2010-11 Pantagraph Articles
Randy Reinhardt stories courtesy of the Bloomington Pantagraph
Sexauer, Koschnitzky lead Titans to CCIW title game
NAPERVILLE — Doug Sexauer limped off the floor with 1:41 remaining in the first half. Whether the Illinois Wesleyan senior would be able to return was in question.
North Central quickly erased a nine-point halftime deficit to pull into its first tie since 3-3.
In the end, Sexauer’s foot and IWU’s resolve held strong.
Sexauer ignited a pivotal 13-2 surge with a 3-pointer from the key and the fourth-seeded Titans conquered top seed North Central, 69-57, Friday in a semifinal contest of the CCIW Tournament before a Gregory Arena crowd of 1,458.
“Doug said he was going to try (at halftime). We weren’t sure how he would respond, but he wanted to play,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “What a courageous effort the second half.”
Wesleyan (19-7) faces Augustana for the tournament championship and the CCIW’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament today at 7:30 p.m.
“I was a little worried,” said Sexauer, who injured the same foot earlier in the season. “We taped it really tight, and I was able to get back out there.”
North Central (15-11) never led but pulled into a 46-all tie on a Landon Gamble layup with 12:17 remaining.
After the Cardinals failed to convert on a possession to take the lead, Sexauer lined up his 3-pointer and nailed it. Sexauer followed with a short-range basket before Derek Raridon brought North Central back within three.
Titan junior Jordan Zimmer nailed a 3-pointer, tacked on a free throw, Sexauer scored from the lane and Andrew Ziemnik connected on two free throws for a 59-48 advantage at the 7:37 mark. IWU led by at least eight the rest of the way.
“We decided at practice we were going to switch into playoff mode,” said junior John Koschnitzky, who scored 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting and led the Titans with eight rebounds. “We want to keep playing as long as possible. We didn’t play well here the last time, but we came with a different attitude and played a great game.”
Sexauer scored 12 of his game-high 22 points in the second half and added a second 3-pointer with 2:13 showing to turn the Cardinals away one last time.
“We’re an older team. We have a lot of veterans. They are composed of a lot of freshmen,” Sexauer said. “They made their run, we collected ourselves, held together and went on a run of our own.”
Sean Johnson chipped in 14 points for Wesleyan, which outrebounded North Central, 36-27, after getting humbled on the boards by 15 and eight in two regular-season meetings.
“Boy, were we determined on the boards,” marveled Rose. “We got some significant minutes from Andrew Ziemnik and Ryan Connolly in the post that were critical.”
Gamble paced the Cardinals with 16 points, and fellow freshman C.J. Goldthree had 11 off the bench.
“Wesleyan had more energy and was more physical than we were pretty much the whole game,” North Central coach Todd Raridon said. “Our defense all night long was not very good. We were busy chasing instead of defending.”
The Titans led by as many as 11 at 32-21 in the first half and took a 36-27 edge into halftime. All but three of IWU’s points came from Johnson (12), Koschnitzky (11) and Sexauer (10).
Augustana 73, Wheaton 58: No. 6-ranked Augustana broke open a tight game with a 16-2 surge midway through the second half on its way to victory in the opening semifinal.
Senior all-conference performer Kyle Nelson paced the Vikings (23-3) with 14 points and nine rebounds.
Wheaton (18-8) received 17 points from Andrew Jahns and 13 from Tim McCrary. The Thunder shot just 32 percent from the field and was 3 of 17 from 3-point range (18 percent).
Sexauer heroics lift IWU over Augie
BLOOMINGTON — Doug Sexauer’s final shot at Shirk Center will not be his final shot as a Titan.
Sexauer swished a turnaround 8-footer from the baseline with one second remaining Tuesday to extend his Illinois Wesleyan career and the Titans’ season in a scintillating 70-68 victory over No. 6-ranked Augustana.
“We’re playing again. We’ve got practice tomorrow,” Sexauer said. “We’re excited. We had to win.”
A season-best crowd of 1,954 witnessed IWU pluck its season from the ashes of two recent overtime losses to snare the fourth and final spot in this weekend’s College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament.
The repercussions of the Titans improving to 18-7 overall and 9-5 in conference play were felt around the CCIW. IWU wins a tiebreaker with Carthage for the final tourney berth, while handing North Central a share of the conference championship with Augustana and shifting the CCIW Tournament site to Naperville’s Gregory Arena.
The Titans meet North Central at 7:30 p.m. Friday in a tournament semifinal. No. 2 seed Augustana and No. 3 Wheaton square off at 5 p.m.
“This team deserves that win, and I am just very happy for our seniors,” Wesleyan coach Ron Rose said. “It’s been a struggle this year. There have been bumps in the road. I’m really proud how those guys hung in there and battled. It doesn’t get a whole lot better than that.”
Jordan Zimmer’s 3-pointer at the 1:53 mark gave the Titans a 68-66 edge. Augustana’s Kyle Nelson countered 13 seconds later but missed the free throw after being fouled.
After an exchange of scoreless possessions, Nelson misfired and IWU’s John Koschnitzky controlled the rebound. Rose called timeout with 22 seconds showing.
“We wanted to make sure we got the last shot,” said Rose. “We went to our horse down low. Doug Sexauer has hit a lot of big shots in his career but none bigger than that one.”
Sexauer took an entry pass from Eliud Gonzalez with under five seconds left and maneuvered into position.
“Sean (Johnson) set a great screen for me. I rolled off and Eliud threw a great pass,” Sexauer said. “I faked over my left shoulder, and everyone knows I’m going back to put it up with my left (hand) and it went in.
“Before the game people come up to you and say ‘You’re a senior captain, time to finish it.’ I made the shot.”
Augustana (22-3, 11-3) got Nelson a clean look at the basket at the buzzer with a pass over halfcourt. The 30-plus footer was on line but long off the back of the rim.
“The last couple possessions we executed great. We just didn’t get it down,” said Vikings’ coach Grey Giovanine. “It was a heckuva game. It comes right down to the last possession.”
Sexauer led all scorers with 18. Zimmer was 5 of 6 from 3-point range and scored 14 of his 17 points in the first half. Johnson added 10.
“I don’t think I’ve played in more fun of a game than this,” Zimmer said. “The crowd came out. Augie came out and battled hard and we battled hard, too. It was two great basketball teams playing and we get new life.”
Augustana, which seized its first lead at 60-58 on a Brandon Kunz basket with 5:41 remaining, received 13 points from Chris Anderson off the bench and 12 from Brian DeSimone. Nelson grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds but was 4 of 15 from the field.
The Vikings connected on half of their 20 3-point attempts. IWU, which committed a season-low seven turnovers, was 9 of 21 from beyond the arc.
IWU pulls away from North Park, stays alive
BLOOMINGTON — Missing 11 of 13 to open the second half, Illinois Wesleyan was in dire need of a high percentage shot.
John Koschnitzky found the highest.
The junior forward powered down two consecutive dunks to bring the Shirk Center crowd to its feet and ignite a pivotal surge the Titans rode to a 73-57 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin basketball victory over North Park on Saturday.
“John can really bounce off the floor. It was fantastic to see some explosiveness out of him,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “We made a couple hustle plays in get in that position. That was the best part. John getting up was icing on the cake.”
A season-high gathering of 1,800 witnessed the Titans improve to 17-7 overall and 8-5 in the CCIW and set up a showdown with first-place Augustana on Tuesday at Shirk. If IWU wins, the Titans earn a CCIW Tournament berth. If they lose, their season is over.
North Park, which finished at 11-14 and 4-10 in league play, led 47-46 when Doug Sexauer fed Koschnitzky streaking down the lane for a dunk. An Eliud Gonzalez steal and a Sean Johnson assist led to slam No. 2 a mere 21 seconds later.
“Doug made a heckuva pass, and I figured I would try to put one down,” said Koschnitzky. “Momentum is a key part of the game, and we took off from there.”
The Vikings trailed just 54-50 when Johnson took over. The senior guard nailed two 3-pointers — the second from 25 feet — for a 62-52 Wesleyan advantage.
“That’s the first time we’ve been able to put a run together for awhile,” said Johnson, who led all scorers with 25 points. “At the timeout (with 10:31 left) Coach told us to get back to the game plan. We locked down on defense and got the best shot we could.”
The Titans closed the contest hitting 12 of their final 19 shots and finished at 47 percent (29 of 62).
Sexauer and Jordan Zimmer added 12 points each for IWU, while Sexauer secured a game-high nine rebounds.
North Park, 5 of 10 from 3-point range in the first half and 1 of 6 in the second, received 14 points from Clayton Cahill and 11 from Kendell Greer.
Titans drop second consecutive OT decision on the road
NAPERVILLE — For the second time in three nights, the Illinois Wesleyan men’s basketball team lost in overtime, dropping a 64-58 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin decision Monday to North Central at Gregory Arena.
The Titans fell to 16-7 overall and 7-5 CCIW play, ending any hopes for a conference title while also dropping the team out of the D3hoops.com Top 25.
“This is a very disappointing loss,” said IWU head coach Ron Rose. “We had a number of opportunities to win this game but didn’t hit our shots in key situations. That comes back to haunt you.”
Wesleyan charged out to a 23-12 lead with 10:03 to play in the first half but managed only two points the rest of the way as North Central used a 16-2 run to take a 28-25 lead into intermission.
IWU held a 48-44 advantage with 4:52 left in regulation before North Central reeled off six straight points to grab a 50-48 lead with 1:25 remaining. Doug Sexauer’s bucket with 39 seconds to go put the Titans back on top, 52-50, but the Cardinals’ Brian Evans scored with nine seconds left to tie the game at 52 and force the overtime.
North Central’s Landon Gamble scored the first five points in overtime before the Titans came back to score the next five and tie the score at 57. Another Gamble basket gave the Cardinals a 59-57 lead.
A charging call against IWU sent Evans to the line, where he hit two free throws to give North Central a 61-57 lead with 20 seconds left. Kevin Gillespie scored with 10 seconds left to provide the Cardinals with a 63-57 lead and they held on for the win.
“Unfortunately, this game followed what has pretty much been the story of our season; close but not quite,” added Rose. “Our effort was good but we just didn’t finish enough possessions.”
IWU is tied for third in the league with Carthage and Wheaton with two games remaining. The Titans host North Park on Saturday before entertaining Augustana on Feb. 22 to close out the regular-season slate.
Titans fall in OT at Wheaton, lose Rosenkranz
WHEATON — Illinois Wesleyan guard Sean Johnson beat one buzzer Saturday night. But the Titans could not beat it a second time.
Johnson drained a 3-pointer as the regulation horn sounded to force overtime, but his 24-footer at the buzzer of the extra session missed the mark as the 23rd-ranked Titans fell, 78-76, to Wheaton in a key College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin game in front of 1,936 at King Arena.
The loss drops the Titans to 16-6 overall and 7-4 in the conference, creating a tighter battle with Wheaton (7-5) and Carthage (7-5) for the final CCIW tournament berth. The Titans visit second-place North Central (8-3) on Monday night to play a game that was postponed by inclement weather earlier this month.
Saturday night’s game was delayed 10 minutes midway through the second half when IWU senior point guard Travis Rosenkranz suffered an apparent concussion. He was taken off the court on a stretcher and transported to a nearby hospital.
Senior Doug Sexauer finished with 32 points, the second time in 15 days he has gone for 30-plus. He also gathered 10 rebounds.
The Titans, who held an eight-point lead in the first half, took a 66-65 lead with 1:19 left in regulation on a 3-pointer by Jordan Zimmer before three free throws by Andrew Jahns gave Wheaton a 68-66 edge with 1:05 to go.
Sexauer tied it at 68-68 with 53 seconds left and the Thunder took a 70-68 lead with 24 seconds left on a basket by Spencer Schultze.
Tim McCrary hit 1 of 2 free throws to give Wheaton a 71-68 lead with 2.2 seconds left to set up Johnson’s overtime-forcing shot.
Wheaton outscored IWU 7-5 in overtime.
Titans rout Big Blue
BLOOMINGTON — Illinois Wesleyan got the point Wednesday at Shirk Center.
Millikin simply got stuck.
IWU point guards Travis Rosenkranz and Eliud Gonzalez combined for 19 first-half points and the Titans assembled a mammoth halftime lead en route to a 78-53 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory before a crowd of 500.
“They were fantastic,” Wesleyan coach Ron Rose said. “I thought they were picking their spots. They were giving it up and getting it back in the flow of the offense.”
No. 23-ranked IWU advanced to 16-5 overall and 7-3 in the CCIW as none of the 17 Titans to see action played more than 21 minutes.
Gonzalez scored a career-high 13 points, while Rosenkranz finished with 10 in only 11 minutes.
“I thought it was a good time to be a little more aggressive on offense,” said Gonzalez, who connected on all six of his shots. “I was getting open looks and people were finding me on cuts to the basket.”
Rosenkranz departed at the 18:47 mark of the second half and did not return after suffering what he termed a minor ankle injury. The senior said a previous high ankle sprain that caused him to miss four games “was 100 times worse. I couldn’t walk after that one. This one I’m walking around fine.”
The Titans stormed to an 11-0 lead in the initial 2:15 on a 3-pointer and a fast break layup from John Koschnitzky and 3-pointers by Rosenkranz and Sean Johnson.
“It was a great start for us,” Rose said. “We got some good defensive possessions and really moved the ball and got high percentage shots.”
IWU canned 9 of 15 from beyond the arc in the opening half for a 47-23 bulge.
“Against a team like Illinois Wesleyan, if you don’t start out good they are going to bury you pretty quickly,” said Big Blue coach Marc Smith, whose team lost its 16th straight game. “They did a great job pushing the ball in transition. They had their choice of whether to kick it out for a 3-pointer or run down the middle of the lane for a two-pointer.”
Millikin (1-19, 0-10) was led by 14 points from Nikko Robertson and 13 points and eight rebounds from Kyle Taylor.
Johnson topped all scorers with 17. The senior guard was 4 of 6 from 3-point range after converting just 2 of 13 from long range the previous three games.
“I finally feel healthy. I had the hip problem and my feet were sore,” Johnson said. “It’s nice to have my legs under me and get some open looks.”
Matt Schick grabbed six rebounds as the Titans held a 42-29 edge on the boards. Wesleyan shot 51 percent in the opening half and 46 percent overall.
Titans close out Elmhurst
ELMHURST — Ron Rose could do without all the drama. Yet the Illinois Wesleyan basketball coach is pleased how his team is responding in pressure situations.
The Titans squandered a 13-point second-half lead Friday at Faganel Hall, but nailed 10 of 10 free throws in the final 1:20 to escape with a 72-68 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory over Elmhurst.
“I thought we competed and built a nice lead. But consistent with this season, we never put them away,” Rose said. “When they tied it up with two minutes to go, there was no panic. We did a nice job finishing out the game.”
No. 24-ranked IWU improved to 15-5 overall and 6-3 in the CCIW. Elmhurst slipped to 7-13 and 2-7, respectively.
The Titans led 46-33 after a Travis Rosenkranz layup at the 14:22 mark of the second half. Elmhurst’s Sean Fendley capped an 8-0 Bluejays’ run with a rare four-point play for a 62-all tie with 2:11 remaining.
Wesleyan seniors Sean Johnson and Rosenkranz combined to sink 10 straight free throws the rest of the way with Johnson converting eight.
“Sean was really clutch for us down the stretch,” said Rose.
Jordan Zimmer was 4-of-5 from 3-point range and topped the Titans with 14 points. Doug Sexauer added 13, Rosenkranz 12 and Johnson 10. Rosenkranz led IWU with a career-high eight rebounds and five assists.
Zack Boyd’s 18 points and eight rebounds were both team highs for Elmhurst. Fendley scored 13.
Titans will 2OT thriller vs Djurickovic, Carthage
BLOOMINGTON — Illinois Wesleyan leads came affixed with grease Saturday.
When the Titans most needed to hold firm in regulation and the initial overtime, control squirted from their fingers.
The second overtime saw IWU clamp down on Carthage and refuse — finally — to allow the Red Men to squirm free.
A Jordan Zimmer 3-pointer handed the Titans a seven-point edge in the second extra period, and Wesleyan held on for a crucial 103-94 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory before a drained Shirk Center crowd of 1,700.
“It was two teams playing their hearts out,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “I’m exceedingly proud of our guys the way they hung in there and battled and got a huge conference win.”
The 20th-ranked Titans (14-5, 5-3 in the CCIW) squandered a 16-point lead in the final six minutes of regulation and could not close out Carthage (11-8, 4-4) after seizing a five-point advantage in the first overtime.
Senior center Doug Sexauer scored eight of his career-high 34 points in the final five minutes.
“We held them on defense and scored on their press,” said Sexauer. “We didn’t want to fall to fourth in the conference. We still have playoff hopes and we can’t lose anymore.”
Carthage All-American Steve Djurickovic, who scored 14 of his 34 points in overtime, tied the score at 76 on a driving bucket with 45 seconds remaining. Sean Johnson gave Wesleyan a two-point margin at the 20-second mark with a layup in traffic before the Red Men’s Mitch Thompson scored on a rebound at the three-second mark.
“I take the blame for the comeback,” Rose said. “We got too conservative. I wish we would have kept attacking the way we were.”
Djurickovic ensured more bonus basketball with a bank shot at the 24-second point of the second overtime. IWU held for the final shot but Johnson traveled with under a second left.
Junior John Koschnitzky scored nine of his career-high matching 21 points in the first five minutes of the second half. The Titans connected on 14 of their first 16 shots after halftime. Johnson and Zimmer added 15 points each.
Malcom Kelly brought the Red Men back from the dead in regulation with 11 points in the final five minutes of regulation and finished with 23.
“It’s sort of the story of our season. We’ve come up a little short more than we would like,” said Carthage coach Bosko Djurickovic. “We had lofty expectations, but we haven’t met them.”
The Titans finished at 59.7 percent from the floor while recording their highest point total since a 113-99 win over Puget Sound in the 2006 NCAA Tournament.
Titans drop heartbreaker at Augustana
ROCK ISLAND — Kyle Nelson says Augustana College practices the swim move to chase down rebounds every day.
Practice made perfect timing for Nelson Wednesday at Carver Center.
Nelson’s tip-in of a Brian DeSimone miss with 2.8 seconds remaining was the decisive blow in an epic 69-67 Augustana victory over Illinois Wesleyan before a raucous crowd of 2,012.
“Brian had a good shot, and I had to crash the boards,” Nelson said. “I had to swim past (Doug) Sexauer. I relied on my instincts and put it in.”
The No. 3-ranked Vikings, who trailed by 16 late in the first half, extended the best start in school history to 18-0 and 7-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.
“This one hurts because I thought the kids really competed and played to win,” said IWU coach Ron Rose, whose 20th-ranked squad slipped three games behind the Vikings at 4-3 in the CCIW. “We just fell a little short.”
Augustana grabbed its first lead since 2-0 at 60-59 on a Bryant Voiles 3-pointer with 4:34 remaining. The Vikings scored 14 straight points and led 67-59 with two minutes left before the Titans mounted a comeback.
Eliud Gonzalez snapped a Wesleyan drought of over four minutes with a layup, Sexauer scored on a rebound and Sean Johnson’s driving shot with 24 seconds left whittled the Augustana lead to 67-65.
After DeSimone missed two free throws, Sexauer scored inside for the tie with 10 seconds showing. Nelson prevented overtime with his ninth rebound and 13th and 14th points.
“He’s our senior. He’s our horse,” Vikings’ coach Grey Giovanine said of the 6-foot-9 Nelson. “Players make plays, and he’s a player.”
“The last play summarized the game for us. Our one downfall was on the rebounding end,” said IWU junior Jordan Zimmer. “I’m proud how we came out, but it doesn’t matter if you’re not ahead at the end.”
Augustana enjoyed a 38-25 rebounding advantage and picked 17 boards off the offensive glass.
“We did not play well. But we played so hard and with such character down the stretch,” Giovanine said. “To come back against a team that good, I couldn’t be happier.”
IWU (13-5 overall) led 43-33 after a Zimmer 3-pointer at the 18:25 mark of the second half. Augustana rallied for a 52-52 tie with 8:44 remaining.
Sexauer scored 13 and Zimmer 12 for the Titans, who handed out a season-high 24 assists. Johnson had eight assists, but was 3 of 13 from the field and was held to seven points, 10 below his average.
Voiles topped the Vikings with 17 points and DeSimone added 15. Augustana shot 50 percent in the second half to finish at 44.8 percent. The Titans opened with a 56 percent shooting half and ended at 50 percent for the evening.
IWU started like a team that desperately needed a win, bolting to a 21-11 lead on a Matt Schick fast break bucket.
The Titans connected on 11 of their first 14 shots and were perfect on four from 3-point range while holding a 30-15 advantage at the 8:16 mark of the first half.
“Early we really took control and took the fight to them and built ourselves a lead,” said Rose. “But we had a lapse the middle of the second half. We took some quick shots, and they pushed it up in transition and hit some threes.”
IWU, which was credited with assists on all 14 first-half baskets, led by as many as 16 before Augustana scored the final eight points of the half to close within 38-30.
Titan fall at North Park
CHICAGO — The Illinois Wesleyan basketball team began to lose its grip on Saturday’s College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin game late in the first half.
The Titans saw the contest completely slip through their fingers in the second half and suffered an upset 65-57 loss to North Park.
“We just have to be a lot tougher on the road in terms of the ability to finish plays and certainly on the boards,” IWU coach Ron Rose said.
No. 16-ranked IWU slipped to 13-4 overall and 4-2 in the CCIW. North Park improved to 8-9 and 2-4, respectively.
The Titans held a 24-14 lead after a Jordan Zimmer tip-in at the 7:01 mark of the first half but led only 30-28 at the half.
North Park used a 9-0 run to assume a 41-34 second-half lead. Wesleyan pulled within 44-42 on a pair of John Koschnitzky free throws with 8:23 to play. But the Vikings scored the next seven points.
“The first half when we had the opportunity to extend the lead, we made poor decisions and didn’t finish inside,” said Rose. “The second half when we clearly did not shoot the ball as well as we’re capable, we need to do other things well. We had key possessions where we either didn’t get the shot we were looking for or did not get the rebound we needed.”
North Park held a 39-25 rebounding advantage and was led by the 12 points of Davone Robinson and 11 from Clayton Cahill.
Zimmer and Doug Sexauer scored 12 points each for the Titans. Sean Johnson chipped in 11. IWU connected on just 5 of 22 from 3-point range.
Koschnitzky, Zimmer key home win over Wheaton
BLOOMINGTON — Solving Wheaton College’s tenacious, overplaying defense usually falls into the easier said than done category.
Illinois Wesleyan didn’t just talk an effective offensive performance Wednesday at Shirk Center, the Titans impressively executed it.
Applying an efficient mix of patience and aggressiveness, IWU shot 50 percent or better in each half and led for the final 25 minutes of an 82-72 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory before a crowd of 1,350.
“We had a sense of purpose offensively,” Wesleyan coach Ron Rose said. “Wheaton has a unique style of play. They really deny the next pass, and they never make things easy for you. Our kids did a pretty good job reading the defense and finding the open man.”
The 16th-ranked Titans hiked their overall record to 13-3 while advancing to 4-1 in the CCIW. Other than Augustana (5-0), North Central (4-1) and IWU, every other CCIW team already has at least three conference losses.
“They are a great disciplined defensive team. They make it hard for you to get open,” said Wesleyan junior John Koschnitzky. “We knew we had to get the ball in the post somehow. So we had to set better screens to get our guys open and be strong with the ball.”
A combination of on-ball screens, screen and rolls and back cuts helped IWU place five scorers in double figures and shoot 52 percent from the floor.
“We didn’t guard very well at all, and this is not a good team to not guard very well,” Thunder coach Mike Schauer said. “It’s the same old Illinois Wesleyan song and dance. They run good stuff, share the ball and they make shots. Whatever you give them, they will take and score.”
The Titans broke from a 30-all tie to close the opening half on an 11-4 surge. IWU boosted that advantage to 11 early in the second half before Wheaton (11-5, 2-3) crept within 49-46 on a Tyler Peters jumper at the 12-minute mark.
A Jordan Zimmer 3-pointer and three points from Doug Sexauer pushed the Wesleyan lead back to nine. A Koschnitzky 3-pointer with 7:57 left handed the Titans a 62-50 margin that did not dip below seven the rest of the way.
Koschnitzky (19 points) and Zimmer (16) each nailed three of IWU’s nine 3-pointers. Reserve Matt Schick reached double figures for the first time since Nov. 20 with 14 points and was perfect on eight free throws.
Sexauer chipped in 12 points and Sean Johnson 11 as Wesleyan moved to 2-0 since starting point guard Travis Rosenkranz was sidelined with a high ankle sprain.
“We wanted to protect our homecourt,” said Zimmer. “We hope Travis will be back pretty soon, but we don’t know that. We’re planning on continuing to play without him.”
Jon DeMoss topped the Thunder with 15 points, Andrew Jahns added 14 and star forward Tim McCrary was limited to 11, six shy of his average.
Johnson and Sexauer big in win over Elmhurst
BLOOMINGTON — As one third of Illinois Wesleyan’s captaincy triumvirate sat in street clothes with an injured ankle, the remaining two Titan leaders could not afford to offer a fraction of their best Saturday at Shirk Center.
Seniors Sean Johnson and Doug Sexauer spectacularly shouldered the suddenly heavier load minus ailing classmate Travis Rosenkranz by combining for 46 points while carrying IWU to a 75-55 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory over Elmhurst.
“As senior captains, there is a sense of urgency. I felt that today,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “We showed some heart. We had a great fire and fight about us. We fed off our crowd, and we were an easy team to cheer for because of our effort.”
A season-best gathering of 1,600 saw the 19th-ranked Titans improve to 12-3 and 3-1 in the CCIW as Rosenkranz’s streak of 94 consecutive starts ended after suffering a high ankle sprain Friday in practice.
“Travis is our motor. He gets our tempo flowing,” Johnson said. “With Travis out, I needed to score more, get the offense going more and be more of a talker.”
Johnson scored 28 points and Sexauer 18 while teaming to connect on 19 of 25 from the field. Johnson, who did not practice Friday because of a sore hip, also contributed team highs of seven assists and six rebounds.
“Travis has been in every single game since I’ve been here,” said Sexauer. “We knew without Travis we had to all play a little better, do our roles and execute to win. We did it. We’re lucky we have a really deep team that we’re able to fill those voids when they happen.”
Juniors Eliud Gonzalez, who made his first career start, and Stephen Rudnicki handled the point guard spot. The Titans shot a season-high 63 percent from the field (29 of 46).
“I’m really proud of the guys,” Rose said. “We’ve had to adjust on the fly quite a bit this year. The kids dealt with it really well.”
Elmhurst (6-9, 1-3) scored the first eight points of the second half to forge a 35-all tie. Sexauer and Johnson reeled off the next seven points, and Matt Schick’s driving basket put the Titans up nine.
The Bluejays clawed back within five before 3-pointers from Rudnicki and Johnson highlighted a 17-5 IWU surge that yielded a 64-47 cushion.
“We made two or three good runs,” said Elmhurst coach Mark Scherer. “But in the end it was good seniors playing against good sophomores. That made the difference.”
James Robertson paced the Bluejays with 14 points. Zack Boyd and Steve Crane had nine each.
The Titans trailed 20-15 before IWU’s defensive pressure played a key role in an Elmhurst scoring drought of over seven minutes.
Wesleyan scored 16 straight points — eight each from Johnson and Sexauer — for a 31-20 lead and took a 35-27 edge into halftime.
Rosenkranz will stay off the ailing ankle entirely for a week. Rose indicated the prognosis remains unclear.
“It could be a couple weeks,” he said. “It could be more.”
The Titans also lost freshman forward Victor Davis for at least two to three weeks with mononucleosis.
Connolly leads Titans over Millikin
DECATUR — Ryan Connolly earned the nickname “Big Country” with his 6-foot-9, 275-pound frame.
The Illinois Wesleyan junior turned Griswold Center into “Connolly Country” on Wednesday.
Connolly shot a perfect 10-of-10 from the floor on his way to a career-high 24 points in a mere 17 minutes off the bench to spark IWU to a 75-56 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory over Millikin before a crowd of 460.
“They played behind in the post so it was easy to get post entries,” Connolly said. “They didn’t send the double team early enough so I just put the ball in the basket.”
The Wesleyan win provided a needed tonic after a 21-point pasting at the hands of Carthage last Saturday. The 19th-ranked Titans improved to 11-3 overall and 2-1 in the CCIW.
“We wanted to forget about Carthage and put that behind us,” said senior guard Travis Rosenkranz, who scored 10 points in his final game 10 miles from his hometown of Macon. “We’ve been down on ourselves because we’re not shooting well. We got some extra shots up in practice. When we get our confidence back, we shoot like we can.”
Connolly scored seven straight first-half points after Millikin (1-12, 0-3) seized a short-lived 23-20 edge. The Big Blue, a 35 percent shooting team entering the game, connected on 56 percent in the first half to trail only 37-33.
The Titans scored the first eight points of the second half on a Doug Sexauer jumper from the lane, a Jordan Zimmer 3-pointer and a Sexauer 3-pointer.
“I thought the obvious difference in the two halves was our defensive intensity,” Wesleyan coach Ron Rose said. “The first half we were there on shooters, but we weren’t making them uncomfortable. The second half we were more aggressive, and they had more highly contested shots.”
After a Sean Johnson 3-pointer put the Titans up 12, the unstoppable Connolly rung up the next nine Titan points for a 57-42 margin with 12:20 to play.
“Ryan had a great game. He had a lot of energy, a bounce about him,” said Rose. “Everything he did was going to the basket. He was hard to stop when he got a deep post.”
The Titans were 11 of 21 from 3-point range. Zimmer scored 15 points on 5 of 8 accuracy from beyond the arc. John Koschnitzky secured a team-high seven rebounds as IWU shrugged off its recent rebounding doldrums with a 33-25 advantage on the boards.
Millikin, which dropped its ninth straight game, shot 33 percent in the second half to finish at 45.7 percent. Senior center Kyle Taylor scored 17 of his team-high 24 points in the opening half and grabbed eight rebounds.
Kelvin Jacobs chipped in 12 points for the Big Blue.
IWU freshman forward Victor Davis, who had been seeing recent action off the bench, did not play. Rose explained he wanted to save one of Davis’ 25 games (combined varsity and junior varsity) for more playing time in a future JV game.
Carthage routs Titans
KENOSHA, WIS. — Illinois Wesleyan’s basketball team shot 30 percent from the field and was outrebounded by 12 Saturday night. The numbers on the scoreboard reflected those deficiencies as the Titans fell to Carthage, 73-52, in a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin contest.
Carthage (8-5, 1-1) built a 37-24 halftime lead before a crowd of 1,550 and pulled away in the second half from No. 18-ranked IWU (10-3, 1-1). The Reds were 9 of 19 from 3-point range and had a 41-29 rebounding advantage.
“To state it as simply as possible, they played very well and we did not,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “They dominated us on the boards.
“They’re a tough team to make take a tough shot the first time, but you better get the rebound if they do shoot it and miss. We didn’t do that.”
Sean Johnson was the lone Titan in double figures with 20 points. Steve Djurickovic had 27 points, six rebounds and five assists to lead Carthage.
The Reds outscored IWU 16-6 in the first seven minutes of the second half to lead 53-30.
“We never played well consistently and framed enough minutes together where we played well to make a serious run at them,” Rose said. “We really have no excuses. We just were completely outplayed.”
Koschnitzy leads Titans past North Central in overtime
BLOOMINGTON — In desperate need of a hero — and more specifically a rebound — junior John Koschnitzky came to Illinois Wesleyan’s rescue Wednesday at Shirk Center.
Koschnitzky offered a brief but timely respite from a dominating North Central second-half rebounding exhibition with two late boards and nailed six of six overtime free throws as the 18th-ranked Titans escaped with a 72-67 victory.
“Thank goodness,” said IWU coach Ron Rose. “You could just sense John’s confidence and aggressiveness increasing in the second half when we weren’t getting much going other places.”
A crowd of 1,375 witnessed the Titans squander a 14-point second half lead while advancing to 10-2 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin opener for both teams.
With seniors Doug Sexauer (foot) and Sean Johnson (hip) visibly hampered by injuries, Koschnitzky and fellow junior Jordan Zimmer became the Titans’ clutch performers.
Zimmer finished with 18 points, including a crucial overtime 3-pointer that erased a one-point Cardinals’ lead. Koschnitzky led IWU with a career-high 21 points and was perfect on 10 attempts from the foul line.
“We have a lot of guys who have been banged up this week,” Koschnitzky said. “We have to step up and play regardless of who is on the floor. When it came down to it, we got the stops we needed at the end.”
North Central (4-8) used a 12-2 second-half spurt to pull within 43-39 at the 12:26 mark. The Cardinals trailed just 60-58 after Brian Evans’ rebound basket with 51 seconds left.
After a Johnson miss and with Wesleyan patrolling the arc hard to prevent a possible game-winning 3-pointer, North Central freshman Landon Gamble wriggled free for an uncontested layup with 1.8 seconds showing to force overtime.
A Travis Rosenkranz 3-pointer helped IWU score the first five points of overtime. But the Cardinals stormed back to take their first lead since 14-12 on two Derek Raridon free throws for a 66-65 edge.
Zimmer nailed his fourth 3-pointer at the 1:54 mark. After Gamble and Johnson fouled out on consecutive charging calls, Koschnitzky converted four free throws in the final nine seconds to ice the IWU triumph.
“It’s a great win because it’s a win you’ve got to get. It’s nice to be put in those positions and come through,” said Rose. “But it’s disappointing we were put in that position. Give North Central credit for continuing to battle when there were moments, had we executed better, we might have put the game away.”
The Cardinals enjoyed a 45-30 rebounding margin that stood at 26-14 in the second half and overtime.
“They were a relentless team going to the boards. They tipped the ball around and got some loose balls,” said Koschnitzky, who topped the Titans with six rebounds. “That’s something we’ll fix.”
Gamble led North Central with 22 points, while the 6-foot-3 Evans grabbed 12 rebounds and 6-0 freshman C.J. Goldthree had eight.
"We did a better job executing than we probably have all year long,” said Cardinals’ coach Todd Raridon. “We tried to work hard. But against a good team like Wesleyan, that doesn’t get it done. You’ve got to make those extra plays. We didn’t have that happen.”
IWU shot a meager 33 percent in the second half and overtime to finish at 42 percent. North Central was 3 of 16 from 3-point range and finished at 39 percent overall.
Big second half leads Titans over Cal Lutheran
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Illinois Wesleyan rode a hot start to the second half to an 81-69 victory over host California Lutheran on Thursday in the championship game of the Thrivent Financial Tournament at Gilbert Arena.
The Titans trailed by a point at halftime but scored the first eight points of the second half on its way to a 26-9 surge.
No. 18-ranked IWU closed its nonconference schedule at 9-2 and opens its College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin season Wednesday against North Central at Shirk Center.
Sean Johnson and Doug Sexauer scored 16 points each to lead the Titans. Jordan Zimmer hit all six of his shots from the field and finished with 15 points. Ryan Connolly chipped in 12 points off the bench.
IWU held a 54-48 lead before two Zimmer free throws and baskets from Connolly, Sexauer and Matt Schick helped extend the Titans’ lead to 66-50.
Xavier Walton’s 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer handed the Kingsmen a 41-40 lead.
Collin Knudsen’s 17 points topped Cal Lutheran, which dropped to 4-5. Greg Grimm scored 14 and Aaron Fisher 13.
Zimmer returns, leads Titans past Gettysburg
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Welcome back, Jordan Zimmer.
The Illinois Wesleyan junior scored 18 points in his first game of the season after returning from a broken foot as the Titans defeated Gettysburg, 67-53, Wednesday in the Thrivent Financial Tournament at Gilbert Arena.
No. 18-ranked Wesleyan (8-2) meets host Cal Lutheran today at 10 p.m. (CST) for the tournament title.
In Wednesday's first game, Cal Lutheran defeated Hobart, 70-65.
IWU led 43-31 after a John Koschnitzky fast-break basket but saw that margin sliced to two with a 10-0 Gettysburg run.
The Titans responded with a 9-2 spurt that included four points from freshman Victor Davis.
Doug Sexauer added 17 points and Sean Johnson nine for IWU.
Andrew Powers scored 15 of his game-high 22 points in the first half for Gettysburg (4-5).
The Titans started fast and led 17-4 keyed by two 3-pointers from Matt Schick and one from Zimmer.
An extended IWU dry spell helped the Bullets close to within 27-22 before the Titans took a 33-27 edge into halftime.
Titans fall at Wash U in overtime
ST. LOUIS - Washington University wore desperation with impeccable flair Saturday.
Bears' freshman Alan Aboona's spinning, game-tying 3-pointer with three-tenths of a second remaining in regulation and Spencer Gay's baseline shot to narrowly beat the shot clock in overtime were critical in Washington's 83-75 victory over Illinois Wesleyan.
"We've had a lot of games against good teams where we shoot ourselves in the foot," Washington coach Mark Edwards said. "We tried to do it tonight, but we made a couple plays."
The 12th-ranked Titans slipped to 7-2, while the Bears advanced to 5-4 before a WU Field House crowd of 1,081.
"We were not doing things an experienced team should do," said IWU coach Ron Rose. "We could never get stops and score at the same time to extend the lead. You leave yourself vulnerable to that kind of result when that happens."
Two Doug Sexauer free throws with 6.8 seconds left in regulation pushed the Titans' lead to 68-65. The Bears hustled the ball downcourt and a tightly defended Aboona pivoted to his left and launched a prayer that was answered by only the net.
Washington, which bowed out of last season's NCAA Division III Tournament with a loss to Wesleyan on the same court, led 76-72 in overtime when Gay hurried up a shot that also hit its mark for a six-point lead with 43 seconds showing.
"They took away the pass and somebody had to put it up," Edwards said of Aboona. "I thought Spencer's was probably the toughest one Illinois Wesleyan had to overcome."
The Titans committed 10 first-half turnovers and only three in the second half before three costly lost possessions in overtime.
"We had a lot of turnovers. We didn't run our stuff very well," said IWU senior Sean Johnson. "We were not a very tough team today. We did things a veteran team like us shouldn't do. That comes back to haunt you when games go to overtime."
Held scoreless in the first half, Gay still surpassed his 15.3 scoring average with 21 points the rest of the way. Dylan Richter also reached 21 for Washington, including three crucial second-half 3-pointers.
Johnson was 5 of 13 from 3-point range and topped the Titans with 29 points. Sexauer added 19 and seven rebounds.
The Bears shot 55 percent from the field (28 of 51) and were 3 of 4 in the extra period.
"It came down to not getting key stops," Johnson said. "We let them go where they wanted to go."
The Titans were successful on just 1 of 6 shots in overtime and finished at 42 percent (25 of 59).
"I thought both teams really went after each other defensively," said Edwards. "It was a great defensive battle."
Sexauer paced all rebounders with seven as the teams battled to a 32-32 draw on the boards.
The Titans scored the game's first eight points. Washington quickly regrouped for a 9-9 tie, and a tense affair featuring 13 lead changes and nine ties was fully engaged.
Titans pound MacMurray
BLOOMINGTON -- Yes, Illinois Wesleyan junior starter Jordan Zimmer is nearing a return to action from a broken foot.
But before Zimmer adds to the Titans' pool of talent, IWU coach Ron Rose showed Saturday his squad is already deep enough to make a substantial splash without hitting bottom.
Back up center Ryan Connolly scored a career-high 16 points, John Koschnitzky provided a spark in his return from a back ailment and highly regarded freshmen Eric Dortch and Victor Davis saw their first extended action as Wesleyan hammered MacMurray, 94-65, at Shirk Center.
The IWU bench scored a whopping 67 points as the 10th-ranked Titans improved to 7-1 before a crowd of 375.
"The scary part is we can go to anybody at any time. We have very competitive practices, and you see the results on the floor," said Koschnitzky. "Once we put it all together, we're going to be really good."
Koschnitzky scored six points in his first three minutes off the bench to help the Titans reel off 13 straight for a 23-9 lead.
"John gave us a lift. He showed why we missed him," Rose said. "Our goal defensively was to make them take contested shots and rebound. We were able to build the lead because they took contested shots."
The Titans had MacMurray (2-3) doubled at 46-23 after a Stephen Rudnicki 3-pointer. Early in the second half, the 200th career 3-pointer from senior Sean Johnson extended the IWU margin to 54-29.
Connolly scored eight of his points during a four-minute stretch of the second half.
"I started off a little slow. I was disappointed with myself," said the 6-foot-9, 275-pound Connolly. "But my teammates trusted me and got me the ball in the end. I tried to get lower and post up deeper and concentrate on finishing."
Dortch saw the initial first-half action of his career and contributed seven points and two blocks.
"Eric has really defended well in practice, and he's a tremendous athlete," Rose said. "As he's gotten more comfortable with our defensive schemes, his athleticism is showing up more and more."
Davis scored 10 points in seven minutes.
"Victor is aggressive," said Rose. "I loved how active he was. He is always going to play hard."
Duncan Lawson and Johnson chipped in 11 points each. In the first start since his freshman season, IWU senior Matt Schick hit his only shot and dished out a game-high seven assists.
C.J. McClellan topped MacMurray with 18 points. Jerel Robertson had 11.
The Titans outrebounded the Highlanders, 42-35, while shooting 49 percent from the field (35 of 72) and 45 percent from 3-point range (9 of 20).
Chicago upstes Titans at Shirk
BLOOMINGTON — Illinois Wesleyan senior guard Sean Johnson may be on his way to an All-American season.
But the best Johnson at Shirk Center on Saturday was the University of Chicago’s Matt, who riddled the No. 2-ranked Titans for 28 points in the Maroons’ 83-78 upset victory before a crowd of 750.
“He’s a good player and he showed it tonight,” Chicago coach Mike McGrath said of his junior guard. “He really stepped up at the right time.”
Wesleyan (6-1) erased a 19-point first-half deficit and led briefly in the second half. Matt Johnson’s 3-pointer at the 3:30 mark gave Chicago (2-5) the lead for good at 73-70.
“We got what we deserved,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “When you don’t play hard enough on the defensive end, you lose. It’s all about defense. Right now we’re a poor defensive team.”
The Maroons scored the game’s first seven points and led 29-10 after a Charlie Hughes jumper with 7:13 left in the opening half.
“We’ve got to figure out a way to get the games going earlier,” said Wesleyan senior Duncan Lawson. “It’s kind of been a trend and it caught up with us. Chicago is a good team and they got hot. It’s a bad feeling right now.”
The Titans trimmed their deficit to 41-32 by halftime and seized their first lead (57-56) at the 9:57 mark on a Dan Schouten 3-pointer.
“We scrapped our way back in it by getting some stops,” Rose said. “But when we got the lead, we could never get another stop to give ourselves a chance to build the lead.”
Sean Johnson topped Wesleyan with 16 points. Doug Sexauer added 12 and a team-high five rebounds despite being limited to 17 minutes by foul trouble. Schouten chipped in 11 points and Lawson and Ryan Connolly 10 each.
“They were definitely ready to play. No. 21 (Johnson) had a great game on us. We couldn’t figure out how to stop him,” said Lawson. “At certain times you have to come together as a team. They did that maybe a little better than we did.”
The Maroons, who shot 56.6 percent from the field, also received 14 points from Matt MacKenzie and 10 points and 11 rebounds from Tom Williams while outrebounding the taller Titans, 31-27.
Titans Build Large Lead, Hold off Webster comeback
ST. LOUIS - The No. 4-ranked Illinois Wesleyan men's basketball team nearly squandered a 21-point halftime lead but hung on for a hard-fought 84-80 win over Webster on Monday to finish the month of November with a perfect 6-0 mark.
IWU led 44-23 at intermission but the Gorloks (2-1) scored on their first six possessions of the second half and eventually got as close as 80-78 with 25 seconds left. Four late free throws by senior Sean Johnson sealed the win.
"In the first half we had all the momentum, shot well and had things going our way," said IWU head coach Ron Rose. "The second half completely flip-flopped and we allowed them to get some steam and claw back in the game."
Senior Duncan Lawson came off the bench to score 14 and grab a team-high six rebounds in the victory while senior Doug Sexauer also scored 14.
The Titans shot 45 percent from the field (28 of 62) and connected on 17 of 24 free throw tries (71 percent). Webster shot 53 percent (32 of 61) from the field, including a blistering 66 percent (21 of 32) in the second half.
IWU made 11 of 23 3-point tries (48 percent) while Webster managed only three of 12 from beyond the arc.
"We played a lot of games in November and I'm pleased with the results so far," added Rose. "But we have areas that need to be shored up if we hope to continue winning moving forward."
Willie Trimble had 20 points and seven rebounds for Webster while Jarrod Huskey scored 19 and Nick Jones added 17.
The Titans return home Saturday to face Chicago at 4 p.m.
Johnson Stays Hot, Leads Titans Past Dominican
BLOOMINGTON — Sean Johnson must have worn a jacket constantly between Tuesday’s basketball game at Monmouth and his next contest four days later.
That’s because it was clear from the beginning Saturday at Shirk Center that Illinois Wesleyan’s senior guard had not cooled off.
Johnson scored 16 of IWU’s first 18 points and followed a career-high 35 points against Monmouth with 34 more in an 83-70 nonconference victory over Dominican before a crowd of 600.
“The last two games I’ve just had a ton of open looks,” said Johnson. “As a shooter, when teammates are finding you wide-open shots, it’s my job to knock them down.”
Johnson scored the third most points by a Titan in the 17-year history of Shirk Center as No. 4-ranked IWU improved to 5-0.
“His confidence level is so high right now, and we’re doing a great job finding him when he’s open,” said point guard Travis Rosenkranz, who handed out a season-high eight assists. “He’s making unbelievable shots the best two guard in the country makes.”
Johnson almost single-handedly gave Wesleyan an 18-12 lead with three 3-pointers, three driving lay ups and a free throw. Doug Sexauer had the only other IWU basket.
"Offensively, he really carried us early when we weren’t running much offense,” Titans’ coach Ron Rose said. “When we didn’t have a lot going on, fortunately Sean did.”
Dominican coach Mark White acknowledged his strategies against Johnson fared poorly.
“We tried to do some different things. We tried to slow him down a little bit, zone a little bit,” White said. “Once they figured that out, he was knocking down threes in the zone and knocking them down in the man-to-man. He’s really playing well.”
The Titans led 38-30 at the half, but two Johnson 3-pointers and another from Dan Schouten staked IWU to a 49-32 advantage just three minutes into the second half.
“When Doug and BC (Ryan Connolly) are drawing double teams before they even score a point, it makes my job easy,” said Johnson. “Just keep moving and find open areas.”
IWU led 57-36 after yet another Johnson flurry that featured two free throws, a fast break bucket and a transition assist to Eliud Gonzalez.
“We kind of hung around the first half. Then our transition defense was terrible for a stretch,” White said. “We’re supposed to be somewhat athletic, but we weren’t sprinting back and taking away anything.”
The Stars (2-2) scratched back within 69-56 before Wesleyan put the game away with a 10-1 spurt. Connolly scored six of his nine points in that span. The 6-foot-9, 275-pounder even finished a fast break with a lay up.
“BC (Big Country, Connolly’s nickname) is not the same player he was a year or two ago,” said Rose. “He’s moving totally different. He’s really playing better and better.”
Marquis Turley paced Dominican with 19 points. Wesleyan got a team-high six rebounds each from Schouten and Matt Schick on its way to a 33-27 edge on the boards.
Johnson Records Career High (35 pts) in Win over Monmouth
MONMOUTH — Senior guard Sean Johnson scored 26 of his career-high 35 points in the second half to spark Illinois Wesleyan to an 81-68 nonconference basketball victory over Monmouth College on Tuesday at Glennie Gymnasium.
“There are times offensively Sean starts feeling it, and the second half was one of those times,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “He was moving better without the ball, and we did a better job screening for him. And he had enough court savvy to get to the free throw line quite a few times.”
The Titans moved to 4-0 for the first time since the 2005-06 season.
Johnson was 10-of-14 from the field, 5-of-7 from 3-point range and 10-of-13 at the free throw line.
IWU trailed 17-10 before rallying for a 33-27 halftime lead.
Monmouth used an 11-4 run to climb within 70-62 with three minutes remaining. The Titans connected on 8 of 10 at the line over the final 1:22 to preserve the win.
Ryan Connolly was the only other Titan in double figures with a career-high 14 points off the bench. Doug Sexauer and Matt Schick chipped in nine each.
Rose was not pleased with his team’s 21 turnovers or a 32-29 rebounding shortfall. Johnson and Duncan Lawson each had six rebounds for the Titans.
“When you don’t go to the glass and turn the ball over, it creates situations that leave the game in doubt,” he said. “We played in spurts, but we played well enough in spurts to win the game.”
Monmouth (1-1) got a game-high 19 points from Bryce Donaldson and 12 from Corey Gruber.
Titans shoot past Ripon
BLOOMINGTON — Falling behind by double digits in the first half for the second straight night, Illinois Wesleyan ran from its troubles Saturday at Shirk Center.
Unleashing a 3-point-fueled barrage of points with a relay team approach to basketball, IWU sprinted past Ripon, 82-74, in the Titan Tip-Off Tournament championship game before a crowd of 900.
“The key was getting stops and how we ran the floor,” Titans’ coach Ron Rose said. “Our posts ran hard and were able to attack an unset defense. Our wings got out ahead of the ball and were able to get open shots or drives.”
No. 4-ranked Wesleyan (3-0) nailed 14 of 27 3-point tries and were a nearly identical 14 of 28 inside the arc.
“They did a great job executing,” said Ripon coach Bob Gillespie. “They were making the extra pass and finding the open man.”
Ripon (1-1) was successful on 10 of its first 14 shots and led 23-11 before IWU began executing Rose’s mantra of “defend, rebound and run” to fast-paced perfection.
Sean Johnson turned a steal into a layup and three-point play before drilling a 3-pointer to bring the Titans within 23-17.
Two Dan Schouten 3-pointers sandwiched another three from Doug Sexauer as IWU seized its first lead at 31-29.
“I don’t know what it is. I guess we have to get punched in the mouth before we wake up and start playing,” said point guard Travis Rosenkranz, who led Wesleyan with 18 points and added six assists and two steals. “We started locking down on defense. When our defense is good, it makes our offense better.”
With two seconds of difference in the game and shot clock, Ripon held for the final shot of the first half. But when that attempt misfired, Johnson’s long outlet pass found Eliud Gonzalez for a buzzer-beating layup and a 41-33 halftime margin.
The Titans outscored Ripon, 30-10 over the first half’s final 9:04.
“That’s how we’ve been playing in practice. That’s how we know we can play,” said senior Matt Schick, who joined Sexauer on the all-tournament team. “We’ve got a lot of guys who can shoot and everybody is unselfish.”
Schick, who has the two highest scoring games of his college career this season, chipped in 15 points. Sexauer and Schouten had 14 each.
“I loved our mentality,” Rose said. “We got timely outside shooting as well as quality post touches.”
Wesleyan led 55-41 after a Ryan Connolly basket only to see the Red Hawks scratch back within four on a 12-2 run.
IWU answered with an 18-8 surge of its own that featured three Schick 3-pointers and another from Duncan Lawson.
Scott Gillespie paced Ripon with 19 points, and Aris Wurtz chipped in 17. Gillespie also was part of the all-tournament team along with Aurora’s Ryan Crow and Buena Vista’s Doug Bissen.
Buena Vista 107, Aurora 78: Buena Vista (1-2) overwhelmed Aurora in the third-place game behind 24 points from Scott Ticknor. The Beavers nailed half of their 26 3-point attempts.
Crow topped Aurora (0-2) with 19 points. The Spartans were outrebounded, 52-32.
Sexauer's Shot Lifts IWU past Aurora
BLOOMINGTON -- Fitting for the biggest shot of the basketball game, Illinois Wesleyan senior guard Sean Johnson had two big options in 6-foot-7 Doug Sexauer and 6-9 Ryan Connolly.
"I had the freedom to run off two big bodies along the baseline," Johnson said. "Doug hadn't finished (inside shots) well, but he told me he wanted the ball. Doug was the first option. But I knew if I didn't have Doug, I would have BC (Connolly)."
Johnson's pass led to Sexauer's 8-foot baseline jumper with six seconds left Friday that lifted IWU to a 78-76 victory over Aurora in the Titan Tip-Off Tournament before a Shirk Center crowd of 1,400.
"It's to the point with me and him we know each other so well. It's great having that kind of chemistry," Sexauer said. "They trust me and I trust myself to make that kind of shot."
Ranked fourth nationally, IWU faces Ripon for the tournament championship today at 7 p.m. Aurora and Buena Vista meet at 5 p.m. for third place.
"It was senior captains making plays when it really mattered," Titans' coach Ron Rose said. "Many guys struggled, but we kept playing. When it mattered most, Doug delivered."
Wesleyan (2-0) erased a 15-point first-half deficit to lead by five in the second half. But the Spartans (0-1) led 76-71 after a Damian Lewis 3-pointer with 2:59 remaining.
"They got the crowd into it and our kids did respond. I was proud of our effort," said Aurora coach James Lancaster. "It seems like we play them tough down here. They are just so tough to defend."
IWU forged a 76-76 tie on a Travis Rosenkranz 3-pointer and Sexauer's shot from the lane at the 1:24 mark. The Spartans'Skyler Ormsbee missed the front end of a one-and-bonus with 38 seconds showing to set up Sexauer's heroics.
"I tip my hat to Aurora. They did everything to win the game except win it," Rose said. "We did everything to lose the game except lose it. The magic of Shirk pulled us through."
Wesleyan hit only one of its first 11 shots as Aurora broke out to a 14-2 lead. The Titans climbed back within 19-14, but sophomore Ryan Crow keyed the Spartans to a 38-23 margin IWU sliced to 40-32 by halftime.
Connolly scored five points in a 12-0 Wesleyan spurt capped by a Matt Schick three-point play for a 53-48 lead with 12:20 left.
"I thought we would break it open, but they didn't give up," said Sexauer, who paced IWU with 18 points and 11 rebounds. "We just kept fighting and fighting. It was a helluva game."
Johnson chipped in 14 points and Connolly 11. The Titans shot just 28 percent from the floor in the first half and finished at 39 percent.
"We knew the (fast paced) system they run might give us fits," Johnson said. "But we're an experienced team. We stayed pretty composed."
Crow, who scored just two points in five games as a freshman and missed most of the season with an injury, topped Aurora with 24 points. Ormsbee added 16 and 14 rebounds.
"BC (Big Country, Connolly's nickname) and Eliud (Gonzalez) gave us a lot of energy off the bench," said Rose. "They made things happen and gave us a chance."
Ripon 85, Buena Vista 75: Aris Wurtz scored 26 points and Scott Gillespie added 18 as Ripon opened its season with a win in the tournament opener.
Troy Ticknor topped Buena Vista (0-2) with 23 points.
Bench Leads Titans over Benedictine
LISLE — With returning starters Jordan Zimmer and John Koschnitzky in street clothes with injuries, Illinois Wesleyan basketball coach Ron Rose had to delve into his bench to fill out his starting lineup for Monday’s season opener.
When Rose dug even deeper into his stockpile of reserves, he found exactly what he needed in seniors Matt Schick and Duncan Lawson.
Schick scored a career-high 18 points and Lawson snared a career-high 11 rebounds while playing critical roles in IWU’s 78-64 victory over Benedictine at Rice Center.
“We’re such a deep team,” Lawson said. “We have 20 guys who could play varsity.”
It appeared for a time Wesleyan might need all 20 as a combined 48 fouls were called in a rough and tumble affair.
“They wanted to make it a wrestling match. They wanted to make it ugly and sometimes we succumbed to that,” said Rose. “That was a great first game to be a part of because we really had to work for that win.”
Schick, whose only other double-figure game of his Titan career was a 10-point performance on New Year’s Eve, 2007, surpassed that with a 14-point first half and finished with a team-high 18.
“Coach gave me an idea what the rotation was going to be, so I was prepared to make the most of the opportunity I had,” Schick said. “The inside-out game with Doug (Sexauer) worked really well. I felt good stepping in to my shots and making a couple.”
Benedictine held its first lead since 2-0 early in the second half at 41-39. A driving Schick basket ignited a 9-0 Wesleyan spurt, and five Stephen Rudnicki points helped the Titans to a 55-46 margin midway through the second half.
“A lot of the night we were our own worst enemy,” Rose said. “They got up into you and dared you to make plays. If we would have worked the ball more, we would have got more in rhythm.”
A Lawson 3-pointer with 4:18 to go pushed the IWU lead to 67-55 and the Titans led by at least 10 the rest of the way.
“I thought I did a good job rebounding,” said Lawson, who led IWU to a 40-31 edge on the boards. “That’s really going to be my role on this team.”
Travis Rosenkranz added 13 points, Sean Johnson 11, Sexauer 10 and Rudnicki a career-high 10 for IWU, which shot 46.4 percent from the field and connected on 19 of 23 free throws for 83 percent.
Nate Green paced Benedictine with 14 points. Jerrell Tribble chipped in 13.
IWU led 22-9 in the opening half after 3-pointers from Schick and Rosenkranz. The Eagles came roaring back with a 20-8 run to hack their deficit to a point at the 3:48 mark.
After a Titans’ turnover with 3.4 seconds left in the opening half, Green nailed a disputed 3-pointer from the left wing at the buzzer. The officiating crew consulted a courtside replay before declaring the shot good.