| Tyrel Creger and UW-Stout caught fire in the second half and stunned No. 6 Illinois Wesleyan in Bloomington, Ill. File photo by Reese Kupsky, UW-Stout athletics |
UW-Stout dropped No. 6 Illinois Wesleyan and Farmingdale State stopped No. 11 Wesleyan, while North Park won a thriller in thrilling fashion in Saturday’s Division III men’s basketball action.
After falling behind by 10 at Illinois Wesleyan, UW-Stout finished the game on a 24-6 run, and the Blue Devils blew past the Titans, 66-58.
UW-Stout took a 29-20 lead late in the first half with a 19-4 run capped by Aidan Shore’s dunk, but Illinois Wesleyan cut the deficit to six at the half, pulled even at 40 in the second half, and then surged past UW-Stout with a 12-2 run. Karlo Colak’s layup gave Illinois Wesleyan a 52-42 lead with eight minutes left. But the Blue Devils caught fire, as Mason Stoik drilled consecutive threes to ignite their run, and Shore scored 10 points down the stretch, leading UW-Stout to victory.
Shore finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Tyrel Creger racked up 21 points, seven rebounds, and five assists for UW-Stout (3-3). Noah Cleveland scored 24 points for Illinois Wesleyan (5-1), but the Titans shot 3 for 24 from three.
Farmingdale State converted 18 Wesleyan turnovers into 26 points, and that translated into the Rams’ 75-73 win over the Cardinals.
Senior Robbie Steichen hit two free throws to give Farmingdale State a four-point lead late in the second half, and then classmate Sean Conroy followed with a bucket that pushed the Rams’ lead to six. Wesleyan pulled within two and then had two chances to tie the game in the final seconds but could not convert.
Liam Buckley led Farmingdale State (5-1) with 20 points, giving the Rams their first win over a ranked opponent since November 2022, which was also a win over Wesleyan.
The most exciting game of the day was played in Chicago where North Park edged UW-Stevens Point, 115-114, on Marquis Vance’s deep buzzer-beating three-pointer.
The teams exchanged dominant halves, with the Pointers shooting 55 percent and outscoring North Park by 17 in the first half, and then the Vikings shooting 76 percent (19 for 25) with seven 3-pointers in the second half. Kolden Vanlandingham split a pair of free throws to tie the game at 82 with 13 seconds left in regulation, and the teams headed to extra sessions.
Stevens Point guard Josiah Butler tied the score at 91 late in the first overtime with a layup, and then North Park forward Lazario Cornish returned the favor in the second overtime with a layup that knotted the game at 102. In the third overtime, Butler sank two free throws that put the Pointers in front, 112-107, with 57 seconds left. But Vanlandingham drained a three that cut the Vikings’ deficit to one, and then the Pointers split a pair of free throws, leaving the door open for one more comeback. North Park brought the ball up the court and Jerome Smith, Jr. found Vance who splashed his three from 25 feet out, fading away from the basket.
Vanlandingham scored a career-high 39 points and grabbed 10 points for North Park (4-1), which outscored the Pointers 45-15 from three. Seth Miron scored 34 points in 49 minutes, including 13 free throws, for UW-Stevens Point (5-1).
Women: IWU, Calvin use great D to get big Ws
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| Asia Kobylarczyk showed off her range in the Titans’ 64-53 win over UW-La Crosse at the Midwest Challenge. Photo by Jimmy Naprstek, Kodiak Creative |
No. 17 Illinois Wesleyan used its youth and its press to defeat No. 16 UW-La Crosse, 64-53, at the Midwest Challenge, while Calvin used its defense to dump No. 9 UW-Whitewater in Saturday afternoon’s Division III women’s basketball action.
Illinois Wesleyan scored 31 points off 25 UW-La Crosse turnovers and first-year forward Asia Kobylarczyk hit several big shots in the second half to stop the Eagles’ momentum, including a 5-0 personal run that gave the Titans a 47-40 lead. UW-La Crosse (5-2) pulled within four, but Ava Bardic got to the lane for two and then she found Sawyer White for a transition basket putting the Titans back in control.
Bardic dazzled again, scoring 22 points and dishing six assists, while. Kobylarczyk added 18 points, three rebounds and two assists for Illinois Wesleyan. Molly Janke had a double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds) for UW-La Crosse.
No. 15 Washington defeated DePauw, 70-52, behind a dominant performance from All-American Lexy Harris. She notched 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Bears (5-1), who doubled up DePauw in points in the paint, 32-16.
No. 17 Illinois Wesleyan and No. 15 Washington U. will face each other Sunday in the Midwest Challenge championship game at 5 pm ET.
Calvin showed why it was ranked to start the season, as the Knights used stifling defense to pick up a 61-53 win at home over No. 9 UW-Whitewater. The Knights had a tremendous first quarter, blocking eight Whitewater shots and holding them to nine points on 3-for-20 shooting. The Warhawks rallied in front of Calvin, 49-44, in the fourth quarter on a 10-0 run capped by Caden Krohn’s layup. But the Knights responded with a 10-0 burst of their own and then pulled away for good on Chloe Wiegers’ three with 2:10 to play.
Sall just missed a triple-double, registering 13 points, nine rebounds and nine blocks for Calvin (3-3). Bri McCurdy scored 11 for UW-Whitewater (5-1).
St. Thomas dealt No. 21 East Texas Baptist its first loss of the season when the Celts topped the Tigers, 69-55. St. Thomas raced out to a 24-10 lead, hitting six 3-pointers in the first quarter, and never looked back. Laura Jones scored 17 points on 6-for-7 shooting, including 5-for-5 from behind the arc, for the Celts (3-1), who shot 48 percent from three as a team.
Outside the Top 25, Maryville went to Lexington and upended hosts Transylvania, 48-45, at the Pat Deacon Classic. The Scots pushed their lead as high as 12 in the fourth quarter on Leighan Jackson’s three-pointer but Transylvania (2-2) scored 12 straight and then went ahead, 44-43, in the final minute. Ella Tharpe nailed a three for Maryville (2-1) and then Emily Wilson sealed the Scots’ win with two free throws.