Slow Second Half Dooms Men’s Basketball at Wheaton

(photo credit: Stephen Bates, WCS Photo).
(photo credit: Stephen Bates, WCS Photo).

WHEATON, Ill. – The Illinois tech men's basketball team made the short drive west to Wheaton College on Saturday night to take on one of the region's best teams. After a tight first half, the Thunder proved to be too much for Tech, as the Scarlet Hawks fell 76-55. The loss dropped the Scarlet Hawks to 11-6.

How it Happened

  • After a drought of nearly two minutes for both teams to start the game, Wheaton jumped ahead and held a lead until Jake Bruns tied the contest at 9-9 with a three-pointer at the 14:21 mark.
  • The two teams would exchange nine leads and three ties over the next six minutes until Wheaton's Kobe Eichelberger scored three of his 17 points at the 8:03 mark to give the Thunder a 24-22 lead. The lead held until five minutes later, when Anthony Mosley Jr. converted a free throw as a part of an and-one play to tie the score at 31-31.
  • Wheaton built a four point lead until another clutch Bruns three just before halftime cut it down to one, arriving at the 37-36 halftime score.
  • The Scarlet Hawks played well in the opening minutes of the first half, taking a 44-43 lead on a Max Hisatake tip-in at the 17:25 mark. Wheaton, however, held Tech scoreless over the next 2:46 to take a seven-point lead at 53-46.
  • Wheaton's lead continue to build, growing to 12 at 58-46. After a Mosley Jr. jumper at 11:04, the Scarlet Hawks would not score again until the 6:25 mark on a Mosley Jr. three-pointer. Another drought followed, as Mosley Jr. would again break it on a jumper with 3:06 to play. Over the near eight-minute span, a raucous Thunder crowd propelled the hosts to a lead that reached as high as 23 at 74-51.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

  • Despite the loss, Mosley Jr. proved to be one of the best players on the court all evening. He finished with 21 points.
  • Jake Digiorgio recorded his team-leading eighth double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
  • Bruns hit three three-pointers off the bench to finish with nine points.

Stats to Know

  • Tech's 31.7% shooting percentage was its third-lowest of the season. Wheaton's 53.2% shooting percentage was just the third time all season the Scarlet Hawks allowed the opponent to shoot over 50.0%.
  • Despite the defeat, the Scarlet Hawks outrebounded Wheaton 42-35.
  • Wheaton was able to build a lead in large part to just nine turnovers.

Up Next

  • Tech returns home for a matchup against Maranatha Baptist University on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Live audio, video, and stats will be available. The live audio will be powered by Illinois Media School.