central senior and Normal Community High School graduate Chris Drennan. “We wanted it. We were looking forward to the game. We know a lot of their guys personally.”
Drennan, who paced his team with 17 points, and Cardinals’ coach Todd Raridon credited stickier perimeter defense. The Titans were 6 of 12 from 3-point range in the first half and 2 of 8 in the second.
“We played much better on the perimeter,” said Raridon. “We got some easy baskets off turnovers, and did a nice job executing our offense. I thought Wesleyan was two steps faster in the first half. The second half it felt like we were.”
The Cardinals led by as many as 11 at the 4:56 mark at 60-49. Wesleyan got as close as 75-70 at the 37-second mark.
“Frustration set in and we became a different team,” Rose said. “North Central played an inspired game, and we were frustrated it was as hard as it was. We needed to grind it out and find a way to win, but we didn’t.”
The Cardinals coaxed in just 4 of their first 12 free throws, but were 18 of 24 after that.
Wesleyan received 19 points (17 in the second half) from Travis Rosenkranz. Johnson scored 14 of his 16 in the first half. Doug Sexauer added 14 and John Koschnitzky 10 and a team-high six rebounds.
Johnson did not cast blame on a lack of intensity after the Titans shot 38 percent after intermission.
“I didn’t feel that way,” he said. “We fed off the crowd well.”
Matt Rogers chipped in 16 points off the bench for North Central, which finished at 57.8 percent from the field. David Twyman added 12 and keyed the Cardinals’ early second-half surge with eight points.
Raymond, No. 1 Wheaton hold off IWU men
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
WHEATON -- Having the best player on the floor couldn’t save Wheaton College in three tight losses to Illinois Wesleyan last season. Wednesday at King Arena, it made all the difference.
All-America guard Kent Raymond repeatedly delivered key shots and critical plays en route to 38 points as No. 1-ranked Wheaton held off No. 19 IWU, 74-70, in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin opener for both squads before a crowd of 1,652.
“It would be unrealistic to say it didn’t add to the motivation,” Raymond said of three 2007-08 defeats to the Titans by a combined eight points. “But this is a new season for us. It’s going to be an absolute dogfight (in the CCIW), and you’ve got to protect homecourt.”
The two-time defending CCIW Most Outstanding Player, Raymond was 12 of 23 from the field and 12 of 13 at the free throw line as Wheaton moved to 12-0.
“He’s an awfully good player. When they needed buckets, he really came through,” Wesleyan coach Ron Rose said. “It was not easy. He scored inside, outside, on drives. He’s a big-time player, and he made big-time plays.”
Titan guards Sean Dwyer and Travis Rosenkranz chased Raymond all over the floor to little avail.
“A player of his caliber, he carried his team at the end,” said Rosenkranz. “He has a lot of good shot fakes. He’s athletic, and he knows how to use his body.”
Wesleyan (8-4) faced a 41-33 deficit early in the second half but got nine points from Doug Sexauer and five from Sean Johnson in a 19-4 spurt for a 52-45 lead with 9:52 remaining.
An Andrew Jahns 3-pointer ignited a Wheaton response that saw Raymond score five in a 10-4 run.
“There was a critical stretch when we were up,” Rose said. “For a two- to three-minute period, just about everything went their way. We had a lot of almost plays.”
IWU led 62-59 after a Rosenkranz jumper with 4:14 remaining, but Raymond fired in the next seven points on a soft bank, a closely guarded shot from the lane and a key 3-pointer at the 2:30 mark that stretched the Thunder margin to 66-62.
“He was incredible, just unbelievable,” Wheaton coach Bill Harris said. “He put us on his back. He’s so special. He moves so well without the ball.”
IWU fought within two at 67-65 and 72-70. Two Ben Panner free throws with nine seconds showing sealed the Wheaton victory.
“They’re No. 1, and we played them tough the whole game,” said Titans’ forward Edmond O’Callaghan. “He (Raymond) hit some crazy shots, and a couple bad rebounds bounced to them.”
O’Callaghan turned in career highs of 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench as Sexauer battled foul trouble.
“Edmond played a great game,” Rose said. “It was physical inside, and he responded with some toughness. He gave us a lift.”
Sexauer led five Titans in double figures with 15 points and matched O’Callaghan with eight rebounds in 21 minutes. Johnson chipped in 13 points, Rosenkranz 12 and Brett Chamernik 11.
Panner added 13 points for Wheaton, which was outrebounded, 36-24, but committed seven fewer turnovers than IWU (17-10).
Wesleyan broke out to a 22-9 lead while hitting 9 of its first 13 shots. IWU led 28-17 at the 5:12 mark, but managed just one point the rest of the half.
With Titan starters Sexauer and Dwyer removed from the game with two fouls at the 9:35 and 5:30 marks, respectively, Raymond took over.
The senior standout scored 12 of his 16 first-half points after Dwyer sat down as Wheaton rallied to take a 30-29 edge into halftime.
“I was surprised they didn’t double me more than they did,” Raymond said. “I was thankful for that. I got some clean looks at the basket.”
IWU returns home Saturday for a 7:30 p.m. CCIW contest against North Central at Shirk Center.
Zimmer, Koschnitzky drain Illinois College
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- Concerned with Illinois Wesleyan’s strong inside play and quick guards, Illinois College opened in a zone defense Saturday at Shirk Center.
And with IWU’S top 3-point shooter Sean Johnson sidelined with a sore ankle, Blueboy coach Mike Worrell’s strategy appeared to hold some merit.
That merit disappeared like water down a drain as soon as IWU freshmen Jordan Zimmer and John Koschnitzky began draining shots from the perimeter.
IWU’s precocious pair bombed in 10 of 12 from 3-point range and both established career scoring highs in the Titans’ 82-59 victory over Illinois College before a crowd of 864.
“Their game plan was to make us make some outside shots. John and Jordan got in a good shooting rhythm and knocked some of them down,” Titans’ coach Ron Rose said. “Coach Stein (David Steinbrueck) mentioned on the bench ‘they’re CCIW ready now.’ You can tell the difference in the confidence they play with as opposed to game one.”
Zimmer was 7 of 9 from beyond the arc and scored 21 points in 20 minutes, and Koschnitzky was 3 of 3 from long range on his way to 18 points.
“That’s stuff you dream about, playing against a zone, camping on the arc and firing away,” Zimmer said. “John got us started. After that, we got the ball rolling and everybody was hitting shots. It was a blast.”
The 16th-ranked Titans closed their nonconference schedule at 8-3. Illinois College dropped to 3-6.
IWU missed its first seven shots before Koschnitzky connected on a 3-pointer from the right wing. Koschnitzky’s third 3-pointer put the Titans ahead 14-8 before Zimmer took the shooting baton.
A Zimmer 3-pointer from the corner (his fourth) at the 9:46 mark stretched the Wesleyan lead to 30-11.
“Jordan had a heckuva game,” Koschnitzky said. “We know we can play like that every night. We have to keep bringing it. It’s a lot of fun when we can play like that. We see what happens when we play together.”
The Titans finished 11 of 19 (58 percent) on 3-point attempts and 52.5 percent (32 of 61) overall.
“We were going to play zone regardless (of Johnson). They get it inside so well,” said Worrell. “We didn’t get out to a couple of their guys, and they got some easy ones.”
Illinois College closed to within 42-32 entering halftime and the Titans held a 46-36 lead before embarking on a 21-4 spurt that featured two more Zimmer 3-pointers and a Koschnitzky dunk off the fast break.
“We’re still not running as much as we would like,” Rose said. “But you saw our ability at times to get out in transition.”
Starting in place of Johnson, junior guard Sean Dwyer matched a career high with nine assists and chipped in eight points, five rebounds and two steals.
“That game epitomized Sean Dwyer with his heady, hard-nosed floor game,” said Rose. “And he set the tempo defensively.”
Senior Brett Chamernik equaled a career high with 10 rebounds and added 11 points. The Titans held a 40-35 rebounding margin.
David Stewart scored 12 points, Mitchell Neally 11 and Mark Gillingham 10 for the Blueboys, who were limited to 33 percent shooting and committed 20 turnovers.
Wesleyan opens College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play on Wednesday at No. 2-ranked Wheaton in a 7:30 p.m. contest.
Chamernik leads Titans' comeback over Mo. Baptist
By Pantagraph staff
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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Senior Brett Chamernik posted a season-high point total for the second straight night, and Illinois Wesleyan wiped out an early 14-point deficit to claim an 82-73 victory over Missouri Baptist on Tuesday in the third-place game of the Northwood Comfort Inn Christmas Tournament.
“We fell behind double digits early (22-8). We had to either dig in and play hard or get embarrassed,” Wesleyan coach Ron Rose said. “Our goal in this tournament was to find a new level of play with our intensity. We saw that the last 30 minutes.”
The Titans (7-3) trailed just 39-38 at the half and took the lead for good on a Sean Johnson 3-pointer with 7:36 remaining. Northwood downed St. Xavier, 90-72, in the tournament title game.
Chamernik topped IWU with 19 points and eight rebounds and was named to the all-tournament team.
“Brett was just a warrior inside playing taller, more athletic kids,” said Rose.
Travis Rosenkranz contributed 15 points and seven assists for the Titans. Doug Sexauer chipped in 12 points and Jordan Zimmer 11. Rosenkranz, Zimmer and Johnson each connected on three 3-pointers.
Missouri Baptist (5-9) was led by the 16 points and eight rebounds of Dane Rawlins.
“They were a really athletic, physical team,” Rose said. “We competed hard on the boards and at the defensive end, and made plays at the offensive end.”
The Titans shot 53 percent both overall (33 of 62) and from 3-point range (9 of 17). Each team grabbed 33 rebounds.
Wesleyan closes its nonconference season Saturday with a 7:30 p.m. contest against Illinois College at Shirk Center.
Buzzer-beater dooms IWU men in Florida tourney
By Pantagraph staff
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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Rob Broughton banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift St. Xavier to a 74-72 victory over Illinois Wesleyan on Monday in the first round of the Northwood Comfort Inn Christmas Tournament.
“If we were up four and the shot goes in, we still win,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “We put ourselves in position that a lucky bounce resulted in a loss.”
The Titans (6-3) led by as many as 11 in the first half. Wesleyan will play Missouri Baptist in today’s 4 p.m. third-place game. Missouri Baptist lost to Northwood University, 71-70.
Doug Sexauer’s layup with seven seconds left gave IWU a 72-71 lead before Broughton’s game-winner.
“We defended the last play well. We had a hand right in his face,” said Rose. “We had some lapses and letdowns, but I loved our savvy late in the game.”
Senior Brett Chamernik scored a season-high 18 points and matched freshman John Koschnitzky with a team-high eight rebounds for the Titans.
Travis Rosenkranz added 15 points and Koschnitzky 13. IWU hit only 5 of 17 from 3-point range but outrebounded St. Xavier, 38-29.
“I’m disappointed. We were in command,” Rose said. “We had points where we played very well. We were doing the things we had worked on. Then we became tentative.”
Broughton paced St. Xavier (10-6) with 24 points. Julian Scott chipped in 10.
Titan men handle Chicago 70-55
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- Little tempo is established while tossing the basketball away. Once Illinois Wesleyan curtailed an unsightly outbreak of turnovers and began pushing the pace of Friday’s nonconference game, the Titans had located a path that led to a 70-55 victory over the University of Chicago before a crowd of 920 at Shirk Center. | Photo gallery
“The first half we were a little out of control in how we were running the offense and some of the shots we were taking,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “The second half we ran the offense well, were more under control and were taking shots that were designed within the offense.”
The 15th-ranked Titans used a 15-0 spurt early in the second half to take control while improving to 6-2. Chicago dropped to 0-10 but lost by more than eight points for only the third time.
“Coach was telling me I need to be the motor,” said point guard Travis Rosenkranz. “I was too complacent the first half, walking the ball up and setting up the offense. Pushing the tempo is the style we need to play. And that obviously worked.”
The Titans stayed close despite 13 first-half turnovers. Sean Dwyer’s 3-pointer from the corner at the horn trimmed the Wesleyan deficit to 30-29.
“I thought our (defensive) rotation was very good,” Chicago coach Mike McGrath said. “They ball screen like 100 times a possession. It’s hard to guard. But I felt like we did a really good job the first half.”
The Maroons led 35-31 before Wesleyan reeled off the next 15 points with sophomore Doug Sexauer contributing five of his game-high 19 points.
“The first half we were all over the place, throwing the ball away,” said Sexauer. “The second half we really focused and pulled it together.”
Chicago moved back within 46-40 before a Rosenkranz steal and layup at the 9:05 mark capped an 11-3 Titans’ run for a 57-43 advantage.
“We came out the second half and really thought about executing,” Rosenkranz said. “We were trying to get to our second or third ball screen, which gets great looks instead of just good looks.”
The Maroons had one more surge left, cutting the IWU lead to 57-50. But the Titans responded with a free throw and a 15-footer from Sexauer and a fast-break basket from Rosenkranz.
“We did a much better job taking what was there,” said Rose. “We were picking our spots and finding lanes instead of forcing things that weren’t there.”
Sean Johnson added 12 points and Brett Chamernik 11 for Wesleyan. Freshman John Koschnitzky grabbed a career-high eight rebounds, while Rosenkranz handed out a season-high seven assists.
“Chamernik by far had his best game of the season,” Rose said. “He had a tough matchup in (Matt) Corning. Brett made him work for everything.”
Jake Pancratz topped the Maroons with 17 points. Corning was limited to 11, eight below his average.
IWU shot 58.6 percent from the field in the second half and 54.2 percent overall while finishing with 19 turnovers.
Freshman's 3-pointer lifts IWU men over Hanover
By Pantagraph staff
HANOVER, Ind. -- Scoreless until late in regulation, freshman John Koschnitzky nailed a 3-pointer from the corner with 3.3 seconds left in overtime Wednesday to lift Illinois Wesleyan to a 76-75 nonconference basketball victory over Hanover at Collier Arena.
“We snuck one out,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “Give our team credit that last possession. We didn’t panic and ran our stuff. Sean Dwyer made a great pass and John stepped up and hit a huge shot for us.”
The 15th-ranked Titans improved to 5-2. Hanover dropped to 2-7.
The Panthers’ Mike Case connected on one of two free throws with 15 seconds left to set up Koschnitzky’s heroics.
“Dwyer made a heckuva pass to hit me in the corner, and I knocked down the shot,” said Koschnitzky, who scored Wesleyan’s final four points of regulation. “I missed a few shots earlier, but I had to stay aggressive and keep shooting. They fell when they needed to. It was a great win for us. We had to fight back.”
Sophomore guard Sean Johnson paced the Titans with 21 points. Doug Sexauer added 15 and a team-high nine rebounds. Travis Rosenkranz and Dwyer had 10 points each. Rosenkranz contributed six assists and two steals.
Mitchell Meyer led Hanover with 24 points. Jake Inman chipped in 15, while Case had 13 points and 13 rebounds.
IWU trailed by as many as 12 and closed to within seven entering halftime. The Panthers held a 27-13 rebounding margin through the first 20 minutes.
“Hanover really set the tempo early in the game and were the aggressors,” Rose said. “The second half we played with much more purpose and fortunately made enough plays down the stretch to escape with the win. I thought we played our best basketball when we needed to. We got critical stops and hit big shots.”
Wesleyan shot 46 percent from the field and was outrebounded, 43-35.
The Titans play just their second home game of the season on Friday as the University of Chicago visits Shirk Center for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
Zimmer takes Titans basketball past Hamilton College
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
ST. LOUIS -- Maybe it was the strain of two games in a 24-hour period, but Illinois Wesleyan basketball coach Ron Rose’s voice was all but gone Sunday.
Rose’s players had considerably more success making noise as freshman Jordan Zimmer nailed half of IWU’s 10 3-pointers in a 70-55 victory over Hamilton College in the Lopata Classic at WU Field House.
“It was good to see that,” Zimmer said of Wesleyan’s 10 of 19 accuracy from beyond the arc. “We’ve kind of been lacking in that area. It’s good to come out and shoot well and get a comfortable lead and maintain it.”
The 13th-ranked Titans rebounded from a seven-point loss to top-ranked Washington on Saturday while improving to 4-2.
“We had to bounce back,” a raspy Rose said. “With less than 24 hours, I thought we gave a really good effort. I thought we were focused for the entire game.”
Two straight Zimmer 3-pointers ignited an 11-0 IWU first-half spurt that produced a 29-16 lead.
Another freshman, John Koschnitzky, scored the game’s first six points on a pair of 3-pointers.
“Jordan’s a great shooter, and Johnny can really shoot it also,” said Rose. “It’s good to see them hit their first shot. Once they hit their first one, they gained confidence and were looking for it after that.”
Zimmer, who finished with 15 points, connected on another 3-pointer to extend the Wesleyan margin to 50-30 early in the second half.
A 12-3 Hamilton spurt brought the Continentals within 53-42, but a Sean Johnson 3-pointer started 10 straight IWU points to put the game away.
“It wasn’t in-region, but it was a big win for us,” said Johnson, who led all scorers with 16 points. “We really turned it on and came together as a team.”
Travis Rosenkranz, who contributed seven points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals, joined Johnson as Titans on the all-tournament team.
“We came in here last year and played a tough Wash U team and lost a close game. That was really a turning point for us. We put it together and started winning some games,” Johnson said. “We talked about this year has got to be the same thing.”
Koschnitzky scored 14 points. Doug Sexauer’s nine rebounds helped the Titans to a commanding 52-31 advantage on the boards.
Harlee Wood paced Hamilton (4-2) with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Lance Wilson chipped in 12 points for the Continentals, who shot just 29 percent from the field (20 of 68).
The Titans shot 43 percent and committed a season-high 21 turnovers. Wesleyan takes a break for final exams and will not play again until a Dec. 17 game at Hanover.
Washington won the tournament with a 2-0 record. The Bears’ Tyler Nading was named Most Valuable Player.
Titans can't match precision of top-ranked Washington
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
St. LOUIS — Illinois Wesleyan’s recent second-half malaise officially evaporated during the flight of Travis Rosenkranz’s headlong dive after a loose basketball.
What the Titans couldn’t conquer, however, was the relentless precision of Washington University’s offensive execution.
The No. 1-ranked Bears shot 56.7 percent from the field in each half and turned away No. 13 IWU for a 93-86 victory Saturday before a crowd of 1,012 in the Lopata Classic at WU Field House.
“I loved our kids’ effort,” Wesleyan coach Ron Rose said. “We had some defensive breakdowns, but a lot of it was caused by good offense. They are really efficient in what they run. When you have the slightest breakdown, they make you pay for it.”
The Bears, who defeated Hamilton on Friday, won their 10th consecutive Lopata Classic championship and have prevailed in 20 straight tournament games. The Classic concludes today as IWU meets Hamilton at noon.
Washington (7-0) had 26 assists on 34 baskets and connected on 11 of 23 from 3-point range.
“We were trying to switch on some things, but they got us with back door cuts,” Titans’ sophomore Doug Sexauer said. “It’s hard to defend everything at the same time. You have to be so worried about their shooters. If you give them an inch, they’re going to hit it.”
Wesleyan (3-2) trailed 59-51 early in the second half. Two straight Rosenkranz 3-pointers and an Edmond O’Callaghan basket off a Sean Dwyer assist lifted the Titans into a tie.
Seven straight Bears’ points snapped a 65-65 tie and Washington held a 78-69 margin with under five minutes to go. The Titans clawed back again as a Rosenkranz driving shot and a Sean Johnson basket from the lane brought IWU within 80-78 at the 3:15 mark.
Three-pointers from Aaron Thompson and Tyler Nading (a 28-footer with the shot clock nearing zero) presented Washington with a lead it would not relinquish.
“That’s hard to overcome. But that’s what basketball is, finding different ways to beat other teams,” Bears’ coach Mark Edwards said of Nading’s key shot. “I was very impressed with how Wesleyan executed as a young team. They missed some shots at key moments, and we hit some shots at key moments.”
Rosenkranz scored a season-high 20 points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
“It is frustrating,” said IWU’s sophomore point guard. “Last year we had the goal to just play them close. Our goal this year was to beat them.”
Sean Johnson added 17 points, Sexauer 13 and O’Callaghan 10 off the bench as the Titans shot 53 percent from the field but converted just 5 of 19 from 3-point range.
“I’m disappointed but encouraged,” Rose said. “We had a number of guys step up in key situations. It was a big step forward for us.”
Nading paced Washington with 20 points and nine rebounds. Thompson chipped in 16 and Dylan Richter 15 on 7 of 8 shooting off the bench.
“It’s progress, but we’re not where we want to be,” said Sexauer. “We want to win those games.”
The Titans committed just eight turnovers, one fewer than the Bears.
Olivet shuts down IWU men late
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BOURBONNAIS -- Caught napping on several second-half fast breaks, back door cuts and rebound opportunities, the Illinois Wesleyan basketball team’s hopes for victory were rocked to sleep Tuesday at McHie Arena.
IWU scored just four points in a seven-minute span late in the game, and watched Olivet Nazarene motor past for a 76-63 nonconference win.
“They played a lot stronger than we did. We played hard, but we didn’t play strong enough,” Wesleyan coach Ron Rose said. “They executed what they wanted to do much better than we did.”
An NAIA Division I team, Olivet (4-5) shot 55 percent and outrebounded the Titans, 26-12, in the second half. “We talked (at halftime) about getting better post entry. We got that and got confidence in everything we did in the offensive game,” said Tigers’ coach Ralph Hodge. “We rebounded much better, and that got us some transition baskets. Defensively, we were pretty solid all night long.”
Ranked No. 13 in NCAA Division III, the Titans coaxed in just 3 of 18 from 3-point range while dropping to 3-1. “They are a pattern oriented team and they run their sets real well,” said IWU sophomore guard Sean Johnson. “The first half we took that away. They came out with more fire the second half. Their sets started working and we had no answer for them.”
Olivet erased a six-point halftime deficit in the opening four minutes of the second half.
“They really established the inside immediately,” Rose said. “I think they got five straight layups.”
Wesleyan held its final lead at 52-51 on a Jordan Zimmer fast break layup. Olivet got five points from Matt Mitchell in a 17-4 spurt that produced a 68-56 lead.
“We came out a little soft inside the second half, and they buried us for quick points right off the bat,” said Titan sophomore forward Duncan Lawson. “We showed what we can do, but we have to do it for longer periods of time.”
Johnson paced IWU with 12 points and freshman John Koschnitzky added 11. Edmond O’Callaghan grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
“They forced their will on us,” said Rose. “We certainly didn’t shoot the ball very well (40.7 percent), and we were not able to mount much momentum.”
Rashad Mitchell led Olivet with 18 points, Antonio Marshall had 14 and Tyler Baldwin 12. Tyler Wallenfang, a high school teammate of Johnson’s at Washington, hauled down 13 rebounds.
The Titans broke from a 17-17 tie for a 28-18 lead as Koschnitzky scored two baskets in the 11-1 run.
“The first half I was thrilled with our defensive effort,” Rose said.
Olivet shot just 33 percent in the opening half but closed within 31-25 entering halftime with the help of 12 points from Mitchell.
Sexauer leads IWU men past Maryville
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON — With a spectacular first half spiraling toward a spectacular collapse, Illinois Wesleyan needed a cool hand Sunday at Shirk Center. It turned out to be the left hand of sophomore Doug Sexauer.
After Maryville hacked a 29-point first-half deficit to 10 with 11:43 remaining, Sexauer scored seven of IWU’s next 11 points and the Titans cruised in for a 95-77 nonconference basketball victory before a crowd of 1,000.
“It was nice to see when they cut it to 10 we got back to running the offense and got the ball in the post to Doug,” Wesleyan coach Ron Rose said. “And he certainly delivered for us.”
The 6-foot-7 Sexauer paced the 18th-ranked Titans with 19 points and 10 rebounds as Wesleyan moved to 3-0.
“Coach talked to us (at halftime) about not letting up on the intensity. But we came out a little stagnant,” said Sexauer. “Luckily, we picked it up about 10 minutes into the second half. Coach called a timeout and told us to get our game back and we did that.”
Wesleyan scored four points over the first three and final one minute of the opening half. In the other 16, the Titans exploded for 55 points riding a fast-breaking frenzy.
“When I dream at night of how we would like to play, that’s exactly what I dream about,” marveled Rose. “I was thrilled with our defensive intensity and awareness, how we ran the floor and the unselfishness we played with at the offensive end.”
IWU capped a 13-0 spurt with a Travis Rosenkranz 3-pointer for a 24-7 lead.
“That’s who we are, unfortunately. We haven’t had a great first half all season,” Saints’ coach Matt Rogers said. “We are a young team. We come into these big arenas and get a little scared, a little intimidated.”
Sexauer scored six points and freshman John Koschnitzky powered down three slam dunks in his first 14 minutes at Shirk as the Titans rolled to a 46-17 bulge that was trimmed to 59-36 entering halftime.
“That’s exactly how we want to play, the defense, the offense, the transition,” said Rosenkranz, who scored 16 points. “That’s exactly how we need to play the rest of the year. It’s really hard to match a first half like that. The tough thing about human nature is we would let down.”
And the Titans did.
Maryville (1-3) used a 16-6 run and trailed just 69-59 after a steal and layup from Jared McCoy.
“All of a sudden, we realize we can play. We just started a little too late,” Rogers said. “They have a ton of talent and every one of those kids are disciplined. They know when they are in a battle, they should go to their posts. When you have post players who can catch the ball, be patient and knock it down, you’re going to go a long way.”
Five Sexauer points and baskets from Koschnitzky and Edmond O’Callaghan pushed the Wesleyan lead back to 19 at 78-59 with 8:16 left.
“To their credit, Maryville kept playing and made us earn the win,” said Rose. “We had some defensive letdowns and offensively kind of got away from what we were doing when we built that lead.”
Senior Brett Chamernik contributed 13 points and six rebounds in just 12 minutes off the bench. O’Callaghan chipped in 10 points and seven boards as the Titans outrebounded Maryville, 45-38.
Kyle Winters led four Saints in double figures with 14 points. Matt Baker added 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Titans men hold off Manchester to win 2-day tournament
By Pantagraph staff
NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. — The Illinois Wesleyan men’s basketball team overcame foul trouble and a stagnant second-half offense to post a 78-73 victory over Manchester on Saturday to win the two-day MC Bankers Classic.
The 18th-ranked Titans (2-0) built a 43-30 halftime lead on 60 percent shooting and led by as many as 17 points before their lead dwindled to one point late in the second half.
Sean Johnson, who had a team-high 19 points and was named tournament most valuable player, hit one of his five 3-pointers with just over a minute to play, bumping the IWU lead back to six.
The two teams were whistled for 51 fouls, 30 against IWU. Starters Jordan Zimmer, Doug Sexauer and Johnson all picked up four fouls each, while reserve Edmond O’Callaghan fouled out in just 15 minutes.
“We were in severe foul trouble, but because of our depth we were able to keep substituting fresh legs in there,” IWU coach Ron Rose said.
Rose used 10 players, with each getting into the scoring column and playing at least 14 minutes.
Travis Rosenkranz had 14 points and four assists, and freshman forward John Koschnitzky came off the bench to score 12, including a second-half 3-pointer.
“It really was a good early season test for our squad,” Rose said. “We learned some valuable lessons, and I was pleased with how we responded and made some plays. I was especially pleased with our defense in the first half; we were really active and aggressive with our approach.”
Sexauer was named to the all-tournament team after finishing with nine points and seven rebounds.
Nathan Ferch had 21 points for host Manchester (2-2).
IWU's Zimmer leads Titans over Taylor-Fort Wayne
by Pantagraph staff
NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. -- Freshman Jordan Zimmer nailed 5 of 6 shots from 3-point range in his college debut and scored a team-high 17 points in Illinois Wesleyan’s season-opening 90-70 victory over Taylor-Fort Wayne on Friday at the MC Bankers Classic.
“I felt pretty comfortable out there, especially after I got my first shot to go,” said Zimmer, a Delavan native. “Scrimmages and practices helped me ease into this process.”
The 18th-ranked Titans, who meet host Manchester at 2 p.m., today for the tournament championship, pulled away in the second half as Zimmer connected on two 3-pointers to spark a 16-2 run that gave Wesleyan an 81-59 cushion.
“He’s got confidence in his shot and we have confidence in him shooting it,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “The guys did a great job finding him spotting up against the zone, and he did a great job knocking those shots down.”
The Titans led 37-31 at halftime with the bench providing 23 points.
“The style Taylor-Fort Wayne played is kind of a tough style to play a pretty game, especially in your first game,” said Rose. “I felt like as the game wore on we settled in and played with much more aggressiveness on the defensive end. The second half we had a lot more energy and confidence.”
Doug Sexauer added 14 points for IWU, Duncan Lawson 12 and freshman John Koschnitzky 11. Koschnitzky and Lawson grabbed seven rebounds each.
Wesleyan starting guards Sean Johnson, Travis Rosenkranz and Sean Dwyer hit just 6 of 17 shots but combined for 20 assists as Dwyer handed out nine and Johnson eight.
Matt Stine topped Taylor-Fort Wayne (2-5) with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Ryan Woods chipped in 21 points.