BLOOMINGTON, Ill. --- The 10th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team downed Heidelberg University, 62-51, in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament Friday night, March 6, inside the Shirk Center. The Titans (24-4) advance to a second-round matchup with John Carroll University tomorrow, March 7, at 6:40 p.m. The Student Princes close out the year 16-13.

Junior Mason Funk and senior Karlo Colak tied for the team lead with 14 points apiece, while junior Jackson Niego tacked on 10 points. Funk tied sophomore Noah Cleveland for the team-high with nine rebounds. 

Illinois Wesleyan connected on 42.9 percent of its shot attempts on the night, going 24-for-56 overall. IWU hit four three-pointers, with Niego notching three himself. The home team hit 10-of-18 free throws, while HU went 6-of-8 from the stripe. The Student Princes finished the night 33.3 percent from the field overall (19-of-57), but used seven three-pointers on 30 attempts to hang around.

The Green and White dominated the glass, 48-29, including 11 offensive rebounds to two for The Berg. Illinois Wesleyan corralled leads in points in the paint (38-22), second-chance scoring (3-2), fastbreak scoring (6-5), and bench scoring (14-12). Heidelberg finished with a 21-6 advantage in points off turnovers accompanied by a +3 margin in miscues (15-12).

A low-scoring start saw the Titans hold a 12-8 lead at the under-12 media. Funk jumpstarted a six-point spurt with a bucket before Colak bulldozed through the Student Princes for a bucket. Colak came up again the next time down the floor, draining a turnaround jumper just outside the paint to stretch the IWU lead to double-figures, 18-8. Out of a Heidelberg timeout, Cleveland and Funk knocked down shots to keep control, 24-12. 

Leading 26-15 out of halftime, the Green and White quickly saw its lead cut down. The Student Princes used a few three-pointers to pull back within single digits, but Niego splashed a corner three to grab a 33-21 advantage with 16:46 to play.

Timely buckets by Funk and another triple from Niego maintained IWU's stronghold, but each time the Titans were on the verge of blowing the game open, the Student Princes came roaring back. 

With time ticking down, Heidelberg's Jarvell Gainey hit a layup to make it an eight-point game with 1:20 left. HU's comeback was thwarted there, as Niego and senior Nathan Boldt chipped in free throws to preserve the win.

Illinois Wesleyan will play John Carroll tomorrow night, March 7, with a trip to the Sweet Sixteen on the line. Tipoff is set for 6:40 p.m. inside the Shirk Center.