BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (Duhawks.com) – Despite shooting 50 percent from the floor as a team on Tuesday night, the Loras Men's Basketball team could not keep pace with the ninth-ranked Titans of Illinois Wesleyan. Loras dropped their fourth in a row, and third consecutive game by double-digits, falling 94-72. Junior
Justin VanWambeke led Loras with 19 points, finishing 7-of-11 from the floor and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.
It was clear early why the Titans (7-2) favored playing at home, as they started off the game on an 11-5 run, burying three shots from beyond the arc. The Duhawks (3-5) stormed back, closing the gap to two points on a
Justin VanWambeke put back dunk.
Trailing 15-13 with 12:08 left in the first half, Loras went cold for three and a half minutes in the middle of the first half, failing to score a single point as their went on an 14-2 run to make it 29-15.
The double-digit separation remained in tact the rest of the evening for the Titans.
In the first half alone, Illinois Wesleyan made the Duhawks pay for their mistakes, dropping 15 points as a result of Loras turnovers and finishing the half with a comfortable 43-31 lead.
Out of the halftime break, the Titans failed to miss a step, knocking down their first four field goals, extending their lead to 56-41. The offense didn't stop there for Illinois Wesleyan, as they continued to hit their shots, mounting a 14-4 run thanks to four 3-pointers to extend their lead.
Refusing to give in, Loras refused to give in despite the 27-point deficit with 10:51 to go in the game. Juniors
Mirko Grcic and
Justin Schneider provided the catalyst for the Loras offense with their strong post play, leading to a 20-9 Loras run.
In the end, it was too little too late as Illinois Wesleyan found a resurgence of offense and reestablished their commanding lead to win 94-72.
Game ChangerIllinois Wesleyan's 11-0 run midway through the second half gave them the comfortable gap their were looking for, which allowed them to use the depth of their bench
Key StatIllinois Wesleyan converted 21 Loras turnovers into 28 points, compared to Loras only being able to convert 14 Titan turnovers into seven points
Notables- Loras was outscored 40-22 in bench points.
- Illinois Wesleyan held the upper hand in every shooting category, including field goal percentage, 3-point percentage and free-throw percentage
- The last time that Loras shot at least 50 percent as a team and lost was February 13, 2013 … The Duhawks fell to Central College on the road, 71-68
Quotable
Greg Gorton, head coach"They are a dominant offensive team that shot well in their home gym. If we manage their spurts it becomes a completely different ballgame; we didn't do that tonight. I think we learned a lot tonight coming here and playing them, we learned a lot about ourselves and what we need to do and can do moving forward."
Up NextThe Duhawks return home to the Athletic and Wellness Center on Saturday December 20th when they host Carroll University. The Pioneers enter with a 4-2 record and are coming off their first loss in Midwest Conference play to Monmouth College. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.
