Welch, JT
Aubrey Staton
56
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 14-7,10-2 CCIW
59
Winner Millikin MIL-U 7-14,3-9 CCIW
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
14-7,10-2 CCIW
56
Final
59
Millikin MIL-U
7-14,3-9 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 21 35 56
Millikin MIL-U 27 32 59

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Morgan Vogels

Men's Basketball Hangs on to Upset League Leading Titans

The Big Blue men's basketball team hung on late to upset the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin leading Titans of Illinois Wesleyan University on Wednesday, January 31. Millikin met the Titans in Bloomington on Wednesday, January 10 and fell 50-72. On their home floor, the Big Blue was able to snap their eight-game losing streak with a 59-56 win over the Titans.

Millikin was led offensively by JT Welch with 20 points, going 3-for-7 from three point range and a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line. DeMarcus Bond added 11 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and four steals. 

The Big Blue shot 9-for25 in each half to shoot 36% from the field. They went 19-for-24 from the free throw line. The Titans shot 19-for-55 overall, shooting 14-of-16 from the free throw line. 

Luke Yoder was the leading scorer for the Titans, scoring 20, and Ryan Sroka added 10. 

In a game where the score was tied five times and the lead changed eight, the Big Blue scored the first two points of the game on a layup by Nate Straughter. Four consecutive free throws made by Bond gave Millikin a four point lead at 10-6 with 10:19 remaining in the first half. Tionne Spates made back to back shots to give Millikin a 17-11 advantage with six remaining. A steal by Jacob Bullock with seconds left on the clock led to a fastbreak layup that gave Millikin a 27-21 lead heading into the locker room. 

In the second half, Wesleyan quickly rallied, then took the lead on a three by Trey Bazzell with 14:18 left on the clock, pushing the score to 31-32. After trading layups, Millikin regained the lead at 36-34 on an and one by Jaden McClain with 11:45 to go. The squads traded buckets until a three pointer went for Welch with 3:43 to go, giving MU a 49-45 lead then a jumper by Bond and a layup by Bullock pushed the lead to eight with 1:57 left on the clock. 

Wesleyan whittled away the lead to one after four free throws and an and one by Luke Yoder, cutting the lead to 57-56 with 19 seconds remaining after a turnover and two front ends of bonus free throws missed by Millikin. IWU pressured one more time, forcing a turnover, but after a miss and a rebound by Bond, he sunk two free throws to give Millikin a three point cushion with 1.4 seconds left on the game clock. 

Illinois Wesleyan inbounded the ball full court and found Nick Roper in the right corner for a three point try to win it, but he could not convert.

The last time the Big Blue beat IWU was in February of 2016. With Millikin on a nine-game losing streak, they upset the Titans in a 61-59 contest in a similar type of game. 

The Big Blue will head to Wheaton, Ill. on Saturday, February 3 for a matchup with the Thunder with tipoff set for 7:15 PM.
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