BOXSCORE

Elmhurst, Ill. – The Thunder men's basketball team took sole possession of first place in the CCIW with a convincing 79-64 win against #17-Elmhurst on Wednesday night. Wheaton played solid basketball on both ends of the court, with strong defense on Bluejays, particularly in the first half.

Wheaton now stands alone atop the CCIW standings with an 8-3 league record and a 19-3 overall mark. Elmhurst is 16-6 overall and 7-4 in league play. "I thought we played great defense in the post, on the perimeter and in help," noted head coach Bill Harris. He added, "I thought we did a tremendous job in our offensive movement. We got contributions from a lot of guys." He concluded, "This was a big game and it was great to see us perform like this, especially on the road."

A layup by Wheaton's Ben Panner broke a 7-7 tie with 15:20 remaining in the first half and sparked a 15-4 run to give the Thunder a 22-11 lead with 9:05 remaining in the first half. That run helped the Thunder to a 43-24 halftime lead. Wheaton maintained its momentum for most of the second half to earn the convincing road victory.

All-American Kent Raymond led the Thunder with 29 points on 12-for-21 shooting from the field, adding three assists. Ben Panner contributed 14 points and Andy Wiele scored 13 points, with seven rebounds. Tim McCrary and Jake Carwell each collected five rebounds, while Carwell distributed four assists and Andrew Jahns had five assists.

Ryan Burks led the Bluejays with 12 points and six rebounds. Robert Strzemp also scored 12 points, with three assists.

Wheaton shot 50.9% (28-55) from the field, with 40% (4-10) from three-point range and 67.9% (19-28) from the free throw line. Elmhurst posted a 42% (21-50) field goal percentage, with 41.2% (7-17) from three-point range and 78.9% (15-19) at the free throw line. The Thunder held a 32-31 rebounding advantage, with an 8-7 edge on the offensive glass.