KENOSHA, Wis. – Illinois Wesleyan never trailed in its 79-60 win over Carthage Saturday night in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Men’s Basketball Tournament championship game. The decision secured the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Nick Roper poured in 27 points for the Titans, who won their 22nd game of the season. Mason Funk and Karlo Colak added 12 points apiece. IWU was 29-for-58 from the field for the game and 14-for-16 at the foul line. IWU’s bench outscored the Firebirds’ reserves, 23-2.
The Titans opened up a double-digit lead as early as the 7:43 mark of the first half on Roper’s jumper for a 24-14 cushion. The lead swelled to as many as 13 in the first half before IWU took a 37-27 lead into halftime.
IWU maintained the pressure and momentum in the second half. Funk’s layup with 6:31 left gave the visitors their largest lead, 68-45.
Riley Brooks gave the Firebirds 20 points. AJ Johnson scored 17.
IWU won the CCIW’s expanded postseason tournament at the end of the 2020-2021 season, but Saturday’s win marked the Titans’ first championship win in the league’s traditional format, which was a four-team tournament from 2006 through 2018 and a six-team tournament since 2019. Illinois Wesleyan will await its postseason destination on Monday.
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The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.), Carroll University (Waukesha, Wis.), Carthage College (Kenosha, Wis.), Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, Ill.), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Ill.), Millikin University (Decatur, Ill.), North Central College (Naperville, Ill.), North Park University (Chicago, Ill.) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.).