2000-2001 News, Notes & Game Stories
Defensive Stand, Third in Land
Key stop helps Titans finish on high note
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
SALEM, Va. -- Cleaning up at the offensive end for 36 years, Illinois Wesleyan basketball coach Dennie Bridges never once said defense was a dirty word.
And while Bridges admits he doesn't preach defense all that much in practice, his team obviously listens when he does.
Fighting through a rapid-fire succession of screens with a dogged ferocity, IWU forced an Ohio Northern shot clock violation with 3.3 seconds remaining Saturday and hung on for a 76-73 victory in the third-place game of the Division III Final Four.
"We said switch on every pick so every time a guard came up there was somebody there," said Bridges. "They were looking for a perimeter shot, and they couldn't get a shot off."
Adam Osborn connected on two free throws with 2.9 seconds left for a 76-73 IWU edge. A 35-foot desperation shot at the buzzer by Ohio Northern's Chad Bostelman bounced high off the left side of the rim.
Before a Salem Civic Center crowd of 3,148, the 17th-ranked Titans finished their storybook season at 24-7. IWU, which won the national championship in 1997, matched its third-place showing of 1996.
"At the beginning of the season, I was very apprehensive. I didn't know how these sophomores would grow up," Bridges said. "To come to Salem and get third in the nation with this group is almost beyond belief. And they're going to get nothing but better."
The closest thing to a tournament favorite entering the Final Four, third-ranked Ohio Northern slipped to 27-4 with its second loss of the weekend.
"Somebody was going to come here and lose two, and it happened to be us," said Polar Bears' coach Joe Campoli. "This group was picked for sixth in our league. They've done a great job."
The Titans needed a great job on defense when Ohio Northern called a timeout with 30.5 seconds left and 27 seconds showing on the shot clock.
Forcing the Polar Bears into one too many passes, IWU heard the joyous sound of the shot clock buzzer as Aaron Fries was going up for a shot.
"To go home fourth is good because it means you made it to the Final Four," Osborn said. "But I don't think people understand what a huge difference it is to win your last game and getting the third-place trophy rather than the fourth."
Osborn helped that cause considerably with a driving layup at the 1:33 mark that gave the Titans a 74-73 lead.
"Usually the middle is what's open. But there was a wide open lane to the right," said Osborn, who had nine of his 14 points in the second half. "I took it hard and finished it."
A woeful offensive start saw IWU sink just 1 of its first 12 shots to fall behind 12-3. The Titans crawled back to a 20-20 tie on a Todd Wente baseline jumper and trailed 39-35 at the half.
Seven straight Ohio Northern points early in the second half put IWU in a 51-40 hole with 16:21 left.
An Osborn three-point play was a needed spark, and a Luke Kasten driving basket brought Illinois Wesleyan within 59-58 at the 10:40 mark.
"The first half I was just cold," said Kasten, an all-tournament team member who scored just two of his 17 points in the first half. "The second half I was able to take advantage of my quickness over No. 52 (Kyle Lowry)."
A Wente basket on a Seth Hubbard assist boosted IWU into a 65-65 tie before Laban Cross gave the Titans their first lead of the entire weekend with a fast break bucket set up by a Wente steal.
A Bostelman 3-pointer with 5:31 left gave Ohio Northern a 71-69 edge, but the Polar Bears would go scoreless over the final 3:53.
"They only shot 40 percent and we played pretty good defense," Campoli said. "But their offensive rebounds and free throws were major factors in the game."
Hitting 21 of 27 free throws, the Titans grabbed a whopping 22 offensive rebounds and won the battle of the boards, 43-31.
Wente pulled down seven of his game-high 13 rebounds from the offensive glass. The senior also contributed 12 points, four assists and four steals in his final game as a Titan.
"We did a good job rebounding and limiting them to one shot," said Wente. "They are an excellent offensive rebounding team, and we did an excellent job neutralizing that."
Cross' 18 points topped IWU, which coaxed in only 3 of 18 shots from 3-point range.
"Early in the game, it didn't seem like anything went right," Bridges said. "But we scrapped and clawed until some good things happened, and in the end we made the big plays."
Ohio Northern standout Kris Oberdick scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds before fouling out at the 2:30 mark.
Fries and Jim Conrad added 13 points each for the Polar Bears.
(Sunday March 18)
Feb. 10 loss to Wheaton sparks glorious run for IWU
By RANDY REINHARDT
SALEM, Va. -- In the back, a slammed locker door echoed slightly.
Otherwise, silence prevailed. And shock. And disbelief. And crushing disappointment.
Wheaton, a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin rival that had missed qualifying for the NCAA Division III Tournament with a 19-6 record the previous year, had defeated Illinois Wesleyan on Feb. 10 and inflicted upon the Titans the lethal blow of a sixth loss.
These Titans are smart. They knew a sixth loss in a 25-game regular-season schedule made it impossible to win 20 games.
Senior guard Adam Osborn voiced what all around him were thinking. "We've got four games left, and basically our season is over," he said quietly, incredulous at the words escaping his lips.
Five weeks later, Osborn sat in an NCAA logo-adorned interview room at the Salem Civic Center wearing a smile that severely strained the structural stability of the corners of his mouth.
Saturday, Illinois Wesleyan's season really was over. And the Titans' 76-73 national third-place game victory over Ohio Northern capped a truly unforgettable ride that nearly never got started because of that dreary night and dreary performance in Wheaton.
"To be at the low point we were three-quarters through the season and to come this far is something I'll never forget," Osborn said. "If there is one word to describe this team, it would be character."
That character was illustrated by no Titan more than Osborn.
Concerned but composed through a horrible midseason shooting slump, Osborn provided the Titans the take-charge captain they so dearly needed during the dark days not to mention several clutch tournament baskets.
Osborn and fellow senior Todd Wente were the quiet but respected leaders charged with guiding a precocious group of six talented but unseasoned sophomores.
Saturday's Salem success will serve as a vivid reminder of the glorious run that began Feb. 10 with what looked like every bit of an ending:
A bad movie blared over the charter bus VCR on the way back from Wheaton after the difficult loss. Punishment? No, at least one player actually wanted to watch "Days of Thunder."
The Days of the Titans appeared to have but 14 remaining.
An expected win over North Central applied salve to the open Illinois Wesleyan wounds. Then, eventual CCIW champion Elmhurst came to Shirk Center.
The Titans would prove what many around the team has suspected since a two-point Elmhurst win nearly six weeks earlier in a convincing 71-63 triumph. The better team indeed resided in Bloomington.
Next was big, bad Carthage. The No. 1 team in Division III had stepped on the Titans by 20 points in Wisconsin and there wasn't even free bratwurst in the locker room. IWU returned the favor with a sneer: 83-71 Titans. And it wasn't even that close.
The swagger a team with six sophomores among its top nine players couldn't expect to have suddenly materialized. These Titans were good and more importantly, they were becoming tough.
Only a road game at Millikin remained, the contest seniors Osborn, Wente and Mike Rogers had every reason to believe would be their last. IWU blew up the Big Blue by 31 points.
The Titans had roared through their last four games, but was the noise loud enough for the NCAA selection committee to hear?
IWU had failed to win 20 games and sat in third place in the CCIW. With only eight at-large bids available nationwide, Dennie Bridges' troops had two strikes against them and Pedro Martinez was on the mound.
To its credit, the committee for once proved Bridges isn't the only one toting the strength of schedule banner. IWU was in the field of 48. At the time, that's all that mattered.
The Titans disposed of sideshow act Grinnell and survived the defensive prowess of Wartburg to earn a Sweet Sixteen berth.
The sectional at the ancient Henry Crown Field House at the University of Chicago produced two tense, draining battles. First Elmhurst (again) and then top-ranked Chicago succumbed to sterling second-half Titan play.
Only an immensely talented William Paterson contingent could keep IWU out of the national title game.
There was no national championship celebration Saturday at the Clarion hotel in nearby Roanoke like in 1997. The sense of accomplishment, however, did not fall far short.
Dennie, it's time to order another banner.
'Unreal' performer dooms IWU
Jenkins hits Titans with 30 points to lead William Paterson into championship game
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
SALEM, Va. -- Illinois Wesleyan's defensive approach to William Paterson guard Horace Jenkins was both persistent and flexible.
Jenkins' response to the IWU defense was both defiant and spectacular.
Further enhancing his reputation as the best player in Division III, Jenkins riddled the Titans for 30 points as William Paterson claimed a 67-52 victory in the Final Four semifinals Friday before a Salem Civic Center crowd of 3,203.
"He was unreal," said IWU senior Todd Wente, who called Jenkins "absolutely" the best Division III player he has seen in four years. "On our level, you don't see that very often."
Adding five assists and four steals, Jenkins propelled the 11th-ranked Pioneers (26-4) into today's 4 p.m. national championship game against Catholic.
The No. 17 Titans (23-7) face Ohio Northern in the 1:30 p.m. third-place game.
"He's a great player," IWU coach Dennie Bridges said of Jenkins. "He showed the great combination of being able to hit the outside shot and having another gear to accelerate (to the basket)."
A 26-year-old father of two, Jenkins said his teammates' ability to contribute made his heroics easier.
"All postseason long my teammates have done a great job knocking down shots with teams paying so much attention to me," said Jenkins. "I try to take the game as it comes and when an opportunity presents itself take full advantage."
IWU trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half at 25-10 before closing the gap to nine (35-26) heading into halftime.
Wente opened the second-half scoring and a Laban Cross three-point play brought the Titans within 35-31.
Turnovers on four consecutive possessions proved costly for IWU as a Jenkins dunk and a Ray Ortiz 3-pointer highlighted a 10-1 Pioneers' spurt.
"They turned our mistakes into baskets," Bridges said. "Their press was so much tougher than it looked on film. We had some indecision on some of our passes."
Jenkins applied the final back breaker with 7:10 left by nailing a 25-foot 3-pointer with the shot clock at two seconds to build the William Paterson advantage to 58-43.
"We knew he would get his," IWU guard Laban Cross said. "He's so quick you can't stop him with one guy. We didn't think the rest of their team would hurt us as much as they did."
IWU got as close as 62-52 on an Eric Starkey basket with 3:14 remaining, but another Patterson dunk and a pretty scoop layup closed the deal.
"We felt very fortunate," Rebimbas said. "The previous three games Illinois Wesleyan had been down at half and made unbelievable comebacks. We were able to keep it together."
The Titans nearly fell apart early, missing their first five shots while falling behind 9-0.
"Maybe our youth showed a little and our confidence went down," said Wente. "We were a little surprised with their athleticism."
IWU recovered to trail just 11-7 after an Adam Osborn 3-pointer, but William Paterson pulled away again with a 14-3 run.
"I was proud we hung in as well as we did," said Bridges. "We never seemed to get any kind of rhythm. Maybe we didn't lose it as much as William Paterson won it."
Kasten paced the Titans with 18 points and Cross added 12.
IWU hit only 4 of 17 from 3-point range and finished at 41 percent from the field.
Ortiz chipped in 11 points and eight rebounds as William Paterson committed just eight turnovers, 11 fewer than IWU. Catholic 82, Ohio Northern 77: Despite playing from behind nearly the entire game, No. 14 Catholic stunned No. 3 Ohio Northern in the opening semifinal.
A Will Morley shot from the lane with 1:34 left gave Catholic (27-5) a 77-76 edge, and Pat Maloney canned four of four free throws in the final 23 seconds to ice the upset.
Maloney led all scorers with 29 points, including 14 of 14 from the free throw line. Matt Hilleary contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Chad Bostelman paced Ohio Northern (27-3) with 24 points, which included six 3-pointers.
(Friday March 16)
Offensive rebound advantage key for 'explosive' Pioneers
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
SALEM, Va. -- William Paterson basketball coach Jose Rebimbas still maintains his team cannot compete physically with Illinois Wesleyan.
The Pioneers' 18 offensive rebounds in a 67-52 victory over IWU in the Division III national semifinals at the Salem Civic Center Friday offer a rather compelling rebuttal.
"We can compete mentally," Rebimbas said. "We had to toughen up our situation, be quicker and use our athleticism to our advantage."
William Paterson enjoyed a 36-28 advantage on the boards while moving into today's 4 p.m. national championship game against underdog Catholic.
IWU meets Ohio Northern for third place at 1:30 p.m.
"They were the most explosive leapers we've played against," Titans' forward Luke Kasten said. "We jumped and they were going up for the second time. They were playing a lot more physical than us."
"With their athleticism on the boards, they beat us to a lot of balls," IWU coach Dennie Bridges said.
Ray Ortiz and Muffeed Thomas each had eight rebounds for William Paterson. Todd Wente led the Titans with five.
Camardella done: Sophomore forward John Camardella will not play in today's third-place game.
Camardella suffered torn cartilage in his left knee last Saturday and was limited to eight minutes of action against William Paterson.
"I would (play) if it was the national championship game," said Camardella. "It really hurts."
Camardella could have surgery to repair the cartilage damage as early as Wednesday.
Sikma on hand: IWU all-time leading scorer and former NBA standout Jack Sikma watched his alma mater play at the Salem Civic Center Friday.
Sikma did not attend the Titans' previous Final Four appearances in 1996 and '97.
"A key part of it is the relationship I've maintained with Coach (Dennie) Bridges over the years," Sikma said. "He continues to do a fantastic job."
Sikma has followed IWU's tournament run from his home in the Seattle area.
"The way the Titans have persevered in the tournament says a lot," he said.
Sikma also got a chance to visit his alma mater before flying east for the Final Four.
"There are quite a few changes," said Sikma, who won an NBA championship with the Seattle SuperSonics. "There's a lot more bricks than when I was there."
Another famous Titan alum in attendance was Sporting News and Washington Post columnist and former Pantagraph sportswriter Dave Kindred.
Sticking with basketball: IWU assistant coach Dennis Martel also is the Titans' head baseball coach, which has forced him to choose one sport during the school's three trips to the Final Four in the past six years.
In 1996, Martel came to Salem with the basketball team. In 1997, Martel coached his baseball team during the Final Four and missed IWU's national championship victory.
"This is a great experience and I want to be a part of it," said Martel, who was on the IWU bench during Friday's 67-52 loss to William Paterson. "It's hard to give it up when you get to the pinnacle of the year."
Martel is flying to Memphis Sunday to catch up with his baseball team on its annual southern swing.
"My baseball players understand, and I have a lot of faith in my assistants," he said.
Rings on their fingers: Among the members of IWU's 1997 national championship team in attendance Friday were Korey Coon, Matt Hoder, Jason Osborn, Andy Boyden and Nathan Hubbard.
Title game experience: Rebimbas was a member of the 1989 Seton Hall team that lost the Division I national championship game to Michigan.
So much for preparation: It may have been Division III basketball's biggest showcase, but that did not prevent the Salem Civic Center public address announcer from mangling the pronunciations of several Titans' names.
Find it yourself: Today's 4 p.m. national championship game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports South, which is available only by satellite dish in Central Illinois.
Fox is not releasing the satelitte coordinates because of rights fees issues, according to tournament media coordinator Brad Bankston.
IWU earns trip to Final Four
Illinois Wesleyan wins one for Camardella, takes sectional crown
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
CHICAGO -- Win one with John became win one for John with breathtaking speed Saturday for Illinois Wesleyan.
And locating the oxygen was no small task.
Painfully but persistently shaking off the loss of late-season inspiration John Camardella to an early knee injury, IWU staged an inspiring performance for the ages at Henry Crown Field House.
Transforming a nine-point halftime deficit into a 13-point lead with 12 minutes of nearly flawless second-half basketball, IWU stunned top-ranked University of Chicago, 77-68, to earn the school's third trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament's Final Four in the past six seasons.
"It might have been a dream, but it wasn't a pipe dream," said IWU coach Dennie Bridges, whose team narrowly made the NCAA field as the third-place team in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.
The 17th-ranked Titans (23-6) meet William Paterson (25-4) at 7 p.m. (CST) Friday in the national semifinals at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Va.
IWU's fortunes took a sharp and quite possibly debilitating blow just 24 seconds into the game when Camardella injured his left knee coming down with a rebound.
The extent of Camardella's injury will not be known until an MRI is taken Monday, but Illinois Wesleyan trainer Bill Kauth is not optimistic about the sophomore's availability for the Final Four.
"At halftime, we decided this one would be for John," said sophomore guard Laban Cross. "We played as hard as we can like John would."
Cross scored a career-high 22 points and Seth Hubbard was huge off the bench with 16 points before a sold out crowd of 1,656.
Seeing Camardella in street clothes in the halftime locker room brought several Titans to tears. The second half, however, brought only tears of joy.
Two Derek Reich free throws to open the second half gave Chicago (24-4) an 11-point lead before IWU mounted a charge.
Three-pointers from Luke Kasten and Adam Osborn keyed an 8-0 run that ignited the vocal Titan fan contingent.
An Osborn driving basket put IWU ahead at 43-42 and another Osborn 3-pointer boosted the Titan margin to 55-47 at the 10:28 mark.
Two Todd Wente baskets gave Illinois Wesleyan its largest lead at 61-48 and capped a remarkable 33-9 spurt that saw the Titans hit 11 of their first 14 second-half shots.
"We couldn't have been in more trouble (at halftime)," Bridges said. "Yet the second half was all ours.
"We ran our offense effectively, made some shots, played the boards and defended Derek Reich the best we could defend him."
Reich, the Maroons' 6-foot-7 standout sophomore, was held to 10 points, half his average.
"I thought Wesleyan played very good defense on Derek the second half, and Derek did a poor job staying focused on the game," said Chicago coach Mike McGrath. "I thought it was a case of composure. We got rattled a little bit and let some silly things happen."
Chicago, which had defeated IWU 77-76 early in the season, saw a 14-game winning streak snapped. The Maroons had been 48-1 in their last 49 home games.
Chicago sliced its deficit to five at 63-58 on two Reich free throws with 5:27 left.
As he had done in the two previous tournament wins over Wartburg and Elmhurst, Cross responded with a huge 3-pointer at the 3:27 mark to push the IWU edge back to eight.
When Chicago pulled within five for the third time at the 1:45 mark, Cross emerged again with a basket off an inbounds play.
"Laban has really matured as a player," Bridges said. "He took over at a lot of key spots and created shots from himself."
Osborn scored all 10 of his points and handed out seven of his eight assists in the second half as IWU shot s scalding 69 percent (18 of 26) to win its eighth straight.
Kasten added 13 points despite first-half foul trouble and Wente scored 11.
Jim Waichulis and Jon Poyer scored 13 points each to pace Chicago, which nailed 7 of 10 shots from 3-point range in the second and finished at 10 of 20 from beyond the arc.
The Titans were perfect on six 3-point tries in the second half and were 8 of 13 overall.
Hangover from the Camardella injury found the Titans down 9-2. Matters got worse for IWU when Kasten picked up his third foul and sat for the final 13:11 of the half.
Hubbard turned in a productive first half in place of Kasten for the second night in a row, and the sophomore's third 3-pointer of the season presented IWU a short-lived 22-21 edge.
The Titans trailed just 29-28 before Chicago scored the final eight points of the half. The final three came on a Tyler Smithson 3-pointer at the buzzer that followed a costly Hubbard turnover with eight seconds remaining.
"Seth played really good, but I about killed him," said Bridges.
The IWU coach is more than willing to extend his 36th season at his alma mater.
"We're back in the ticket business and the transportation business," he said. "But we're still in the basketball business."
(Sunday March 11)
Titans Accomplish Three Major Feats with Division III Victory
By RANDY SHARER
Pantagraph staff
CHICAGO -- The Illinois Wesleyan men's basketball team, the one suddenly in search of new goals, accomplished three major feats Saturday night in the NCAA Division III Midwest Sectional final.
It proved a home-court advantage is a mobile entity. It fulfilled the reason Mike Rogers came back for a fifth season. Best of all, it gave the Hubbard family something to do on spring break.
The catalyst for the above was a vocal-cord shredding, ear-drum blasting, Final Four-qualifying 77-68 upset of the No. 1-nationally ranked University of Chicago at Henry Crown Field House.
"A big reason I came back for my fifth year was the hope that we were going back again (to the Final Four) for something great and big," said Rogers, the only member of IWU's 1997 national championship team still on the roster. "I got just what I wanted."
That would be a 7 p.m. (CST) national semifinal berth Friday against William Paterson (24-4) at Salem, Va.
"I can't wait to get there," Rogers said. "I'll probably eat at the same Arby's I did my freshman year."
Home teams are supposed to feed off their crowd's energy, but the Titan faithful neutralized that factor Saturday.
"Our crowd is phenomenal," said Seth Hubbard, who wasn't half bad himself, coming off the bench to provide 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 accuracy at the line. "I didn't worry about their home-court advantage."
Titan coach Dennie Bridges did the worrying for him.
"I've always said the toughest thing to overcome in the NCAAs is the home court," Bridges said. "Our crowd always makes an away court almost a home court because they are really good."
Hubbard is no stranger to Salem, Va., having attended the Final Four to watch his brother, Nathan, in 1997.
"It was an overwhelming feeling knowing we were headed to the Final Four," Hubbard said. "My brother made it to the Final Four for Coach (Bridges) when I was in high school. I got a little bit of the feeling (sitting) in the crowd, but it's going to be totally different playing there."
Guard Laban Cross, who rescued IWU with 22 points Saturday, wasn't sure how to describe his Final Four feelings.
"We just know it's going to be great," said Cross, who got a great ovation from the crowd after his 3-pointer pulled IWU within 42-41 with 15:50 left.
Adam Osborn followed with a Pamplona-worthy bull-rush to the basket for a layup which gave the Titans their first lead with 15:06 to go.
IWU never trailed again.
"We've got to raise our sights now," Bridges said. "We were just shooting for the Final Four. We're there."
That is OK by Cal Hubbard, Seth's father and former coach at University High School.
"I didn't have anything to do during spring break anyway," Cal quipped.
Seth Hubbard's former coach and current coach both probably wanted to throttle him after an ill-advised baseball pass was picked off and converted into a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer by Tyler Smithson, who put the Maroons ahead, 37-28.
"That's all forgiven now," said Bridges, who needed a big game from Hubbard after Luke Kasten sat down with his third foul with 13:11 left in the first half.
Kasten played the entire second half and only picked up one more foul on his way to 13 points. He had nine points as IWU went on a 31-10 run to open the second half and take a 59-47 lead.
That run spelled the end of Chicago's 14-game winning streak and lowered its record at home to 65-3 over its last 68 games. The Maroons also fell to 24-4 on the year and 2-7 all-time against IWU.
(Sunday March 11)
Illinois Wesleyan ends Chicago's dream
BY JOE GODDARD STAFF REPORTER (Chicago Sun-Times)
Illinois Wesleyan's players went into the locker room in tears after the first half Saturday.
But the Titans were not crying because they trailed the University of Chicago by nine points in the NCAA Division III Midwest Sectional final. They were crying for leading rebounder John Camardella, a Hersey graduate who suffered a sprained ligament in his left knee in the first minute.
"There he is in street clothes, hugging us and telling us everything is going to be OK, and here we are, crying to see him like that," Illinois Wesleyan coach Dennis Bridges said. "John was our inspirational leader down the stretch. Losing him was a punch in the stomach."
Inspired by Camardella's selfless attitude, the Titans roared back in the second half, shooting 69 percent from the field to upset the Maroons 77-68 and advance to the Final Four in Salem, Va.
Illinois Wesleyan will play William Paterson of New Jersey in the national semifinals Friday. The title game is scheduled for Saturday.
Chicago star Derek Reich was held to 10 points, but Maroons coach Mike McGrath said the Titans were only partially responsible for that.
"I thought they played very good defense on him, but I also thought Derek let things get to him, that he had a very poor focus on the game," McGrath said, referring to Reich complaining several times to the referees.
A record crowd of 1,658 at Henry Crown Field House watched Chicago's 14-game winning streak come to an end. The Maroons finished 24-4.
"I've been playing basketball and coaching since third grade, and the locker room after the game was the hardest scene I've ever seen," McGrath said. "The relationships we formed this year were more important to me than losing."
Illinois Wesleyan (23-6) got 22 points from Laban Cross, 16 from Seth Hubbard, 11 from Todd Wente and 10 from Adam Osborn. Jim Waichulis and Jon Poyer led Chicago with 13 points apiece.
(Sunday March 11)
Wesleyan Triumphs, Earns Spot in Final 4
By Scott Merkin
Special to the Chicago Tribune
Illinois Wesleyan coach Dennis Bridges believed the University of Chicago had the advantage going into Saturday's NCAA Division III Midwest Sectional final. The Maroons were top-ranked, a little stronger physically and playing on their home court, where they had won 65 of 67.
"I've been coaching for 36 years, and the biggest single factor in Final Four advancement is home court," said Bridges, who has 666 victories. "I've lost in a lot more exotic places than Chicago."
Following Wesleyan's 77-68 victory, Bridges was never so happy to be wrong. The Titans (23-6) advanced to their third Final Four in six seasons, and in the process avenged an early-season loss to the Maroons.
"To be honest, I wasn't worried about playing on their court," said Wesleyan center Seth Hubbard, who scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds. "We knew our fans would take that away from them."
Wesleyan won the game during the first 11 minutes of the second half, outscoring the Maroons 33-9. The Titans hit 11-of-14 shots during that stretch and turned a 39-28 deficit into a 61-48 advantage.
Adam Osborn, who didn't score in the first half, had all 10 of his points during the run. "It was all about composure during that stretch," Maroons coach Mike McGrath said. "We got caught up in them making shots and us missing some shots."
The Maroons (24-4) fought back within 63-58 with 5:27 remaining on a three-pointer by Jim Waichulis (13 points) and a three-point play by Mike Agema (12 points, five rebounds). But Waichulis and Tyler Smithson missed open three-pointers to end the Maroons' threat.
Wesleyan faces William Paterson on Friday in a semifinal game in Salem, Va.
Win Sends IWU to Title Game
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
CHICAGO -- Chronicling the descent of the shot clock from only a few feet away, the Illinois Wesleyan bench kept Titans' guard Adam Osborn well apprised of the situation.
"Five, four."
Watching Osborn's pass intended for Todd Wente batted away only intensified the countdown.
"Two, one."
Osborn regained control of the basketball knowing full well the urgency of the task at hand.
"I grabbed it and flung it up there with two arms," said the senior. "I don't think there was any (form)."
Osborn's desperation 15-foot heave was a masterpiece to the Titans, giving IWU a six-point lead that held up for a dramatic 63-60 victory over Elmhurst Friday in the sectional round of the NCAA Division III Tournament at Henry Crown Field House.
"It was kind of an omen that the game was going to be ours," IWU forward Luke Kasten said of Osborn's shot with 54 seconds remaining.
The 17th-ranked Titans (22-6) moved into today's 7:30 p.m. sectional championship game against top-ranked University of Chicago (24-3) with an opportunity to earn their third Final Four trip in six seasons.
"You don't realize the feeling until you're going (to the Final Four)," IWU coach Dennie Bridges said with a wistful smile. "I've experienced it. These guys haven't."
Ninth-ranked Elmhurst capped a school-record season with a 22-5 record.
The 1997 national champion Titans trailed by five points at the half and faced a 56-55 deficit after Elmhurst's Ryan Knuppel converted two free throws with 3:17 left.
Sophomore Laban Cross' critical 3-pointer at the 2:33 mark gave the Titans a two-point edge that Cross extended to four on a 16-footer with 1:42 to play.
Knuppel missed a driving layup in traffic before Osborn's shot clock buzzer beater sent the Illinois Wesleyan faithful into a tizzy.
"Adam's was a miraculous shot," Bridges said. "We milked the shot clock to 34{. And then we tried to give it away at the end."
Osborn nearly undid his huge basket by missing two free throws with 32 seconds left. A Justin Carley bucket and two Todd Borgman free throws at the 17-second mark brought Elmhurst within 62-60.
One John Camardella free throw with 15 seconds remaining bumped the Titans' margin to three and set up Knuppel for late-game heroics similar to his clutch 3-pointer that gave the Bluejays a one-point win over Washington University in the second round.
Tightly guarded by the wary Titans, Knuppel launched a shot from deep in the corner that caromed off the rim. The ball was knocked out of bounds by Elmhurst with 1.7 seconds left, and IWU inbounded successfully to complete the win.
"I didn't feel real good about it," said Knuppel, who finished with a game-high 19 points. "I wanted to take another dribble to get open, but I wasn't sure what the time was."
Elmhurst coach Mark Scherer had the ball exactly where he wanted it regardless of the outcome.
"Ryan did the right thing. He has to shoot regardless of the look he gets," Scherer said. "He shoots and we're supposed to get the offensive rebound.
"Wesleyan knows us. They know how to guard Ryan. Washington knows he can shoot, but they didn't know how he can shoot."
Actually, neither team shot well. Elmhurst struggled to 26 percent in the second half to finish at 39 percent. IWU managed just 39 percent in each half.
"It was a great game between two teams that know each other so well it really makes execution difficult," Bridges said. "The difference in the second half was a notch more effort and a notch more attitude."
Cross scored 14 of his team-high 16 points in the second half for IWU. Kasten added 12 points and Osborn and Seth Hubbard chipped in 11 each.
Camardella contributed eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
Knuppel's magic and free throws were the story of Illinois Wesleyan's 35-30 halftime deficit.
The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin's Most Outstanding Player connected on 5 of 6 shots for 12 points. Elmhurst was 7 of 8 from the free throw line, while the Titans were 6 of 10.
After a Hubbard hook brought IWU within 18-17, the Bluejays scored 11 of the next 14 points to forge ahead 29-20 at the 5:05 mark.
Hubbard scored six of IWU's last seven first-half points and another inside shot with 43 seconds left sliced the Titan deficit for five.
Kasten sat out the final 10:42 of the first half after being whistled for his third foul on the offensive end away from the ball.
"Seth did a great job, but we still needed Luke's quickness inside the second half," Bridges said.
An 8-0 spurt early in the second half gave IWU its first lead since 18-17 and neither team led by more than six the rest of the way.
Coupled with Carthage's win Friday, the CCIW has its second- and third-place team in the Elite Eight.
"We knew if we could squeak into the tournament," said Osborn, "we could really make some noise."
One more victory today and the Titans will be heard at the Final Four in Salem, Va.
Chicago 62, Lewis & Clark 52: Brad Henderson scored season-high 19 points and Derek Reich 18 as the Maroons emerged from a 27-27 tie.
Reich suffered a minor ankle injury but did not expect it to affect him today.
No. 20 Lewis & Clark shot just 26 percent in the second half and received 16 points from Scott Davis. The Pioneers got 10 points and 13 rebounds from Colin Oriard.
Camardella Stars in IWU Victory
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
WAVERLY, Iowa -- Was that the slightest tint of orange in the hair of John Camardella?
No, the Illinois Wesleyan sophomore did not brush the painted rafters of Knights Gymnasium Saturday. But his heroic, exquisitely timed leap in the final five seconds has the Titans flying high into the sectional round of the NCAA Division III Basketball Tournament.
Camardella's high-wire act of a steal followed by a driving three-point play with three seconds remaining preserved Wesleyan's tense 65-60 second-round tournament victory over Wartburg before a feisty crowd of 1,622.
"Titan basketball is back," proclaimed a jubilant Camardella after IWU advanced to its first sectional since 1998. "After last year, it's good to get back on the map."
The 17th-ranked Titans (21-6) will meet College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin rival Elmhurst Friday in the sectional round. The sectional site will be announced today with Elmhurst or the University of Chicago as the likely host.
IWU's Laban Cross missed the front end of a one-and-one with eight seconds left and Wartburg rebounded.
As Jacob Olsen tried to pass downcourt, Camardella rose into his path and picked the ball out of the air before proceeding in for the clinching basket.
"I just stepped in front and jumped," Camardella said. "He tried to throw it over me, and luckily I jumped high enough to get it."
"We were probably in a little too much of a hurry," Knights' coach Dick Peth said. "Wesleyan made a great decision and a great play and it allowed them to get the win."
No. 12-ranked Wartburg finished at 24-4 while seeing a 20-game home winning streak snapped.
After Pat Morrison's 3-pointer with 3:02 remaining tied the score at 60-60, turnovers and missed shots ruled until Camardella found an open Adam Osborn on a back door cut for a layup at the 40-second mark.
Troy Osterhaus then missed a long 3-point try for Wartburg, and Cross corralled the rebound.
"John is a great leaper. He made a great play at the end," Wesleyan coach Dennie Bridges said. "It was not Xs and Os as much as it was determination."
Determination certainly described the play of Osborn, Luke Kasten and Eric Starkey. All played with injuries and were in search of ice bags after the game.
"Luke was a warrior. He played the whole second half. I tried to use my timeouts to rest him," Bridges said. "Adam had a couple of really big drives to the basket."
Kasten scored 16 of his 18 points in the first half to keep IWU close despite suffering a strained tendon in his calf Friday in practice.
"I was running on pure adrenaline. It hurt so bad out there," said Kasten. "It kind of feels like a really deep bruise. Rest is the only thing for it."
Osborn and Cross added 13 points each against a rugged Wartburg defense that held IWU to 39 percent first-half shooting and 41 percent overall.
"They would not let us get into the offense," said Camardella, who ended with nine points and seven rebounds. "They were pushing, grabbing, holding. They were really tough defensively. They knocked us out of our flow."
The Titans trailed 36-33 at halftime and got a huge injection of momentum from Cross early in the second half with three quick 3-pointers that boosted IWU into a 44-40 edge at the 16:08 mark.
"That was a big swing for us," Cross said. "We were down a few and that got us up a couple."
The Knights, who shot just 36 percent and hit only 6 of 29 from 3-point range, last led at 49-48 before a key 3-pointer from Wesleyan's Chris Silagi.
"It was a situation where their size really made the difference in the outcome," Peth said. "They got some offensive rebounds and put backs that really hurt us."
Cross and Kasten joined Camardella with seven rebounds as the Titans enjoyed a 37-29 margin on the boards.
Mike Pipho paced Wartburg with 20 points. Morrison and Olsen chipped in 11 each.
IWU Lights up Grinnell
Titans shoot down school records in first-round romp
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
Grinnell College brought the circus to Shirk Center Thursday, complete with freak show.
Illinois Wesleyan took full advantage, gorging itself on dunks like one too many chili dogs and layups like a third wand of cotton candy.
Yet somehow, the queasy stomachs belonged to Grinnell after Wesleyan chewed up the Pioneers' quirky attack and swallowed it whole in a 132-91 NCAA Division III Basketball Tournament thrashing before a raucous standing room only crowd of 3,100 at Shirk Center.
"There's a legend about Grinnell. They get in Sports Illustrated for their style of play and how it's revolutionary," Wesleyan senior Todd Wente said. "We had kind of a personal vendetta. We wanted to show them this is the CCIW and to play in this league you have to be able to play at this level."
Setting school records for points and free throws made (40), 17th-ranked IWU improved to 20-6 and will face No. 12 Wartburg (24-3) Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in a second-round contest at Waverly, Iowa. Grinnell bowed out at 16-8.
"We played with great enthusiasm and poise. It was exactly how I thought they would play, and our team responded exactly how we planned to play against it," said Titans' coach Dennie Bridges. "We ran our press breaker, had good spacing and limited unforced turnovers. We tried to spread them out and pick them apart."
Grinnell's vaunted full-court pressure that has forced over 30 turnovers per game was little more than an inconvenience to Wesleyan. The Titans had just six turnovers while stampeding to a 67-42 halftime lead and had 14 overall.
"We knew what to expect. We stayed calm whenever we got trapped and made the right pass," IWU guard Laban Cross said. "It's a matter of keeping your poise. We've got guys who can score all night long. We just have to make sure we get it in the right people's hands in the right spots. They'll do the rest."
While Grinnell's gambling, trapping defense failed to bottle up the Titans in the backcourt, IWU made the Pioneers pay dearly at the other end. Wesleyan big men Luke Kasten, Seth Hubbard, John Camardella and Wente combined for 73 points and connected on 27 of 34 shots from the floor.
Camardella scored a game-high 22 points in just 14 minutes, Kasten added 20, Hubbard 16 and Wente 15. Hubbard did not miss on six shots from the field and four free throws.
"We thought coming in if you want to run with us, step up. We love that style of play," Wente said. "We did an excellent job clearing the ball off the board and getting it out before they could double or triple team, and we were shooting layups all night."
Reserve guards Chris Silagi and Eric Starkey scored 21 and 13 points, respectively, as the Titans shot 64 percent (43 of 67).
"My hat's off to Illinois Wesleyan. I hope they continue to succeed," said Grinnell coach David Arseneault. "They played a great game and kicked us pretty good. They are the best team we've played."
Grinnell trailed just 13-12 before a 17-2 Wesleyan run that included a Kasten dunk and 3-pointers from Starkey and Adam Osborn. The Titans made 11 straight shots at one point -- repeating the feat to open the second half -- and led 59-27 with five minutes left in the first half.
IWU shattered the Shirk Center scoring record of 117 with 7:22 remaining and broke the school points record set in 1967 when Marty Eich scored with 58 seconds left. Wesleyan's largest lead was 50 at 122-72.
Held to their lowest point total of the season, the Pioneers fired up 52 of their 89 shots from 3-point range but hit just 13 from beyond the arc and shot 31.5 percent overall.
"You might average 118 points a game, but you don't average 118 against a team that plays defense," Bridges said. "They try to break you down off the dribble and then kick it back outside. That doesn't work very well when you can guard the guy who's trying to break you down and have smart enough guys to stay at home on the perimeter."
Steve Wood paced five Grinnell players in double figures with 15 points. The Pioneers were outrebounded, 59-35.
(Friday March 2)
Grinnell Bows out with Record, Respect for IWU
By RANDY SHARER
Pantagraph staff
The Grinnell College basketball team brought havoc to the Shirk Center Thursday night for a first-round NCAA Division III Tournament game.
The Pioneers left with a national single-season scoring record and a healthy respect for Illinois Wesleyan after suffering a 132-91 loss.
"It was a wonderful game. I wish we'd played better," said Grinnell senior captain Michael Hochman, who scored 12 points. "I'll always remember being in that gym with all those fans."
Grinnell, which averages 537 fans at home and never played in front of more than 1,110 this year, were greeted by a standing room only crowd of 3,100 as IWU broke its school record of 131 points in a game.
"They are really good," said the 6-foot-8 Hochman. "They're as good or better than any team in our (Midwest Collegiate Athletic) conference.
"They are big. They're strong. They handle the ball real well. They have as good a chance as anybody to win the national title."
The No. 17 nationally ranked Titans (20-6) only committed 14 turnovers, 16 fewer than Grinnell opponents average.
"I think it was their ability to break the press," said Pioneer freshman Steve Nordlund, who scored 12 points. "We couldn't get to the boards very well either. Those are two parts of the game, turnovers and rebounds, we didn't take care of."
Grinnell's 91 points were its fewest of the season, but it still finished with a season average of 118.2 points per game, breaking the school's 1995 Division III record of 115.3.
"We were hoping to get 134 today so we could get 120 (for an average)," Nordlund said.
Wesleyan nixed that goal by limiting Grinnell to 31.5 percent field goal shooting.
"I think they were bigger and more athletic than teams we were used to," Nordlund said. "We really weren't ready for them athletically."
The only team IWU has beaten worse this year was MacMurray (96-50).
"I don't think we accomplished one statistical goal today," said Pioneer coach Dave Arseneault, whose team was outrebounded, 59-35.
The Titans jumped to a 30-point lead in the game's first 15 minutes.
"We weren't quick today offensively or defensively," Arseneault said.
Wesleyan didn't commit its first turnover until the 13:47 mark of the first half. In the second half, IWU didn't miss a field goal attempt until 10:59 remained.
"Today was a real disappointing day," Hochman said. "We didn't play up to our potential, but the season was wonderful. We didn't expect half this."
The Pioneers, who finished 16-8, went from 10th in their conference last year to first this year.
"Coach's system works," Hochman said. "If you do what you are supposed to do -- you get the steals, you get the rebounds -- it works fine."
Nordlund said Grinnell's system is the most fun he's had playing basketball.
"I love it," said Nordlund, whose team subs in five new players at a time for brief stints like a hockey team. "In high school my teammates would be sitting on the bench as bored as can be. Now everyone is involved so it's a real tight group."
Tickets for Saturday: IWU's ticket allotment for Saturday's 7:30 p.m. game at Waverly, Iowa against Wartburg (24-3) is only 250 tickets.
IWU students and faculty will get a crack at 70 or 80 available tickets, which go on sale from 7:30 to 8 a.m. today. If any tickets remain, the public may purchase them from 8 to 8:30 a.m.
More tickets might be available at Wartburg because its students are not currently on campus. Titan coach Dennie Bridges said their is a "good chance" tickets will be available at the door of Wartburg's Knights Gym, which seats 2,000.
Hostile crowd OK by Martel: Dennis Martel, in his 15th season as IWU's assistant coach, had no problem with the hostile atmosphere created by the wig-wearing, bikini-topped, face-painted home crowd.
"Our fans were great," he said. "What a great atmosphere. I know we've had a lot of great games here, but this was another one.
"The students were great. That made it even more fun. It was interesting that the standing room only area was packed before the reserved seating. Usually it's the other way around at our games."
(Sunday February 25)
An update to the information below after yesterday's play...
Teams in the Pool C mix, in the order I see them based on merit (locks in red):
* Wittenberg (23-3) - Lost at home to Wooster, 59-56. Started week #2 team in nation, #2 in Great Lakes region.
* Carthage (20-5) - Defeated Augustana at home, 68-67. Started week #1 team in nation, #1 in Midwest region.
* Mississippi College (22-4) - Lost at home to McMurry, 76-71. Started week #17 in nation, #1 in South region.
* Illinois Wesleyan (19-6) - Defeated Millikin 96-65 on the road. Started week #24 in nation, #5 in Midwest.
* Wash U. (22-3) - Lost at Chicago, 84-70. Started week as #4 in nation, #4 in Midwest region.
* Gustavus Adolphus (21-5) - Lost at St. John's, 92-80. Started week as #18 in nation, #5 in West region.
* Roanoke (21-6) - Lost Monday to Hampden-Sydney, 90-83, at Salem C.C.. #19 in nation, #5 in South region.
* Linfield (20-5) - Lost at home to Lewis & Clark, 101-88. Started week #14 in nation, #1 in West region.
* Buena Vista (21-6) - Lost at Buena Vista, 89-79. Started week unranked in nation, #6 in West region.
* Elizabethtown (20-6) - Lost at Widener, 81-74. Started week unranked in nation, #4 in Mid Atlantic region.
This is how I see the teams based on merit - quality wins, strength of schedule, etc.. In the perfect world, I believe the Titans would be a lock.
Who knows what criteria the NCAA will use, however. Will they refuse to take 3 teams from the CCIW? Will they be forced into a decision between Illinois Wesleyan and Wash U based on geographics? Do you need 20 wins to get in?
We'll find out tonight. Live coverage starts at 7:00pm CST at onairsports.com. I will be handling Midwest region correspondent duties during the 7:00 - 8:00 preview show. The NCAA Pairings Show feed starts at 8:00.
(Saturday February 24)
OK folks, here is the skinny on IWU's playoff chances...
There are 8 Pool C spots available on a national basis. Pool C bids go to runners up in conferences that have an Automatic Qualification to the tournament. Elmhurst has earned the CCIW's AQ, which leaves Carthage and Illinois Wesleyan looking to Pool C.
I believe the following teams are locks for Pool C bids at this point:
* Wooster (23-3) or Wittenberg (23-2) - these teams play tonight at Wittenberg in the NCAC champ. game.
* Chicago (21-3) or Wash U. (21-3) - these teams play each other tonight at Chicago for UAA championship.
* McMurry (22-3) or Mississippi College (22-3) - play each other tonight at Miss. Coll. in ASC championship.
(The winners of these games will go as Pool A teams (winners of AQ), the losers will get in via Pool C.)
So with 5 spots left, here are the other candidates as I see them:
* Carthage (20-4) - would be a lock at 21-4 with a win over Augustana at home tonight.
* Roanoke (21-6) - lost in ODAC championship game to 23-4 Hampden-Sydney.
* Illinois Wesleyan (18-6) - With a win at Millikin, would have a strong case. 5 wins over teams already in.
* Wartburg (23-3) or Buena Vista (21-5) - These teams play tonight at Wartburg in IIAC championship game. (Wartburg would be a Pool C lock if they lost.)
* St. Johns (20-5) or Gustavus Adolphus (21-4) - These teams play tonight at St. John's in MIAC champ. game.
* Amherst (20-5) or Trinity (18-5) - Play each other tonight at Trinity in NESCAC championship.
(Amherst would have a better case for a Pool C bid with a loss than Trinity would.)
* Widener (20-5) or Elizabethtown (20-5) - Play each other tonight in MAC championship game at Widener.
* Linfield (20-4) or Lewis & Clark (19-6) - Play each other tonight in NWC champ. game at Linfield.
* UW-Oshkosh (18-8) - playing for WIAC championship at Eau Claire tonight.
(This league beat each other up so much, no one has 20 wins. Based on history, however, the WIAC deserves a serious look, and Oshkosh has 18 wins as does UW-Stevens Point, 18-7.)
In addition, there are some teams playing in conference championship games tonight that would be Pool C locks if they lost. For example:
* Calvin (21-4) - The defending national champs host #6 seed Adrian tonight in MIAA championship game.
* Ohio Northern (23-2) - Host #7 seed Muskingum in OAC championship game tonight.
* Wilkes (22-2) - Host #2 seed Scranton tonight in MAF championship.
Upsets in these leagues will hurt the teams above, by taking Pool C spots away.
The Illinois Wesleyan Case for Getting In at 19-6:
* Wins over 5 teams already going - Carthage, Wash U, Elmhurst, Benedictine, MacMurry.
* Two wins over Top 10 teams in last 7 days - #1 Carthage (blowout), and #9 Elmhurst.
* 3 of 6 losses are to teams in the tournament - Carthage, Elmhurst, Chicago.
* 10-4 in the best, or second best, conference in the nation.
* Currently ranked #5 in region (before win over region #1 Carthage)
If you're an Illinois Wesleyan fan, get down to Decatur tonight to cheer on the Titans. That is the only part of this in our control.
- Bob Quillman, 2/24/01, 11:00am
IWU Impressive in Finale, Now Awaits Tournament Fate
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
DECATUR -- Illinois Wesleyan's final regular-season statement was an extremely compelling one.
Now, the Titans' fate rests in the hands of the Division III national committee.
Playing perhaps its strongest basketball of the season over the final four games, No. 24 Wesleyan pounded arch rival Millikin, 96-65, Saturday before a Griswold Center crowd of 2,600.
The Titans closed the regular season at 19-6 overall and 10-4 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. IWU hopes to snare one of eight national at-large bids for the 48-team NCAA Division III Tournament when pairings are announced this evening.
"If how we're playing at the end of the year has anything to do with it, we've been awful good the last four games," Wesleyan coach Dennie Bridges said. "If we don't get in, I'm awful proud we won 19 games with a young team.
"If we do get in, whoever plays us in the first round is in for a heckuva game."
When asked if he has any feel for his team's chances at a tournament bid, Bridges simply replied, "None."
The Titans dominated Millikin (10-15, 3-11) nearly from the opening tip.
Wesleyan shot out from a 4-4 tie with nine straight points and added an 8-0 run capped by a John Camardella rebound basket for a 24-7 bulge with 11:16 remaining.
"Offensively the first half we were not only executing, we were red hot. It was an onslaught. I could point to a lot of guys," Bridges said. "And defensively we never let them get into a rhythm. We had them standing around and not taking good shots.
The Titans took a 47-31 lead into halftime on the strength of 9 of 14 shooting from 3-point range.
"Everything was falling. I touched the ball three times (early) and I was happy," said sophomore forward Luke Kasten. "We did everything we possibly can to get that at-large. We beat two ranked teams and pummelled the lower teams."
Five Titans nailed first-half 3-pointers, including three from Adam Osborn and two from reserve guard Chris Silagi.
"We were already rolling when I came in," said Silagi, whose game-high 21 points were his best total since Dec. 2. "I wanted to maintain and maybe build on the lead. The shots came to me and I went with it."
Millikin never cut into its first-half deficit in the second half.
The Titans led 55-35 after a Laban Cross basket, and enjoyed a 66-45 margin at the 11:40 mark when Ryan McCreery converted a fast break layup.
The Wesleyan crowd roared when fifth-year senior reserve Mike Rogers scored with 5:14 left to extend the margin to 84-55.
The Titans shot 59 percent in each half and did not hit a second-half 3-pointer to finish at 9 of 19 from beyond the arc.
"We've matured a lot," Bridges said. "All of a sudden we're so much more patient offensively, and that's led to a lot of good things."
Kasten scored 16 points, Osborn 15 and Todd Wente 11 for IWU, which held a 33-31 rebounding edge with the help of seven boards from Camardella.
"It had to do with how we played defense," Kasten said. "Our defense has been exceptional lately."
Senior Brad Skowronski, who riddled Wesleyan for 40 points in a Big Blue win here last season, was held to 14. Brock Brannon added 12 and Mike Steers 10.
The victory was IWU's largest over Millikin since a 119-73 triumph in 1972.
IWU Rocks Top-ranked Carthage
Intense Titans jump out to big early lead to win home finale
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
The venerable rock group KISS -- or at least Illinois Wesleyan students in similar attire -- made its entrance with 11:54 remaining in the first half Wednesday at Shirk Center.
The arrival of four young men in black leather and heavy makeup, however, hardly caused a ripple in the crowd of 2,300. The show was already in full swing and the real rockers were wearing green and white.
Jumping on the No. 1-ranked team in Division III with both feet from the outset, Wesleyan roared through its home finale with a thoroughly impressive 83-71 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory over Carthage.
"What a thrilling night. I'm so happy right now," senior forward Todd Wente said. "Everybody came out with incredible intensity. That was the difference. We were all over them."
The 24th-ranked Titans (18-6, 9-4 in the CCIW) piled up a shocking 38-17 halftime lead and still led by 18 points with three minutes remaining. IWU had knocked off then-No. 6 Elmhurst last Wednesday and closes out its regular season Saturday against Millikin in Decatur.
"Our players really believed in themselves when they said nobody wins at the Shirk. Two games ago with Elmhurst and Carthage coming in, we felt that would certainly be tested," said IWU coach Dennie Bridges. "To beat them both decisively back to back is a great testament to how hard they played. It's just a great feeling."
The Titans capped their home schedule at 13-0 and handed Carthage (20-4, 10-3) its 12th straight loss in Bloomington. The Redmen had dumped IWU, 90-70, Jan. 20 at Kenosha, Wis.
"You always think you can make a run and get back in the ballgame, but this is one of those games where the score was a little deceptive," Redmen coach Bosko Djurickovic said. "They kicked our butt a lot better than the 10 or 12 points the game finished up. There was no question. They played better, they were the better team and they deserved to win."
After Carthage's Jason Wiertel opened the scoring, Wesleyan reeled off 11 straight points with Luke Kasten scoring six.
The Redmen connected on just 4 of their first 22 shots and trailed 26-11 after a Wente three-point play.
"We got rolling right from the start," said senior guard Adam Osborn, who had 11 points and a career-high 10 assists. "It seemed like we buried them, and they couldn't fight back. We had all the momentum. When you have that, it seems like nothing can stop you."
Even though starters Kasten and John Camardella picked up their third fouls, nothing could stop the Titans. Osborn's 3-pointer with four seconds remaining pushed the IWU advantage to 21 points.
"That's kind of how we felt up there in Kenosha," said Wente, who had 16 points and eight rebounds for his most productive game in more than a month. "It was good to return the favor. Intensity was the key. We wanted to win this game bad."
After a 21 percent shooting performance in the first half, Carthage found its stroke after the break and more than tripled its first-half output with a 54-point second half.
The Redmen's 63 percent second-half shooting got them nowhere because Wesleyan was sinking 17 of 23 for 74 percent. The Titans finished at a season-best 63.5 percent (33 of 52).
"They are a great offensive team, but we let them be a great offensive team, too," said Djurickovic. "We didn't stop transition, and we didn't do a good job in the post at all. They were able to capitalize on that. That's to their credit."
"We really made some great passes. We executed the offense perfectly a lot of times," Bridges said. "Adam kept us under control all night. When Luke got in foul trouble, Seth (Hubbard), Todd and Mike (Rogers) picked him up inside."
Kasten was whistled for his fourth foul with 17:57 remaining and fouled out at the 10:02 mark, just seconds after returning. He played just 15 minutes and scored nine points.
Hubbard covered up the absence of IWU's top scorer with 17 of his game-high 20 points in the second half.
"I just tried to step my game up and fill the void left by Luke," said Hubbard, who was 8 of 11 from the field. "I was able to hit a few shots and help us out."
"Seth really posted up hard and played with some fire," Bridges said. "That's a big boost. The thought is you lose your go-to guy and all of a sudden the guy who replaces him is putting them in."
Antoine McDaniel scored all 19 of his points in the second half for Carthage. Wiertel added 18 and Greg Ktistou 17.
Camardella, Titans Jump on CCIW Leader Elmhurst
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
There is no truth to the rumor that Camardella is Italian for kangaroo.
Always a force with his tremendous leaping ability, Illinois Wesleyan sophomore John Camardella had plenty of hop to drop Elmhurst Saturday in a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin showdown at Shirk Center.
Camardella's 15 points and 14 rebounds were the spark that sent the Titans past No. 6-ranked Elmhurst, 71-63, before a standing room only crowd of 3,000.
"John played above the rim," said Wesleyan coach Dennie Bridges. "We had some little bitty shots we didn't finish that John cleaned up for us. That is a big momentum swing."
IWU (17-6, 8-4 in the CCIW) kept Elmhurst (20-4, 11-2) from clinching a share of the first conference championship in school history. Carthage (10-2 in the CCIW) pulled even with the Bluejays in the loss column Saturday with a win over Wheaton.
Camardella recorded 13 points and nine rebounds in the second half as the Titans avenged a two-point loss at Elmhurst Jan. 8.
"I was beyond fired up," said the 6-foot-4 forward. "I was having trouble sleeping (last) night. I came over and lifted (weights) this afternoon. I wanted to win so bad. This is such a good feeling to beat the probable conference champions."
Keyed by Camardella's high-wire act, Wesleyan outrebounded Elmhurst, 39-24.
"I felt like the difference in the game was them getting to the offensive glass on us. Whenever we made a run, they got two or three looks at the basket," Bluejays' coach Mark Scherer said. "I felt like we had more to play for, and we should have played tougher. I feel like Wesleyan is more of a skill type team and we're more of a tough type team."
After a first half that featured 16 lead changes and a three-point Titan lead, IWU blitzed Elmhurst with a 13-2 run to open the second half. Senior Adam Osborn scored seven of his game-high 18 points over that stretch.
"We didn't think we should have gotten beat by them at their place," Osborn said. "We had a lot of fire tonight. We wanted revenge. Shirk was packed, it was a great atmosphere. It's just a huge win."
Bridges chewed his team out with uncharacteristic vigor during the game's first timeout and started up again at halftime when one of the Titans made the comment "good half."
"The first timeout was a real anger and it worked. The second one was not quite so real. It was directed at making sure they knew I wasn't satisfied we were just ahead," said the IWU coach. "I couldn't let that statement 'good half' stand.
"You never know what gets their adrenaline going, but I thought they responded well to that and executed a whole lot better."
"We need him to do that, light a fire under us," Osborn said. "That's good."
Elmhurst's flame, however, was far from extinguished.
The Bluejays sliced Wesleyan's 44-30 bulge down to 51-45 with 9:27 remaining on a Nelson Grant basket.
Camardella responded with a 3-pointer and his blocked shot led to an Eric Starkey basket and an 11-point IWU lead.
Elmhurst pulled within 65-60 when senior sharpshooter Ryan Knuppel banked in a 3-pointer despite the blanket defense of Laban Cross. Osborn's 3-pointer from the key with 51 seconds left and one tick showing on the shot clock was too much for the Bluejays to overcome.
"I'm in a rhythm I wish I was in all season," said Osborn, who was 3 of 6 from 3-point range. "For some reason, my shots feels a lot better."
Cross, Starkey and Camardella all took turns running through a myriad of screens after Knuppel, who was limited to 3 of 9 shooting and 10 points.
Justin Carley paced Elmhurst with 15 points and Steven Holder chipped in 11. University High School product Joel Searby scored all nine of his points in the first half.
Luke Kasten had 10 points for Wesleyan, which shot 52 percent from the field and hit a woeful 7 of 17 from the free throw line.
IWU has won 13 straight home games and is 12-0 at Shirk this season. The loss was Elmhurst's first in 11 road games.
After combining to sink 34 of 37 free throws in the first meeting, the Titans and Bluejays managed just 18 of 36 accuracy Saturday.
Osborn on Target, Titans Defeat North Central
Senior scores 16, Kasten nets 25 as IWU rolls to CCIW victory
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
A 33.7 percent mark from 3-point range does not instill loads of confidence in a basketball player.
All bets are off, however, when the first shot of the evening goes down. The only percentage that matters instantly shoots up to 100.
"I'm a firm believer in that," Illinois Wesleyan senior guard Adam Osborn said. "It always helps to hit the first one."
Osborn offered plenty of help by nailing 4 of 6 from beyond the arc and Luke Kasten provided 25 points of inside punch in IWU's 86-72 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory over North Central Wednesday before a Shirk Center crowd of 1,900.
"The good news is Adam had his shot back. He hasn't had that kind of confidence in his shot for awhile," Wesleyan coach Dennie Bridges said. "It would be marvelous if Adam would finish out the season on a roll. He is kind of a streak shooter, and he hasn't had a streak for awhile."
Osborn scored 16 points for his highest total in five weeks as the Titans moved to 16-6 overall and 7-4 in the CCIW. Wesleyan is 11-0 at home this season and meets CCIW leader Elmhurst Saturday at Shirk.
"It seems like I was finding open spots a little better," Osborn said. "I shot it without hesitating and shot with a lot more confidence. I was a little more relaxed, and they were falling."
A 13-point IWU halftime lead was sliced to seven on a Yulander Wells shot with 16:33 remaining. Titan Laban Cross responded with a 3-pointer and Osborn followed with two straight 3-pointers just 34 seconds apart for a 56-40 lead.
"Adam and Laban really stepped up and hit some big threes," said Kasten. "That made it impossible for them to sag on me. We really had a good inside-outside game working."
The Titans extended their lead to 68-46 on two Kasten free throws at the 10:39 mark. Forcing IWU turnovers with a fullcourt press, North Central (8-14, 2-9) clawed back to an 11-point deficit (74-63) with 6:09 to play.
Osborn then hit a 17-footer and a driving shot, and the Titans would not be threatened again.
"We just didn't play smart. We played loose, but we didn't play smart," Cardinals' coach Bob Bray said. "You've got to shoot the ball well down here. Turn the ball over and don't shoot well, that's a formula for a real bad night."
Kasten was 10 of 13 from the field and paced five Titans in double figures.
"He's a tough matchup for anybody," said Bray. "The thing to guard him is hope he has an off night. He didn't have an off night."
Cross added 12 points, Seth Hubbard 11 and John Camardella 10 for Wesleyan. The Titans connected on 19 of 23 free throws for 82.6 percent while hitting their final 14 from the line.
Andy Bohn and Wells scored 20 each for North Central, which shot 34.7 percent from the field.
The Titans fell behind 7-0 in the game's first 1:18, but grabbed their first lead at 10-8 on a Cross 3-pointer.
"I personally was kind of down after the Wheaton game (last Saturday)," said Bridges. "I was really worried we would come out flat. Boy, we did. The first three minutes it looked like they were the only team playing fullcourt."
Cross grabbed a career-high nine rebounds and Camardella and Hubbard had seven each as IWU outrebounded North Central, 47-44, despite 15 boards from Louis Davis.
Thunderstruck: IWU Falls to Wheaton
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
WHEATON -- Lightning is widely considered more dangerous, but getting struck by Thunder knocked the Illinois Wesleyan basketball team out of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin race Saturday.
Stranded in the storm by their own poor shooting and untimely errors, the 19th-ranked Titans dropped a 67-63 decision to Wheaton's Thunder before a King Arena crowd of 1,900.
"We just played a really ugly game," IWU coach Dennie Bridges said. "All we practiced the last two days was offense, and our execution looked like we never played together."
IWU slipped to 15-6 overall and 6-4 in the CCIW as any realistic chances for a share of the conference championship and an NCAA Tournament berth disappeared.
A Luke Moo three-point play with 1:18 remaining snapped a 57-all tie, and Moo followed with another basket at the 34-second mark to put the Titans in a game of catch-up they would not win.
"I don't know what our problem is. Five games ago I said we couldn't get anything going. It's five games later and we still can't," Wesleyan senior guard Adam Osborn said. "It's tough to sit here. We've got four games left, and basically our season is over."
Moo riddled the Titans for a career-high 35 points and made as many free throws (11) as Wesleyan shot while connecting on 12 of 18 from the floor.
"Luke was tremendous. He played almost a perfect game," said Wheaton coach Bill Harris. "I'm very pleased a senior in his last game against Wesleyan was able to come up with that sort of game."
"The way Moo operates -- he backs in and leans in -- you don't seem to get there in time to double him and you never seem to get the offensive foul called," Bridges said.
Wesleyan had possession before Moo's three-point play but committed a turnover on a miscommunication between seniors Todd Wente and Osborn.
The Thunder got another crucial basket with 1:55 left when John Helm nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key at the shot clock buzzer to tie the score at 57.
"Helm is 9 for 45 on threes and he drained it," lamented Bridges. "We really only had two chances the whole game to maybe get a degree of control. When we did, nothing good happened."
Wente paced the Titans with 12 points and Osborn added 10. Held scoreless in the first half, IWU leading scorer Luke Kasten had nine as the Titans shot 44 percent from the field.
John Camardella pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds as IWU held a 33-30 edge on the boards. Seth Hubbard and Laban Cross also had nine points.
Wheaton (11-10, 3-7) also received 13 points from Kevin Blomstrom and shot 56.5 percent in the second half to finish at 47 percent.
The Titans trailed by just two despite a season-low first-half output of 25.
After holding a 12-10 edge, Wesleyan managed only four Hubbard points over the next 8:06.
A 3-pointer and an inbounds play basket from Cross helped IWU pull within 27-25 at the break.
It could have been worse for the Titans. Moo scored 12 first-half points despite missing four of six free throws.
Wheaton finished at 18 of 25 from the line, including 11 of 17 from Moo, while IWU was 8 of 11.
Cross' Sharpshooting Leads IWU to Overtime Win
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
CHICAGO -- All of a sudden, Illinois Wesleyan sophomore Laban Cross was open. For many, too open. Eerily open.
But after brushing off a North Park defender, Cross calmly nailed the second of his two huge overtime 3-pointers that propelled the Titans to a dramatic 92-85 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin overtime victory Tuesday before a North Park Gymnasium crowd of 1,000.
Cross' 3-pointer with 48 seconds left extended a perilous IWU lead to 86-82. And unlike late in regulation, the Titans converted six of six free throws over the final 28 seconds to seal the triumph.
"I was trying to shake loose from my man. I drove to the basket and he lost his feet," Cross said. "I stepped back and saw no one on me. That's when I know I should shoot it."
"That gave us the edge we needed," IWU coach Dennie Bridges said. "It's hard to make it when you're that open." No. 19-ranked Wesleyan's 14th victory in the past 15 games over North Park raised the Titans' record to 15-5 overall and 6-3 in the CCIW.
North Park's Jason Collins missed two 3-point tries in the final minute, and John Camardella sank four straight free throws and Cross two more for the final margin.
The Vikings (10-10, 1-8) had taken an 80-77 edge on two Keith Peterson free throws with 2:51 remaining before Cross responded with a 3-pointer at the 2:34 mark for a tie.
"That one may have been even more important," said Bridges. "If Laban misses there, we have a chance to lose contact with the lead. Then we came up with some key defensive stops."
North Park sent the game into overtime on a Collins rebound basket at the buzzer. Peterson's potential game-winning 3-pointer had rimmed out and the Vikings missed a second shot before Collins stepped in.
Wesleyan squandered a chance to salt the game away at the free throw line late in regulation.
Adam Osborn, an 86 percent free throw shooter, missed two with 1:18 left and Luke Kasten missed the front end of a one-and-one at the 21-second mark.
"We missed some shots we should have made," said Cross, who finished with 18 points. "But we got a win on the road."
Kasten paced the Titans with 20 points and led all rebounders with 11. Camardella added 13 points, while Ryan McCreery and Osborn had 12 each.
Connecting on four of North Park's 11 3-pointers, Collins led the Vikings with 22 points. Peterson chipped in 15 and Rob Berki 14.
"They did some uncharacteristic things," Bridges said. "They're not a 3-point shooting team, but that got them right back in the game."
Scoring the first eight points of the second half extended the IWU lead to 45-30. But North Park came storming back.
A LaRon Kittrell three-point play closed the Wesleyan lead to 64-62 before a Collins fast break basket tied the score with 8:06 remaining.
An early 11-0 spurt boosted the Titans into a 13-3 lead. And even though North Park could manage just nine points on three 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes, IWU led just 15-9.
The Vikings assumed their first lead since 3-2 when Berki's two free throws at the 4:41 mark made the score 25-24.
Wesleyan closed the first half on a 13-5 run for a 37-30 halftime advantage. The Titans shot 55 percent from the field and it's a good thing for them. North Park got off 20 more shots (78 to 58) but managed just 37 percent accuracy.
The Vikings were an efficient 89 percent from the line (16 of 18), while IWU was 22 of 32 for 69 percent.
The Titans play the third of three straight road games Saturday at Wheaton.
Augustana Bucks IWU, Endangers Playoff Hopes
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
ROCK ISLAND -- Going to its horse, the Illinois Wesleyan basketball team led by four points in the second half Saturday.
Then, suddenly, the saddle fell off Titan sophomore Luke Kasten, and IWU was in for a rough ride.
Augustana used an 11-0 spurt to claim a seven-point lead and nailed eight of eight free throws in the final 1:25 to claim a 76-70 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory before a Carver Center crowd of 1,500.
"Luke did a wonderful job. He carried us the second half," said IWU junior Ryan McCreery. "I give all the credit to Augustana. They pressured our guards to where we couldn't make the easy pass inside. That was pretty much the difference in the game."
The 16th-ranked Titans slipped to 14-5 overall and 5-3 in the CCIW. IWU needs to win all six of its remaining games to harbor any realistic hopes of qualifying for the NCAA Division III Tournament.
"They imposed their quickness on us. In Bloomington, we imposed our size on them (in a 91-72 win)," said Titans' coach Dennie Bridges. "They are constantly clawing and slapping at the ball. It disrupts your timing."
Augustana (15-5, 7-2) took over third place in the CCIW despite shooting just 36 percent from the field.
"I thought (6-foot-10 sophomore) Adam Rue was the difference in the game. He was definitely a major factor defensively," Vikings' coach Grey Giovanine said. "We couldn't handle Kasten. Adam comes in and he can't score."
Six straight Kasten points supplied the Titans with a 47-43 lead with 11:22 remaining. Augustana then reeled off 11 consecutive points for a 54-47 margin with Adam Talbot scoring five of his team-high 17.
"We were up 47-43 then we just hit a wall," Bridges said. "We had some careless passing. We couldn't get it effectively in the low post to Todd (Wente) and Seth (Hubbard)."
IWU closed within 68-65 on a Kasten three-point play with 1:45 remaining, but Augustana's marksmanship at the free throw line prevented any additional Titan progress.
"I thought we had guys make plays down the stretch. We really took care of the ball," said Giovanine. "It was a contrast in styles: our pressure against their half-court offense and we came out on top."
Augustana committed just three of its 10 turnovers in the second half. Wesleyan coughed up a season-high 22 turnovers.
Kasten finished with 20 points, but only Laban Cross joined him in double figures with 13. Other than Kasten and Cross, the rest of the Titans shot an anemic 37 percent (14 of 38) from the field.
McCreery had eight points and matched a career high with 10 rebounds as Wesleyan earned a slim 44-41 advantage on the boards.
Steve Lamberti had 14 points off the bench for the Vikings. Shaun Clements chipped in 13, while Drew Carstens and Zac Larson had 10 each.
Wesleyan survived two decidedly dysfunctional stretches for a three-point halftime lead.
Hampered by five quick turnovers, the Titans did not attempt a shot in the first four minutes. IWU trailed 9-0 before Todd Wente broke the scoreboard seal with 15:05 showing.
"The first five minutes kind of set the tone," Bridges said. "We must have had seven or eight balls knocked out of our hands. We looked like we weren't going to score in the first half."
Two McCreery 3-pointers and another from Chris Silagi keyed a 13-2 spurt that gave the Titans a 21-17 lead.
Then, after scoring just two points over a span of 7:06, Hubbard and McCreery hit shots in the final minute to send Wesleyan into halftime with a 32-29 edge.
The Titans, who lost for just the second time in 13 games in which they held a halftime lead, play the second of three straight road games Tuesday against North Park in Chicago.
(Friday February 2)
No Room for Error as Titans Travel to Rock Island
by Bob Quillman
Most years an 11-3 record in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin is good enough to get you a conference championship and a top two seed in the Midwest region. This year it may only be good for third place and a slim chance at an at-large playoff berth.
Heavy preseason favorite Carthage (ranked #1 in the nation by d3hoops.com) and 2000-2001's surprise team, Elmhurst (#8), sit atop the current CCIW standings at 6-1 and 8-1 respectively. With both playing solid basketball, 12-2 or better is not out of the question for either team.
Saturday night the other two CCIW title contenders meet in what appears to be a "must win" for both squads. 5-2 Illinois Wesleyan, ranked #16, travels to Rock Island to face the 6-2 Augustana Vikings. Up to this point, both teams have only lost to other "contenders" on the road - IWU to Elmhurst and Carthage, and Augustana to IWU and Elmhurst. The Titans won the first meeting easily on January 10, 91-72 at the Shirk Center in Bloomington. Wesleyan led by the score 40-19 at the 3:49 mark of the first half and never looked back.
Expect a different game tomorrow from second year coach Grey Giovanine's scrappy Vikings. Augustana is led by the CCIW's premiere freshman, 6-2 guard Drew Carstens (Downers Grove North H.S.). Carstens averages 15.2 points per game, and can score from the perimeter or by taking the ball to the basket. 6-0 guard Adam Talbot is the Viking's second leading scorer at 10.9 per game, and 6-3 Zac Larson, 6-6 Sean Clements, and 6-3 Mike Nee all add 8 points per contest.
Illinois Wesleyan's main advantage against the Vikings is in the post. 6-7 sophomore Luke Kasten has emerged as one of the most outstanding players in the CCIW. Kasten averages 16.4 points per game on the season, and is coming off an impressive 28 point, 10 rebound effort against Millikin Wednesday. In 7 conference games Kasten is averaging 20.4 points per contest. 6-6 Todd Wente has been the Titan's steadiest player in 2000-2001. The senior averages 11.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and leads the teams in steals with 25. 6-7 sophomore Seth Hubbard gives IWU size off the bench, and adds 9.5 points per game. The three Wesleyan big men combined for 55 points in the first IWU-Augustana meeting. Starting guards Laban Cross and Adam Osborn add 11 points a game. 6-4 sophomore forward John Camardella leads the team in rebounding, and is averaging 6.6 boards per game in CCIW play. The Hersey H.S. product has pulled down 10 rebounds in each of IWU's last 2 games.
Gametime is 7:30 at the Carver Center.
Kasten, IWU Trip Millikin
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
The alley oop dunk by Millikin's Greg Lane graded high on style.
Luke Kasten's rebuttal came a mere 18 seconds later. The Illinois Wesleyan sophomore promptly shook free on the baseline and powered down a dunk of his own.
Kasten was not about to be upstaged Wednesday at Shirk Center, scoring a career-high 28 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in Wesleyan's 98-84 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory over Millikin before a crowd of 2,300.
"Millikin is a huge rival. It's a huge game for me," said Kasten. "My best friend (and former Hillsboro High School teammate) Tim (Tolle) plays there. That makes it a little more interesting for me. Hillsboro fans come to support us both. It's great to win."
The 16th-ranked Titans and Kasten in particular got off to blazing starts while improving to 14-4 overall and 5-2 in the CCIW.
Kasten scored 11 of IWU's first 16 points and a Chris Silagi 3-pointer gave Wesleyan a 23-9 lead. Kasten's dunk boosted the margin to 36-17, and Todd Wente's 3-pointer from the corner extended the Titans' margin to a startling 45-20 with five minutes left in the half.
"We were talking in the locker room before the game about what we had to do to stop (Brad) Skowronski," said Wesleyan coach Dennie Bridges. "And I said just score 90 points and it doesn't make any difference how we play defense. We'll win this game.
"We were ahead something like 29-11 and we had hardly run our set offense because we had so many shots off of playing good defense, rebounding and going with it. We got the 90 points I wanted, but I don't necessarily think it was our offense so much as it was the defense."
Millikin coach Tim Littrell said his team's first-half defense was no match for the Titans' explosiveness .
"You're never going to outscore Wesleyan. No one in our league is going to outscore them if you don't contest shots," said Littrell. "When they hit you with that barrage it's them doing an awfully good job and us not defending like we need to defend."
Millikin (8-10, 1-6) did outscore Wesleyan, 13-2, the final five minutes of the first half to rally within 47-33.
Eight Titans scored in the first half. The two who played and didn't score -- Ryan McCreery and Mike Rogers -- combined for five assists.
The Big Blue got as close as 11 points in the second half at 60-49 when Mike Dunn banked in a 3-pointer with 12:41 remaining.
Kasten scored the first five points as Wesleyan countered with a 14-3 spurt to put the game away and move the Titans to 10-0 at Shirk this season.
"The shots were falling and the guys were getting the ball to me really well," said Kasten, who was 9 of 13 from the field and 9 of 10 on free throws. "They didn't really seem to have an answer in the post.
"Millikin wants to get up and down the floor and have a street ball game. I'm really proud of our team. We kept our composure, looked for our shot, ran our offense and kept the tempo of the game in our favor."
Wesleyan's starting frontline of Kasten, Wente and John Camardella combined for 50 points and 28 rebounds. Wente scored 14 points -- including the fourth and fifth 3-pointers of his college career -- while Camardella grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds for the second straight game.
"He (Kasten) is a tough matchup for everybody," Littrell said. "Their inside players really hurt us."
Skowronski, who torched the Titans for 40 points last season in Decatur, was just 4 of 18 from the field and led Millikin with 15 points. Dunn added 12 points and Jeff Love 10.
Seth Hubbard chipped in 12 points in 13 minutes off the bench and Laban Cross had 10 points for the Titans, who shot 64 percent in the second half and 58 percent overall while reaching a season high for points.
"We really scored on them inside," said Bridges. "Our depth was a factor. I used my bench more than I have been."
Wente pulled down eight rebounds to help IWU to a 44-37 advantage on the boards.
Wesleyan plays the first of three straight road games Saturday at Augustana (14-5, 6-2).
IWU Sleepwalks to Home Victory over North Park
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
How quiet can a standing room only crowd of 2,900 be?
The Illinois Wesleyan basketball team seemed intent on finding out Saturday at Shirk Center.
"We needed to give the crowd something to cheer for," IWU coach Dennie Bridges said. "We just thrive on our home crowd, and we didn't give them a heckuva lot to get on their feet about until the last four minutes."
Shaking off what was nearly a fatal case of lethargy, Wesleyan used a late 12-2 spurt to grab the elusive lead and hung on for a lackluster 68-62 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory over North Park.
"We put it together at the end and pulled one out," said sophomore guard Laban Cross, who led the Titans with 16 points. "We didn't play that well. I'm glad we were at home. On the road it might have been a different story."
Ranked 20th nationally in Division III, Wesleyan secured its 12th straight winning season while improving to 13-4 overall and 4-2 in the CCIW.
A 3-pointer and a three-point play off a steal by junior Jason Collins staked North Park (10-7, 1-5) to a 54-48 lead with 7:08 remaining. The Titans then began to awaken from their slumber.
Luke Kasten rebounded a missed Cross free throw and scored to bring IWU within 54-53 and two Adam Osborn free throws at the 4:53 mark gave the Titans a tenuous lead.
"We came out all pumped up and ready to play. We knew we had to get back on track from (last Saturday's loss to) Carthage," said Osborn, who scored all 10 of his points in the final five minutes. "It seemed like we couldn't get anything going. That's a credit to their defense. They got out and hounded us a little more than some other teams in the conference."
A Cross rebound of a missed Kasten free throw led to a John Camardella basket. Osborn's three-point play with 3:38 remaining pushed the IWU margin to 60-56.
"We did everything but win. We had our chances to get them. We were in control and let it get away," North Park coach Rees Johnson said. "We didn't box out on a free throw twice. That's a cardinal sin of basketball and we did it twice."
The Vikings crept back to a 61-60 deficit with 1:41 showing on two Javier Sanchez free throws. But Osborn shook free on a back door cut for a crucial basket and added two free throws at the 45-second mark.
"The good news is at a timeout with five minutes to go and up one I told them 'these are the most important five minutes of the season right here. We can't let this one get away,' " said Bridges. "The next five minutes we played a notch higher."
Executing their offense with the crispness of tapioca pudding, the Titans missed 16 of their first 24 shots but never trailed by more than four. Despite matching a season-low first half output, IWU was tied at 30-30 at the half.
"We were just slow on our cuts," Bridges said. "We had a few shots go in and out and we got a little tentative. There was no crisp passing."
All five Wesleyan starters scored in double figures as Kasten finished with 13, Camardella 12 and Todd Wente 11. Camardella's career-high 10 rebounds helped the Titans to a 39-28 advantage on the boards.
Collins paced North Park with 18 points and Keith Peterson added 16.
IWU, which meets Millikin at Shirk Center Wednesday, connected on a season-low one 3-pointer on nine shots from beyond the arc.
No. 1 Carthage Takes Apart Illinois Wesleyan
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
KENOSHA, Wis. -- The inbounds pass went one way. Theo Powell went the other.
No matter. Even when things went wrong for the Carthage College basketball team Saturday, they went right.
Powell chased down the pass before it left the playing surface and promptly swished his first 3-point attempt of the season from 30 feet at the first-half buzzer.
Saturday at the Physical Education Center, the Redmen were red hot in a 90-70 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory over Illinois Wesleyan.
Ranked first nationally in Division III, Carthage responded with a fury from Wednesday's upset loss to Elmhurst here to improve to 13-2 and 3-1 in the CCIW before a boisterous crowd of 2,150.
It was Wesleyan's largest CCIW loss since a 105-70 defeat at the hands of North Park in 1985.
"A lot of it was us. We weren't patient enough on offense," Wesleyan coach Dennie Bridges said. "Offensively we were trying to throw up the first shot available.
"In doing so we created an alley ball game, racing up and down the floor. We have to be smarter than that. We're not going to win that type of game."
Powell's unlikely 3-pointer capped a 54-point Carthage first half that handed the Redmen a comfortable 16-point lead. "That put the final exclamation point on a bad half," Bridges said.
Nailing 12 of its first 17 shots, Carthage took a 31-20 advantage on a Greg Ktistou 3-pointer at the 9:32 mark of the opening half.
No. 15-ranked IWU (12-4, 3-2) battled back to a 37-32 deficit with 5:50 remaining on a Ryan McCreery 15-footer.
The Redmen later scored nine straight points to push a 42-36 lead to 51-36.
"It seemed like we couldn't stop them," Wesleyan guard Adam Osborn said. "They were making everything and getting the ball to the right people.
"We strayed away from everything we did the first half of the season to get some wins. It's pretty embarrassing to come here and lose by 20. All we can do is bounce back."
Although it may not have seemed possible to the Titans, matters worsened before they improved.
Leading scorer Luke Kasten picked up his fourth foul with 16:31 remaining and Todd Wente did the same with 14:51 left.
An Antoine McDaniel dunk after a mad scramble put Carthage ahead 73-45.
Jason Wiertel scored 21 points, Ktistou 20, Powell 17 and McDaniel 15 for the Redmen.
"Coming off the last loss, we were all ready to play," said Ktistou. "It was a fabulous crowd, and we had a lot of energy. The shots were going in, and we tried our best defensively to kick it up."
"They had a lot of balance," Bridges said. "It was no one guy."
Wesleyan could take some solace from a 21-4 second half spurt that showed the Titans had not already boarded the bus back to Bloomington.
John Camardella's 3-pointer with 5:54 left brought Wesleyan within 77-66. Carthage then scored nine of the next 11 points to dash Titan hopes of an epic comeback.
"You would always rather show you're going to fight back and not fold your tent," Bridges said.
Accustomed to the intimate restaurant-style lighting at the Physical Education Center, Carthage shot 57 percent from the field in the first half and 55 percent overall.
Kasten paced IWU with 18 points and Seth Hubbard added 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
Wesleyan shot 43 percent from the field, 39 percent in the second half. IWU was outrebounded, 43-28.
The Titans, who have played six games in the last 15 days, get their longest break of the CCIW season before facing North Park at Shirk Center next Saturday.
24 Magic Number for Kasten, IWU
Sophomore fuels big second half for Titans
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
NAPERVILLE -- Fouling out with 24 seconds remaining, Illinois Wesleyan sophomore Luke Kasten was certainly departing a tight basketball game Wednesday at Gregory Arena.
He also was -- quite unknowingly -- further cementing his new lucky number.
Scoring 24 points for the third consecutive game, Kasten sparked a 52-point Titan second-half outburst that IWU dearly needed to bring home an 85-82 victory over North Central.
"It was a street-ball game, a free for all under the basket," Kasten said. "It came down to who wanted it more."
That category could be judged a dead heat between Kasten and North Central's Yulander Wells.
Wells scored 27 points -- including 10 in the final five minutes -- but the senior guard's potential game-tying 3-point attempt in the final seconds caromed off the front of the rim.
"I thought it was going in. He has hit that a number of times, but it was just a little short," Cardinals' coach Bob Bray said. "Yulander was unbelievable offensively."
Ranked 15th nationally, Wesleyan moved to 12-3 and 3-1 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin ahead of Saturday's showdown at top-ranked Carthage.
Building a 36-33 halftime lead with a dominating rebounding performance, North Central slipped to 7-8 and 1-3 in the conference.
"Wells is a great offensive player, and North Central really played hard," said IWU coach Dennie Bridges. "We really turned the rebounding around the second half.
"Luke did a better job, and John Camardella did a great job. John personally got enough rebounds to make the difference."
Camardella was a critical physical presence in the second half and finished with 16 points and nine rebounds.
"This game was tailor made for John Camardella," Kasten said. "He gave us a big lift on the boards, and that was crucial to the game."
North Central assistant and former Wesleyan player David Kunka called Camardella "the toughest player I've seen in the league for a long time."
Camardella's biggest basket came on a rebound of a missed free throw with 1:42 left that gave the Titans an 80-71 lead.
"I just battled," Camardella said. "Once we started hitting the boards, the game started going in our favor."
A Mike Kulbeda 3-pointer with 13 seconds left brought North Central within two at 84-82.
Chris Silagi hit one of two free throws at the 10-second mark to leave the door open for a tying 3-pointer.
"We know we can play with them. It's getting to the point of beating them," Bray said. "We did a good job rebounding the first half, but they came back the second half a little more hungry on the boards."
With Louis Davis grabbing 12 of his 13 rebounds in the first half, the Cardinals had a 23-13 advantage on the boards. North Central's final rebounding margin was 42-31.
"This was a game where you had to have a lot of toughness, and the first half we showed we didn't have that toughness," Kasten said. "The second half we gave a real good effort. We got physically tougher and mentally tougher."
IWU shot 58.6 percent from the field in the second half and finished at 53.7 percent.
"North Central was really well prepared. We had to pick an offense and adjust to what they were doing," said Bridges. "Our passers got Luke the ball in good position, and Luke did a good job moving without the ball to get the ball."
Adam Osborn scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half for Wesleyan. Laban Cross added 11 points and Todd Wente 10.
North Central also placed five in double figures, including Andy Bohn with 16 points and Bill Stang with 13.
The Titans held a 28-19 first-half lead after a Seth Hubbard basket with 7:07 remaining, but IWU would not score another basket until the 1:17 mark.
North Central took its first lead (31-30) since 2-0 on a Stang free throw. Two Davis rebound baskets in the final two minutes helped the Cardinals to their halftime lead.
Wesleyan scored just five points in the final seven minutes of the half, all by Kasten.
Kasten does it all in Titan triumph
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
His crucial 3-pointer may have been the final dagger to the hopes of the Wheaton College basketball team Saturday.
Yet Illinois Wesleyan sophomore Luke Kasten inflicted more thorough damage with a powerful inside game as the Titans claimed a 74-62 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory before a standing room only Shirk Center crowd of 2,800.
Kasten scored 24 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked three shots to elevate IWU to 11-3 overall and 2-1 in the CCIW.
"He's the best player in the whole conference as far as we're concerned," said Wesleyan guard Laban Cross. "When he's playing well, scoring points and getting rebounds, we all thrive off of that and we play a better game ourselves."
Wheaton coach Bill Harris said Kasten's 3-pointer with 3:12 remaining that extended the Titans' lead to 64-55 "really broke our back."
Kasten and IWU coach Dennie Bridges were even more pleased with Kasten's season-high rebound total.
"I'm trying to play stronger," Kasten said. "My rebound efforts have been pathetic lately. I've really been kind of disgusted with myself. I was trying to make a conscious effort to get rebounds."
"Luke's play was his best of the year," said Bridges. "His strength ... He would miss a shot, muscle down the rebound and go up with it again."
Wheaton (8-5, 0-2) had shaved an 11-point halftime deficit to five at 47-42 with 11:53 remaining. IWU fought off the surge and led 53-43 after a dunk and a reverse layup off a rebound by reserve forward John Camardella.
"John plays with great emotion. For his size (6-foot-4), he is as good of a rebounder as there is in the league," Bridges said. "He does things that make me close my eyes, and he does things that open all our eyes."
Camardella (12 points, eight rebounds) and Seth Hubbard (10 points, seven rebounds) provided valuable minutes off the bench as Wesleyan moved to 8-0 at Shirk Center this season.
Senior standout Luke Moo kept Wheaton close with 15 of his 26 points in the second half
The tag team effort of Cross and Eric Starkey held Thunder leading scorer Nate Collord to eight points, seven below his average.
"Starkey and I knew where he was all the time. That's what our plan was," Cross said. "We concentrated on him and let the rest of the team play. We did a pretty good job on him."
"Collord is an outstanding threat," said Bridges. "He didn't get any open threes and that's his game."
Wheaton pulled to within 30-24 with four minutes left in the first half, but Wesleyan moved out to a 39-28 margin with the help of a Todd Wente 3-pointer with the shot clock under five seconds and two Camardella baskets.
"The last three minutes (of the first half) really hurt us," Harris said. "Wesleyan executed the last three minutes, and I didn't think we competed with that intangible competitiveness in the first half as we did the second half."
The Titans finished at 7 of 10 from the free throw line, but did not make a free throw until Kasten completed a three-point play with 5:23 remaining.
Moo shot more (15) and hit more (10) free throws than the entire Wesleyan team as the Thunder finished at 15 of 24 from the line.
Wente added nine points and three steals for IWU. Will Landry had 10 points and Joel Kolmodin chipped in nine points and nine rebounds for Wheaton.
Titans leave Augie limping
Kasten, Wente lead way as IWU cruises to conference victory
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
The Ankle Brothers had more in common than pain in their feet Wednesday.
Intertwined by recent ankle ailments, Illinois Wesleyan's Luke Kasten and Todd Wente sprained and twisted Augustana for a combined 43 points in IWU's 91-72 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory before a season-high Shirk Center crowd of 2,300.
"The ankle's been nagging at me, but I felt a lot better than I had," said Kasten after hitting 20 points for the first time since the season opener with 24 in just 20 minutes.
The Titans (10-3, 1-1 in the CCIW) feel a lot better than they had after a two-point loss at Elmhurst Monday.
"That knocked us back on our heels," Kasten said. "We had to come back and make a statement to the rest of the conference that we were not going to be a pushover team and that we're everything we claim to be. I think we answered that call."
After falling behind 9-4, Wesleyan responded with a dominating flurry. Just as IWU coach Dennie Bridges began giving his starters their first breaks of the game, reserves Seth Hubbard, Mike Rogers, Chris Silagi and John Camardella all contributed baskets as the Titans reeled off 14 straight points to move ahead 27-12.
"Whether they were rushing shots because of our defense or just missing them, it's amazing what you can create off other team's misses," Bridges said. "We did a really good job of that."
Six straight Augustana points only led to another Wesleyan surge. Adam Osborn scored seven points and Kasten four to key the Titans on a 13-1 run that produced a 40-19 advantage with 3:49 left in the half.
"It was a matter of Wesleyan having so many good offensive players they're hard to contain," said Vikings' coach Grey Giovanine. "We can't keep pace offensively in that type of game. We don't have the experience and maturity yet to go on the road and compete with a team as good as Wesleyan."
Wente, whose baseline jumper with four seconds left sent Wesleyan to the locker room with a 44-26 halftime lead, was proud of the Titans' defensive effort.
"The key as usual was our defense. The intensity was unbelievable, one of the better outings we've had so far," said Wente. "They're a quick team that likes to push it up the floor, and we really took that away. We were cutting off drives and passing lanes, and they really couldn't do anything with it."
Wente scored a career-high 19 points and added three steals.
"The guy who is really the glue of our team and makes us go at both ends of the floor is Todd," Bridges said. "He's just so smart and so poised. It seemed like every time at a key moment we needed something, Todd did it."
The Titans held a comfortable 54-32 lead before Augustana (9-4, 1-1) mounted a rally behind freshmen Jim Thomas and Shaun Clements. Nine points from Clements and three 3-pointers from Thomas had the Vikings a mere eight behind (64-56) with 8:34 remaining.
Clements finished with 23 points and Thomas 15, both career highs.
"You know when you have a halftime lead like that there's a great chance they're going to make a run at you. You have to find a way to stop that momentum," said Bridges. "Happily, at that time we were able to come up with some big plays of our own to turn it around."
Laban Cross scored a pivotal three-point play and Kasten scored nine points in the final four minutes to keep the Vikings at bay.
Hubbard contributed 12 points and reserve guard Eric Starkey was the top rebounder for the Titans with seven.
"Seth played more minutes tonight and did a good job," Bridges said.
The Titans shot a season-best 57.1 percent from the field, including 60.7 percent first-half accuracy.
Wesleyan has reached the 10-victory mark for the 41st consecutive season and all 36 with Bridges as coach.
Knuppel's Hot Shooting Leads Elmhurst Past IWU
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
ELMHURST -- Allowing Ryan Knuppel even a bit of breathing room choked the life out of the Illinois Wesleyan basketball team Monday.
Knuppel, the sharpshooting senior from Midwest Central High School, scored 18 of his 25 points in the second half and spearheaded a blistering Bluejays' shooting pace in an 89-87 victory over Illinois Wesleyan at Faganel Hall.
Elmhurst shot 70 percent from the field in the second half and 60 percent overall while improving to 11-2 and 2-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.
Knuppel nailed two of his five 3-pointers down the stretch, and a Justin Carley 3-pointer with 39 seconds left handed IWU (9-3, 0-1) a six-point deficit from which it could not recover.
"He only has to have a foot to get off a good shot he's such a good shooter. If you lapse one second ...," Wesleyan guard Laban Cross said. "Those threes pretty much cost us the game."
Elmhurst also was deadly from the free throw line, sinking 22 of 24 for 92 percent.
"The way the game is officiated now if you take it to the basket it's easy to get a handcheck (foul) call," Titans' coach Dennie Bridges said. "We didn't take it to the basket enough. Knuppel was not a dramatic factor until the game was on the line. Then he hit two really big ones."
After Carley's 3-pointer, IWU's Todd Wente countered with a three-point play.
Knuppel, not surprisingly a 90-plus percent free throw shooter, made two from the line with 23 seconds left, and Wesleyan's Adam Osborn put in all three free throws after being fouled while attempting a 3-pointer at the 17-second mark.
Two Nelson Grant free throws put the Bluejays' lead back to four (89-85) before Osborn's driving basket brought the Titans within two with nine seconds remaining.
The Titans nearly pried the ball free from Knuppel on the ensuing inbounds pass. IWU's John Camardella tried to call timeout with his hands on the ball in a mad scramble, but a jump ball was whistled with two ticks left.
Elmhurst inbounded and time expired.
"When you have two pretty good teams it comes down to who is going to make the plays," Bluejays' coach Mark Scherer said. "Both teams made great plays. It could have went either way. We have a lot of seniors. That's going to allow us to compete this year."
Competitiveness was not a problem as Wesleyan's early 15-6 lead was the largest of the game for either team.
Elmhurst took its first lead with 2:29 left in the first half on a three-point play from University High School product Joel Searby.
Seth Hubbard, Searby's prep teammate, chased down an Osborn miss and heaved in a 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer for a 38-37 Wesleyan lead.
The Titans held a 65-62 edge after a Chris Silagi 3-pointer with 8:14 remaining. Elmhurst stormed back with eight straight points -- four by Nelson Grant -- to assume a 70-65 margin.
Grant matched Knuppel with 25 points, while Carley contributed 17 points and eight assists.
"They hit a lot of great shots," Bridges said. "Grant's percentage (9 of 14) was outstanding."
The Titans were hardly shooting slouches, finishing at 56 percent from the field (32 of 57) and 92 percent from the line (12 of 13). IWU was a perfect 12 of 12 on second-half free throws.
"We ran the offense really well at some points," said Cross. "At other points we had lapses where it looked like we didn't know what the offense was."
Osborn paced Wesleyan with 18 points. A surprise starter because of an ankle injury suffered Saturday, Todd Wente added 15. Luke Kasten, also playing on a sore ankle, and Cross had 12 each.
"Luke and Todd did all right," Bridges said. "But I don't think they got a lot of lift. It affected their rebounds and shots."
In the battle of former U High standouts, Searby had five points and four rebounds in 26 minutes, while Hubbard played 17 minutes and had seven points and four rebounds.
The Titans try to get back on track Wednesday in a 7:30 p.m. CCIW game against Augustana at Shirk Center.
IWU Defeats Ripon Despite Injuries to Luke Kasten and Todd Wente
Illinois Wesleyan defeated Ripon this afternoon 89-80, to move to 9-2 on the season. This was the Titan's final tune-up before starting CCIW play Monday against Elmhurst.
Ripon came to the Shirk Center with an unbelievable amount of intensity, and led 42-41 at halftime. The game was close most of the second half, with IWU finally gaining command for good at the 2:53 mark on a John Camardella 3. That put the Titans up 10, 82-72.
The big story in this one, unfortunately, is that both of IWU's starting post players are on crutches. Todd Wente, just back from his apendectomy, started but severly sprained his ankle midway through the first half. Luke Kasten went down on his bad ankle at the 15:25 mark of the second half and watched the rest of the game from the bench with ice on his ankle. No official word on their status, but both injuries looked serious.
Luke Kasten led the Titans with 18 points, in less than 20 minutes of play. Ryan McCreery scored 15, John Camardella 14, and guards Adam Osborn and Laban Cross each had 13. Steve Butrym led the Red Hawks with 26 points.
Seth Hubbard Leads IWU Over Division 2 Florida Tech
Seth Hubbard scored a career high 23 points this afternoon, leading Illinois Wesleyan to a 88-85 victory over Division 2 Florida Tech.
IWU led 84-80 before Florida Tech cut the lead to 2 with a rebound basket with 19.3 seconds to play. After a timeout the Panthers fouled Titan sophomore guard Laban Cross. Cross made both free throws to extend the Illinois Wesleyan lead back to 4, 86-82 at the :17 mark. Florida Tech charged down the floor and made a long 3-point field goal, cutting the lead to 1 point with 4 seconds to play. IWU once again got the ball into Cross, who convereted two more critical free throws, giving the Titans a 88-85 lead with :04 to play. Florida Tech missed a "3" at the buzzer.
John Camardella also registered a career high, with 17 points. Adam Osborn matched Camardella with 17. Laban Cross made 10 of 11 free throws in the contest and is now 30-33 (.909) from the line on the season. IWU leading scorer Luke Kasten did not play in the second half, still hampered by a sore ankle. Second leading scorer (and leading rebounder) Todd Wente sat out his third consecutive game, still recovering from an apendectomy.
IWU is now 8-2 and will face Ripon College Saturday at the Shirk Center.
UW-Superior Dominates IWU, Titans Fall to 7-2
Illinois Wesleyan suffered it's second loss of the season, falling to Wisconsin-Superior 82-72 at the Palm Beach Atlantic Tournament. The Yellow Jackets of the powerful Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference moved to 8-2 on the season.
Superior jumped all over the Titans from the tip, grabbing a 15-4 lead early on. The Titans battled back behind a barrage of 3-point baskets from sophomore guard Chris Silagi and led 26-25 with 3:46 to play in the first half. The Yellow Jackets closed the half on a 17-4 run however, sparked by 4 3-point shots and technical fouls on IWU forward John Camardella and head coach Dennie Bridges on the same trip down the floor. Superior converted 3 of the 4 technical free throws. Wesleyan trailed 42-30 at the half, with Silagi pacing the Titans in the first half with 11 points. The Titans shot a dismal 8-27 (.296) from the field in the first half to the Yellow Jacket's 15-32 (.469).
It was more of the same to start the second half, as Superior increased their led to 20 points, 58-38, at the 13:39 mark. The Titans made a run, cutting the Yellow Jacket lead to 8 points, 64-56 with 8:17 to play. Superior's All-American candidate Vince Thomas then scored 6 points in a 8-0 Yellow Jacket run, giving Superior a commanding lead. The Yellow Jackets shot 64% from the field in the second half, and 54% overall for the game.
Chris Silagi led the Titans with 15 points. Laban Cross added 13 and Ryan McCreery 12. Luke Kasten had his worst offensive performance ever as a Titan, finishing with 4 points (all coming in the first half). Kasten was 1-8 from the field and fouled out with 5:02 to play. Thomas led Superior with 20 points. Jason Strilzuk and and Brandon Vesel each had 14.
The Titans face NCAA Division 2 Florida Tech Tuesday at 3:00 pm (CST) in Melbourne, Florida to complete the trip.
Confident McCreery leads IWU victory
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- If he who hesitates is indeed lost, consider Illinois Wesleyan junior Ryan McCreery among the found.
McCreery drained a crucial 3-pointer with 2:42 remaining Friday to give IWU the lead for keeps in a hard-fought 79-75 victory over Brewton-Parker in first-day action of the Sailfish Shootout at Rubin Arena.
McCreery had missed a 3-point try less than a minute earlier before hitting from beyond the arc to give the Titans a 75-73 lead.
"Last year I would have hesitated to take another (shot)," McCreery said. "But I've matured. If I've got an open shot, I'm going to take it. That's the way it's going to be from now on. That gave us a little momentum, and we were able to build off that."
"Ryan had just missed a three. Then he got in a situation where he came off two picks and got a three again and he buried it," Wesleyan coach Dennie Bridges said. "If there was a basket that gave us the surge to win, that was it."
The Titans improved to 7-1 with their sixth straight victory and meet Wisconsin-Superior here today in a 6 p.m. (CST) contest.
Laban Cross pulled down a key rebound of a Brewton-Parker miss and connected on two free throws with 22 seconds left for a 78-73 Titan edge.
Wesleyan is now 2-0 against NAIA Division I teams, which are allowed to give scholarships.
"The last two minutes we didn't have someone step up and make a play, whether it be a defensive rebound or a strong move to the basket," said Barons' coach Steve Barker said.
The Titans led by as many as 11 points in the first half at 30-19 after an Adam Osborn 3-pointer.
Wesleyan's 44-37 halftime lead was quickly erased as Brewton-Parker scored the first eight points of the second half on two baskets each from Terrell Wallace and Flem Tucker.
John Camardella grabbed an offensive rebound off a Seth Hubbard missed free throw and fed Chris Silagi for a 3-pointer that pushed IWU's lead to 66-60 with 8:33 left.
"The second half was disappointment and pride," said Bridges. "We almost beat ourselves with 10 or 12 really careless passes. The pride came in how we played in situations in the last five minutes."
Brewton-Parker (5-6) stormed back for a 71-68 margin with an 11-2 run capped by a three-point play from Josh Stuart.
A Luke Kasten basket and an exchange of two free throws set the stage for McCreery's pivotal 3-pointer.
"This is an important win because we knew Brewton-Parker was quick and quick to the boards," Bridges said. "That caused us to raise our rebounding level." Despite the absence of leading rebounder Todd Wente, who is recovering from an appendectomy, the Titans won the battle of the boards, 37-30.
McCreery pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds. Kasten had six to go with his team-high 18 points despite playing on a sprained ankle.
"Evidently, adrenaline had something to do with that," Bridges said of Kasten's performance.
"It tightened up on me at halftime, but I had to fight through it," Kasten said. "This is really nice. It sets the tone for the whole trip."
Wallace's 30 points topped Brewton-Parker. Tucker and James Johnson added 11 each.
Cross scored 15 points and handed out a career-high seven assists for Wesleyan.
Osborn and Hubbard chipped in 12 points each. Osborn fouled out with 3:20 left, leaving the point guard chores in the hands of Silagi.
(Tuesday December 19)
Wente Undergoes Emergency Surgery, Out 3-4 Weeks
By RANDY REINHART
Pantagraph Staff
Illinois Wesleyan senior forward Todd Wente underwent an apendectomy Sunday and will miss at least the next three Titan basketball games.
"He felt ill coming home (to Effingham) Saturday," IWU coach Dennie Bridges said Monday. "He had a sore abdomen and groin area. He took a charge (in Saturday's win over Olivet Nazarene) and thought that's what it was."
But the pain persisted and Wente was taken to an Effingham hospital by his parents early Sunday morning. His appendix had not burst but it was perforated. The appendix was removed Sunday and Wente is expected to leave the hospital today.
The 6-foot-7 Wente ranks first in rebounds at 8.1 per game and second in scoring at 12.1 points for the 6-1 Titans. He also is second on the team with 25 assists.
Bridges said Wente will accompany the team to Florida for games Dec. 29, Dec. 30 and Jan. 2 but will not play.
After returning to Illinois, Wesleyan plays Ripon Jan. 6, Elmhurst Jan. 8 and Augustana Jan. 10.
"I would suspect he would be iffy for those games," Bridges said. "The doctor is saying three weeks and Todd is saying two to two and a half weeks."
Sophomore Seth Hubbard is most likely to step into Wente's spot in the starting lineup for the three games in Florida.
McCreery helps Titans topple Olivet
Offense clicks in impressive win
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
Hemmed in on the baseline, Ryan McCreery panned the floor for an Illinois Wesleyan teammate.
Finding no Titan to relieve him of the basketball, McCreery turned back toward the basket and swished a short jumper.
Opting to shoot was rarely a bad decision for the Titans Saturday at Shirk Center.
Running its offense at peak efficiency, Wesleyan ran Olivet Nazarene into the ground with 62 percent shooting in a thoroughly impressive 87-63 nonconference victory before an estimated crowd of 1,300.
"We were making the extra pass and getting the unguarded shot," IWU coach Dennie Bridges said. "We were getting shots off the semi-break, not a wild fast break but getting down before they got organized defensively and finding the open man."
In his first start of the season, McCreery more than doubled his previous career high of six with 14 points. McCreery became the sixth player to lead Wesleyan in scoring in seven games and the eighth Titan to reach double figures.
The Titans improved to 6-1 with their fifth straight victory and sixth consecutive win over Olivet (9-4).
"I think Illinois Wesleyan just beat us in every phase of the game," said Tigers' coach Ralph Hodge. "They outdefended us and didn't give us second opportunities on the glass if we missed. They were better prepared to win this game than we were, and they executed very well."
Laban Cross joined McCreery with 14 points and Luke Kasten added 13.
"This is a great win for us because everybody on the team had a good game," Kasten said. "Everybody contributed. That's what we need right now. That's the best thing that could happen before Christmas."
The Titans, who do not play again until Dec. 29, connected on 14 of their first 19 shots and nailed 7 of their first 10 from 3-point range.
"Olivet is a great ballclub. We emphasized coming out intense," said McCreery, a Mason City native. "We were getting our hands on some balls. We fed off our defense and were hitting our shots pretty well."
Wesleyan scored the first five points and never trailed. A McCreery 3-pointer and a Cross reverse layup gave the Titans a 33-17 bulge with 7:17 left in the first half.
IWU saw a 13-point halftime lead shrink to seven at 56-49 on a 3-pointer by Olivet's Andy Roberts at the 14:01 mark.
But McCreery scored nine points and Seth Hubbard five during a 16-3 Wesleyan spurt that forged a 72-52 lead.
"They went with a lineup with three small guards, and we had Ryan as a pretty good-sized small forward and two big guys," Bridges said. "We were really able to take advantage of that. At the defensive end, Ryan was able to get out and guard their kid so they couldn't take advantage of their quickness.
"Ryan had a really great game. We were missing John (Camardella, with a knee injury) and Ryan stepped up and got a lot of rebounds (seven) and hit some key shots. He played maybe his best game as a Titan."
Led by Todd Wente with help from Hubbard, IWU held Olivet standout Zach Freeman to 17 points and four rebounds. That's 7.1 points and 7.7 rebounds below the 6-foot-9 junior's averages.
"Defensively, we were all over them all the time," said Bridges. "They really didn't have a chance to rest."
The Tigers shot just 35 percent from the field and were outrebounded, 38-32. Roberts added 12 points, Tony Hodge 11 and Jeff Park 10 for Olivet.
Adam Osborn chipped in 10 points as seven Titans scored at least seven points.
The victory upped Wesleyan's all-time Shirk Center record to a sparkling 84-5.
Osborn Leads Titans Over #9 Wash. U 94-86
By BRYAN BLOODWORTH
Pantagraph sports editor
Illinois Wesleyan basketball coach Dennie Bridges and senior guard Adam Osborn spent a little extra time in the film room last week.
The move proved beneficial Sunday at the Shirk Center.
Osborn knocked down 7 of 12 shots from the field, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range, to lead five Wesleyan players in double figures in a 94-86 nonconference victory over previously undefeated Washington University of St. Louis.
"That's why you win games," said Bridges of the balanced scoring attack. "Adam Osborn's shot selection was so good. We had a long session together and just watched some videos.
"It really showed today that he had a lot different mindset of taking the ball to the basket and looking for different, better shots rather than taking the 3-point shot all the time."
Osborn, who also had five assists and three steals, agreed.
"I really benefited from the film session," said Osborn, a Lincoln High School graduate. "I came out and started the game looking for 2s rather than 3s.
"I got more layups than I usually do and that freed me up a little bit more for my outside shot. This the best game we have played. Coach has been waiting for us to turn the corner and I think we did today."
Washington entered the game off to a school record tying mark of 8-0; and a No. 9 ranking in the d3hoops.com national poll. Wesleyan was ranked 25th.
"This game was probably our toughest test to date," added Bridges. "It has to be a big step in our process of trying to be a better team."
Wesleyan was pretty much in control the whole way.
Osborn hit a short jumper seven seconds into the game to give Wesleyan a lead it would never relinquish. Washington, which had seven turnovers in the first six minutes because of the sticky Wesleyan defense, tied the game at 7-all on a Ryan Patton jumper.
Then, it was all Wesleyan.
Todd Wente, who scored 11 of his 16 points in the first half, tallied nine straight points during a four-minute span to put Wesleyan ahead, 16-11, at the 12:05 mark.
Wesleyan stretched the lead to as many as 15 before settling for a nine-point cushion at halftime, 52-43, as both teams shot very well. The Bears made 61.5 percent of their field goal attempts while Wesleyan canned 57.6 percent of its chances.
"We stepped the intensity up defensively early on and took them out of some of the things they wanted to do and made them miss shots," said Bridges, whose team improved its record to 5-1.
"We really pushed the ball up the floor and got some really easy baskets. I don't think they felt there would be a front-line that would outrun their front-line.
"Their front-line is characterized by quickness, but Todd Wente and Luke Kasten really outran them in the first 10 minutes and we got some easy baskets."
The Bears managed to cut the Wesleyan halftime lead to 56-53 with 13:22 remaining.
But Wente followed with a basket off an assist from Osborn, who then scored on a driving layup and a 3-point basket to jet the advantage back to 10 and kill the Bears' momentum.
Wesleyan managed to extended the lead to 81-63 with 6:42 remaining and was never seriously challenged again.
"Illinois Wesleyan played a great game," said Washington coach Mark Edwards. "They hit some 3s and knew what they were doing. They executed well.
"They got us back on our heels at the beginning of the game and we just couldn't get the game back. They set the tone early that they came to play and accept the challenge at both ends of the floor."
Wesleyan finished shooting 50 percent from the floor while Washington made 48.4 percent. Chris Alexander paced the Bears with 27 points and seven rebounds.
Laban Cross scored 17 points while Seth Hubbard added 12 and Kasten 10 to join Osborn and Wente in double figures for Wesleyan.
Kasten had a team-high seven rebounds and Wente grabbed six as Wesleyan owned a 37-36 edge on the boards. Wesleyan made 22 of 29 free throws and Washington was 20 of 31 from the charity stripe.
Wesleyan takes a week off for final exams before returning to action with a 3 p.m. nonconference home game Saturday against Olivet Nazarene.
Titans tighten defense, earn victory
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
Leaning back on its defense, the Illinois Wesleyan basketball team discovered a solid foundation even the Titans may not have realized existed Wednesday at Shirk Center.
Despite a trying evening offensively, Wesleyan held high-scoring, run-and-gun Aurora University 24 points below its average in a 67-60 nonconference victory.
"I guess I see it as a testament we're getting better defensively," IWU coach Dennie Bridges said. "It was a fast-breaking game both ways, yet we held them to 60 points."
The contest was a stark contrast to last season's 115-113 Wesleyan double-overtime victory at Aurora.
"I thought Wesleyan defended us real well," said Spartans' coach James Lancaster. "They know our strength is the transition game and shooting from the perimeter, and they tried to take that away from us. And they were effective with their interior defense as well."
Ranked 25th nationally by d3hoops.com, IWU improved to 4-1 ahead of Sunday's 3 p.m. home game against No. 9 Washington University.
The Titans saw a 13-point second-half lead shrink to one when a Charles Simmons basket with 4:01 remaining brought Aurora within 57-56.
With the shot clock under five on the following possession, Wesleyan guard Chris Silagi nailed a crucial 3-pointer.
IWU's John Camardella then grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed free throw. He was fouled and hit one free throw for a 61-56 Titan lead. Camardella then posted up a smaller Aurora player in the lane and scored for a seven-point margin.
"John sealed his man off and scored the basket that probably sealed the game," said Bridges. "Down the stretch John did a good job."
"We sort of let them back in it," Camardella said. "We finally realized to pull it out and get it inside. That's what got us the victory."
Adam Osborn and Luke Kasten both blocked shots in the final 1:20 as Aurora fell to 5-3.
"I thought they would get out and run the ball more, but we did a good job shutting it down," said Osborn. "We've been priding ourselves all year on being one of the best defensive teams in the conference because we've struggled with that in the past. We really worked on getting back and containing our men. It wasn't pretty, but we won."
Aurora shot 38 percent from the field and was a mere 1 of 5 from the free throw line. Jabari Harrell paced the Spartans with 20 points, while Dan DeBruycker and Kory McFarland added 12 each.
"It might not look like they are as quick as our kids, but they're so long they can cut down on our penetration gaps," Lancaster said.
Wesleyan posted season lows in points and shooting percentage (42.3). Kasten led the Titans with 14 points, and Todd Wente chipped in 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Osborn added 11 points, while Silagi and Camardella had 10 each.
"We had a few mental errors leaving a perimeter shooter open, but we guarded them really well inside," Bridges said. "Todd did a great job defensively inside and it seemed like he was getting every rebound."
The Titans held a seven-point halftime lead at 34-27 and extended their advantage to 50-37 on a Kasten three-point play with 13:26 remaining. Aurora used a 19-7 spurt to creep within one.
IWU senior forward Mike Rogers saw his first action of the season, playing one minute in the first half.
Titans Defeat Benedictine 84-81 Behind 23 points from Chris Silagi
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
LISLE -- There was no "Win one for Coach" speech.
It simply wasn't needed.
The Illinois Wesleyan basketball team certainly wanted to win Saturday for former IWU coach and athletic director Jack Horenberger, who died Friday of lung cancer at 87.
Yet the Titans weren't so sure Horenberger didn't do something for them during a hard-fought 84-81 nonconference victory over Benedictine.
"We had a sixth man," said senior forward Todd Wente, who hit his second career 3-pointer in the final minute. "I think we had a little divine intervention. Coach Horenberger was definitely smiling on us today."
Wente swished only the seventh 3-point attempt of his career from deep in the corner with the shot clock under five to give the Titans an 80-77 lead with 52 seconds left. Reserve sophomore guard Chris Silagi, who was spectacular in the first half, drained four straight free throws in the final 20 seconds to seal the win.
"Coach Horenberger was a great man. He put a smile on other people's faces," said Silagi, who had 16 of his career-high 23 points in the first half. "I definitely think he was looking down on the Titans today. This one is for him."
The victory moved the Titans to 3-1 and was an emotional one for Coach Dennie Bridges, coming the day after the death of his mentor and friend and the day before a 1 p.m. memorial celebration today at Shirk Center.
"This means a lot," Bridges said softly. "I never said anything to the players about it. But from my perspective, losing is an amazing depressant. I will be fighting off emotions tomorrow (today), and I didn't need a loss to go with it. Coach told me he wanted it (the memorial) to be a happy day, and that win is a good start."
Wente bailed the Titans out of a tight situation by calmly stroking his crucial 3-pointer as the shot clock neared zero.
"Nobody considers Todd a great shooter, but he's a winner," said Bridges. "He drew back and buried it."
"I've been wanting to shoot one of those all year," Wente said. "I can shoot them, but I would rather give it to Luke (Kasten) or Seth (Hubbard) for a 4-footer."
After Benedictine's Mike Lind made one free throw, Silagi gave Wesleyan an 82-78 margin with two free throws at the 20-second mark.
Terry Frigo's 3-pointer from the key with 12 seconds remaining brought the Eagles (4-2) within a point, but Silagi dropped in two more from the foul line with 10 seconds left. A final 3-point attempt from Benedictine's Nate Bronski was off the mark.
"There were two offensive rebounds that killed us. (Adam) Osborn hit a wide open three and the big kid (Wente) hit a three," Eagles' coach Keith Bunkenburg said. "Those were two huge shots we couldn't overcome."
Benedictine did overcome a 13-point Wesleyan first-half lead.
The Titans transformed a 16-16 tie into a 36-23 advantage when Silagi came off the bench to nail four consecutive 3-pointers and score 16 of Wesleyan's 20 points.
"I felt good and they started to drop," said Silagi, whose 16 points in 5{ minutes matched his previous career total. "We had a good inside-outside thing working. They collapsed down a lot."
Benedictine crawled back to a 40-40 tie on a Rick Piek basket late in the half, but IWU's Laban Cross turned an offensive rebound into a three-point play with one second remaining.
"We had some great shooting from Chris Silagi in that stretch, but we negated it by giving it back," Bridges said. "If you chart Chris' threes, he is always squared up and right on the line. He has great balance. When he gets the ball in that spot, it's a good percentage shot for him."
Kasten, who has been ill this week, scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half. Cross added 14 points, while Wente contributed nine points, a game-high nine rebounds and a career-high seven assists.
All five Benedictine starters scored in double figures. Frigo led the way with 19, Lind chipped in 12 and Piek, Bronski and Andy Anasinski had 11 apiece.
Sophomores Lead IWU over MacMurray in Blowout
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
They are only sophomores.
Illinois Wesleyan basketball coach Dennie Bridges is frequently reminded of that fact by assistant coaches Dennis Martel and David Steinbrueck.
And while patience is often advisable, IWU's sophomores were simply superb Tuesday at Shirk Center.
Wesleyan's sensational sophomore sextet of Laban Cross, Seth Hubbard, John Camardella, Luke Kasten, Chris Silagi and Eric Starkey combined for a startling 82 points in the Titans' 96-50 nonconference thrashing of MacMurray.
"It was a game that gave us exactly what we needed: repetitions to learn," Bridges said. "My coaches keep reminding me how many sophomores we've got out there. We're still learning, but we're getting better."
Cross and Hubbard each established career highs with 20 points as did Camardella with 13 and Silagi with 10 as the Titans improved to 2-1.
Cross scored all of his points in the second half and Hubbard added 14 as Wesleyan sent the Highlanders (0-4) packing with a high octane 54-point second half.
"We kind of overpowered MacMurray because we were much stronger physically," said Bridges. "I guess the thing I liked the most is how we created quite a bit of our offense off our defense. We got some steals and tipped passes so we didn't have to rely on running the offense that much."
Cross nailed 6-of-7 from the field including 4-of-5 from 3-point range in the second half after scoring just nine points in Wesleyan's first two games.
"The first half I didn't do too much. I needed to pick it up the second half and start doing something," Cross said. "You make one, you make another and it's a snowball effect."
With Kasten limited to 24 minutes by foul trouble, Hubbard hit 8-of-12 shots and handled a career-high 10 rebounds off the bench.
"Seth played a really good game. He played the boards hard," said Bridges. "Seth got a lot of minutes and that was good for him."
"The first half I struggled getting the ball in the hole," Hubbard said. "The second half everybody continued to get me the ball and I finished my shots. It's helping build my confidence getting in there and knocking some shots down."
A Silagi 3-pointer with 1:29 left in the first half sent Wesleyan into halftime with a 42-29 lead. The Titans opened the second half with a 15-5 run and never looked back.
"They can spurt on you and the big kids run the floor so well," MacMurray coach Bob Gay said. "We didn't go a good job of getting back on defense but they do that well."
Starkey had four steals and Silagi three, while Kasten blocked five shots to go with his 12 points.
"Eric gave us a lift. He's got really long arms and good instincts," said Bridges. "He tipped a few balls away and got us running."
Senior Todd Wente grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds as the Titans controlled the boards, 53-45.
Freshman Derek Suttles paced MacMurray with 13 points and 13 rebounds. The Highlanders shot an anemic 25 percent from the field.
Streator's Lacey Tyler had six points for MacMurray as did Olympia product Brian Yoder. Steve Evans, another Olympia graduate, and Lincoln's John Renfro had five points each.
"That's really why we wanted to schedule this," said Gay. "We have a couple of seniors who grew up in this area. This is a nice opportunity for them to get back near home and play a very good ballclub."
Titan tidbits
Bridges said senior forward Mike Rogers, who has yet to play this season, has strained abdominal muscles and will try to practice Thursday.
Freshman Casey Tushaus returned from a bout with mononucleosis to play in the junior varsity game.
Sophomore Mark Boswell has quit the team.
Chicago Escapes Wesleyan
Free throws with 3.3 seconds left doom Titans' upset bid, extend Maroons' home streak
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
CHICAGO -- Luke Kasten thought he had "played it as well as I possibly could."
His coach, Illinois Wesleyan's Dennie Bridges, agreed.
That club, however, did not include the officiating crew.
Kasten was whistled for a questionable foul with 3.3 seconds remaining and Derek Reich hit the first of two free throws Saturday to propel the University of Chicago to a 77-76 triumph in a highly entertaining nonconference basketball game at Henry Crown Field House.
"I thought Luke did a great job. Seldom does a kid (Reich) out of control like that get the call," Bridges said. "He muscled in and threw it. Most of the time it's a no call."
Ranked No. 7 by d3hoops.com, Chicago extended the longest homecourt winning streak in Division III to 38 while improving to 4-0. No. 24-ranked Wesleyan fell to 1-1.
Adam Osborn's 3-pointer with 19 seconds left lifted the Titans into a 76-76 tie. Chicago ran the clock down to five seconds before finding its sophomore sensation on the baseline. Reich headed forcefully to the basket and a shocked Kasten was called for his fifth foul.
"He cracked me in the elbow and jaw and I went back," Kasten said. "Somehow or other the ref decided the game."
"That was great defense," said Osborn, whose halfcourt heave at the buzzer missed connections after Seth Hubbard rebounded Reich's second free throw. "It's a tough call for the ref either way, but I would like to think we get that call at Shirk Center."
Maroons' coach Mike McGrath felt his team had a call coming after Mike Agema was given a foul with 33 seconds left that led to two Kasten free throws.
"They blew the call with 30 seconds left. It was a jump ball call and they got two free throws out of that," McGrath said. "If that's a tough call on Derek, it definitely was balanced out by that."
It was a controversial finish to a hard-fought game that saw neither team lead by more than six points. There were 12 lead changes in the second half alone.
Wesleyan uncharacteristically employed a zone defense with the goal of keeping Reich, a 6-foot-7, 235-pounder averaging 25 points, in check. Reich got only seven shots and was held to 16 points, but Chicago hurt the Titans with 12-of-28 shooting from beyond the 3-point line.
"You take a chance with a zone, but we played it well," said Osborn, who hit five 3-pointers of his own en route to a team-high 19 points. "You hate to lose, but as a team we were waiting to get on a roll. We proved to ourselves and everybody else we're going to be a very competitive team. We were one step from taking it to another level, but some little mistakes haunted us in the end."
Jim Waichulis nailed four 3-pointers on five attempts and scored 14 of his game-high 21 points in the first half.
The Titans trailed 43-39 at halftime despite just two turnovers and 10 points off the bench from Hubbard.
Wesleyan pulled into a 68-68 tie on a Kasten dunk with 3:09 remaining. But Jon Poyer scored from inside and Tyler Smithson canned two free throws for a four-point Maroons' edge.
IWU crept within 74-73 on two Kasten free throws at the 33-second mark, but Reich sank two of his own seven seconds later.
"The last three minutes we missed some free throws and let a rebound get away from us when it was tied. That let them get the hammer on us," Bridges said. "But we were able to execute a lot better than any of the preseason. We were able to go inside and score inside against big people.
"Our plan was to keep them off the line. It's ironic a free throw beat us."
Kasten scored 18 points, Hubbard matched a career high with 14 and Todd Wente added 13 for Wesleyan, which hit half of its 58 shots and was 10-of-15 from the free throw line.
Smithson contributed 11 points and nine assists for Chicago. The Maroons were successful on 17-of-25 free throws.
(Thursday November 23)
Titans Assume Underdog Role in Contest against Chicago
Over the years, Illinois Wesleyan has not found itself a heavy underdog against too many Division 3 teams. Saturday afternoon, however, that is exactly what the Titans will be as they travel to the University of Chicago. (Tip-off at 3:00pm.)
Chicago is rated 7th in the nation in this week's d3hoops.com Top 25 Poll. The Maroons have won 37 consecutive games at Henry Crown Fieldhouse, the longest current home winning streak in Division 3 basketball. After a 23-4 campaign in 1999-2000, and NCAA Division 3 playoff berth, Chicago is off to a 3-0 start with wins over Colorado College, DePauw, and Wheaton (CCIW).
The Maroons are led by 6-7, 235 pound sophomore sensation Derek Reich (Niles West H.S.). As a freshman Reich broke the University of Chicago's all-time single season scoring record with 487 points. He is off to an All-American type start in 2000-2001, averaging 25 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. In addition to Reich's size, Chicago also starts 6-8/220 Brad Henderson (Loveland, OH.) and 6-6/225 Jon Poyer (Brother Rice H.S., Michigain). 5-11 Tyler Smithson (Kirkland, Wash.) is the Maroon's only true guard in the starting lineup, and versatile 6-3 forward Jim Waichulis (Leyden H.S.) rounds out the first five. Chicago has outrebounded opponents 101-78 and has connected on 22-47 (.468) three point attempts through three games.
The Titans (1-0, #24 in the nation) will start guards Laban Cross and Adam Osborn, along with John Camardella (6-4), Todd Wente (6-7), and Luke Kasten (6-7) in the frontcourt. Kasten broke the Illinois Wesleyan freshmen scoring record last season with 407 points. He is considered one of the top four sophomores in the country, along with Reich, Rob Garnes (Carthage), and Jeremy Veenstra (Calvin). Kasten led the Titans to victory in the season opener Tuesday with 26 points. Todd Wente added 16 points and 7 rebounds against Blackburn, and gives IWU another scoring threat in the post. Captain Adam Osborn will look to rebound from his 1 of 8 three point shooting performance Tuesday.
One of Illinois Wesleyan's biggest advantages this season appears to be depth. With projected top reserve Mike Rogers out with abdominal pain Tuesday, Dennie Bridges was still able to play a nine-man rotation. A testament to Bridges' outstanding recruiting class last season, of the nine players who saw action in the opener, six are sophmores - starters Kasten, Cross, and Camardella, and reserves Seth Hubbard (6-7 center), Chris Silagi (6-2 guard), and Eric Starkey (6-3 guard). 6-5 junior Ryan McCreery is the Titan's top forward reserve.
Directions to University of Chicago
(Tuesday November 21)
IWU Pulls Away from Blackburn in Opener
Final Score:
IWU 79
Blackburn 64
Blackburn College hung around Tuesday night in the Illinois Wesleyan season opener, but the Titans secured victory behind 15 second half points from sophomore Luke Kasten.
IWU led 23-10 at the 9:20 mark in the first half, in what looked to be a blowout. But the Battlin' Beavers cut the Titan lead to 4 at the half, 34-30. Illinois Wesleyan led by just one point, 44-43, at the 14:20 mark of the second half, before pulling away for a 15 point victory.
Kasten led all scorers with 26 points, on 10-16 shooting from the field. Todd Wente added 16 points and 7 rebounds for the Titans. Sophomore Eric Starkey was 3-3 from the field, good for 7 points, while dishing out 4 assists and making 2 steals. 6-4 sophomore Luke Hennings had 14 points and 13 rebounds in a losing effort for the Beavers.
IWU struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 4-16 from 3-point range. Senior guard Adam Osborn was 1 of 8 from downtown. The Titans were just 6-14 from the free throw line in the first half, before settling down to shoot 7-8 in the second period.
Six of the nine players used by Illinois Wesleyan coach Dennie Bridges in the opener are sophomores.
Cancer Final Opponent for IWU Legend
by Bryan Bloodworth, Bloomington Pantagraph
Jack Horenberger likes to think he has been a good competitor all his life.
He grew up without a father. His mother was four months pregnant with him when her husband died of Black Lung Disease.
"Today, they probably would have called it cancer," Horenberger said in that high-pitched voice of his. "My brother was 90 when he died of cancer and we think my mother died of cancer."
Now, the man thousands of Illinois Wesleyan athletes, students and friends simply but affectionately call "Coach" is facing a battle he knows he can't win.
Horenberger is in the late stages of cancer.
Yet, as has always been his style, Horenberger will accept this defeat with the same dignity and class that he displayed during his 37-year career at IWU as baseball or basketball coach.
"I doubt if I make it to Christmas, but I'm hoping to make it for Thanksgiving," said the 87-year-old Horenberger. "There's not a way of predicting it, but I know my stamina will start to go downhill fast before long."
Horenberger was diagnosed with lung cancer in June after going for a routine chest X-ray as a prerequisite for kidney surgery.
"I caught a break if that's what you want to call it," said Horenberger. "My right kidney had not operated for a couple of years, so they were going to remove it. I had to get my other kidney in good shape. We did that, but three days before the surgery I had a chest X-ray and found out I had cancer of the lung.
"They canceled my kidney surgery, and boy, that was a big relief for them to tell me that I didn't have to go through the kidney operation because I had cancer.
"I don't know if I would have been strong enough to handle the kidney operation. This way I get to spend more time with my family (wife, Mary Ann, of 59 years, and daughters Jane Ann and Jill) and friends."
Horenberger decided against chemotherapy or any other form of treatments. Instead, he's chosen to take the hand he has been dealt.
"The cancer in my lung isn't the primary cancer, so chances are good the primary cancer is in my bad kidney and that it spread to my lung," said Horenberger. "Why go through chemo and feel lousy?
"Maybe it would have done some good with the lung cancer, but chances are good the kidney was cancerous and it was just going to feed. That's why I chose the path I did."
Horenberger, who watched longtime friend Russell Shirk die a year ago from the same ailment without seeking treatment, said it wasn't a tough decision.
"It wasn't tough at all," said Horenberger. "I feel good about my decision. If I had been 60, I'm not sure I would have done it this way but I'm 87. I've already had a good life and I just want to enjoy my remaining days."
Horenberger admits Shirk's decision not to have chemotherapy played a big part in his own thinking.
"He was able to stay home and it looks like I will too," said Horenberger. "You know, it's funny that I feel the same way now that Russ would describe to me how he felt his last few months. I'm not in any pain, but there is this funny feeling in my stomach."
Horenberger also knows if he had taken chemo, he wouldn't have felt as good as he has the last few months.
"If I had been taking chemo I wouldn't have felt good enough to go to coffee every morning all those days or play cards at Lakeside (Country Club) all those afternoons.
"And I see so much more of my family now. I probably couldn't have enjoyed them like I do now if I had decided to have treatments."
Until about a month ago, Horenberger made his way to campus every morning, as he did for many years before his retirement in 1981, to meet with his coffee group of Dennie Bridges, Bill Frank, Lanny Lobdell and Ed Alsene, to name a few.
The daily trips to campus are what Horenberger misses the most.
"I just don't feel strong enough in the mornings to drive over there anymore," said Horenberger. "Oh, the stories that could come out of that group."
Horenberger still manages to drive himself to Lakeside most afternoons for an hour's worth of card playing, something he has done on a steady basis for 19 years.
"It's the cheapest rummy game in town," said Horenberger. "If you had a bad day, you might lose $4. On a good day, you might win $5 or $6. But usually you come home with 75 cents or you lose a $1.25."
Horenberger's association with IWU began in 1933 after he flunked out of Marquette.
"I was an A student in high school, but I quit going to class at Marquette," said Horenberger. "Fortunately, I ended up at Wesleyan. Illinois Wesleyan has been so great to me."
Horenberger played baseball and basketball for the Titans and was captain of the school's last undefeated team in 1935-36. He later served as basketball coach for 21 years, baseball coach for 37 years and athletics director for 34 years.
"Coach set the tone for what Illinois Wesleyan stands for today," said Bridges, a former player and longtime friend. "He did so much for this school that no one knows about."
Bridges said he couldn't begin to count the lives Horenberger has touched.
"When you go to a school for 3{ years, coach there for 37 years and put in 19 more years after you retire –– unless you're a complete ass –– you ought to have made a few friends over the years," said Horenberger.
"I guess I sort of have the type of personality that makes friends. But it isn't something you consciously try to do. It's something that sort of evolves naturally if you give it a chance."
Bridges, who was handpicked by Horenberger to succeed him as basketball coach, said Horenberger had the ability to treat the least talented player on the bench with the same respect as the star player.
"It was so joyful working with the young kids," Horenberger continued. "You can't be involved in sports without having tons of thrills. You fall in love with so many kids because you had the feeling that they enjoyed playing for you."
IWU named its new baseball field after Horenberger in 1999.
"There's no way to describe how I felt about that," said Horenberger. "It didn't really hit home with me until one day when I was driving down East Street and the sign (Horenberger Field) was hanging there for the first time. That was a thrill."
But it wasn't the biggest thrill in Horenberger's life.
That came on commencement in 1936.
"My mother had a tough life," said Horenberger. "She owned a little confectionery shop (in Grayslake) and probably worked 100 hours a week, 52 weeks a year. She never got to see me play sports.
"She had never been to campus until Graduation Day. The night before at the Seniors' Dinner, I was honored as the school's most outstanding male student.
"I told my mother that the next day and showed her the gold watch they had given me. She was so thrilled that she didn't say a word for a good 60 seconds. The chills just went up and down my back. It was a great thrill for me knowing what a thrill it was for her."
Horenberger added that he didn't know if his life would have been different if he had grown up with a father.
"I never had the benefit of a father, but on the other hand, because I never had one, I never missed him," said Horenberger. "I'd like to think my life would have been a little better if I'd had one.
"But as I look back, I don't know how it could have been much better. It was good as I was growing up and it never changed. It's been a pretty good life. I've meet a lot of good people along the way. I have no complaints."
Neither do we, Coach.
(Tuesday November 7)
Coaches Tab Carthage CCIW Favorite
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE sent 11/08/00
ROCK ISLAND, Illinois - The Carthage Redmen won the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin championship last year in convincing fashion with an 11-3 league record, finishing one game ahead of Wheaton's 10-4 mark. Veteran head coach Bosko Djurickovic's team is the odds on favorite to repeat that title, according to a pre-season vote of league coaches.
Carthage picked up all seven of the first place votes available (coaches can't vote for their own teams) and rolled up 49 points. Long time CCIW power Illinois Wesleyan was selected to finish second with 43 points and the lone first place vote not garnered by Carthage. Wheaton, which stayed in the race until the bitter end a year ago, finished with 36 points in third place.
Augustana was tabbed for fourth with 29 while North Park had 21 points in fifth. Elmhurst was selected sixth with 20 points, Millikin got 18 points in seventh and North Central was eighth with eight points.
PLACE TEAM POINTS
1. Carthage 49 (7)
2. IWU 43 (1)
3. Wheaton 36
4. Augustana 29
5. North Park 21
6. Elmhurst 20
7. Millikin 18
8. North Central 8
First place votes in brackets
(Wednesday August 29)
Laban Cross and Mike Rogers Return to IWU
By RANDY REINHARDT
Pantagraph staff
Promising guard Laban Cross, who left the Illinois Wesleyan basketball team midway through the 1999-2000 season, has returned to Coach Dennie Bridges' squad.
"Laban is back in school and ready to resume his college career," Bridges said Tuesday. "I and his teammates are tickled to death to have him back."
As a freshman last season, the 6-foot-2 Cross was Wesleyan's first guard off the bench. He averaged 3.9 points and 2.1 rebounds in 14 games before quitting the team because of a desire to return to his hometown of McLeansboro.
"It's really rewarding that Laban stepped back, took a look at his future and decided he wanted to come back," Bridges said.
With senior Adam Osborn at one guard, Cross is expected to contend for the other starting guard position.
Bridges also said Tuesday that forward Mike Rogers, as expected, will return as a fifth-year senior. Rogers played only the first two games of last season because of a foot injury.
"Mike told me he felt like his foot problems were behind him," said the Wesleyan coach. "It's really nice to have those two veterans come back. I'll treat them as if they were never gone. They are right back in the flow."
The 6-5 Rogers started all 26 games of the 1998-99 season. He led the Titans with 7.1 rebounds per game and averaged 7.2 points.
One player who won't be back is 6-6 center Phil Hurst. After battling back from several knee surgeries, Hurst had planned on returning to the Titans until suffering another knee injury this spring.
Bridges also announced several additions to his freshman class. The players join the previously announced pair of Central Catholic forward John O'Brien and Prairie Central guard Shawn McGuire as new Titans.
Jim Lehan of DeKalb could contend for playing time as a freshman at point guard. The 6-0 Lehan earned 12 varsity letters at DeKalb, four each in basketball, soccer and track.
"He could play either (point or shooting guard)," Bridges said. "He's very athletic. And he can shoot. (Sophomore) Chris Silagi is our only bona fide point guard. Shawn and Jim will have a chance to establish themselves as factors."
Joining O'Brien as wing players are Casey Tushaus of Quincy Notre Dame and Jabari Adams of Macomb. Both are 6-4, while Tushaus was a Chicago Sun-Times Class A all-state selection.
"I saw Casey play in the (Bloomington-Normal) Holiday Classic. He has good instincts. He knows how to play. He's a good perimeter shooter," said Bridges. "He (Adams) was an outstanding triple jumper in high school. I haven't seen him play enough to judge how good of a shooter he is."
Olympia graduate Andy Brandt was recruited to Wesleyan as a baseball player, and he also will play basketball.