GAME STATS PICTURED ABOVE: Tim McCrary tallied 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists on Tuesday.

Box Score

Dubuque, Iowa - The Wheaton College men's basketball team kicked off its year with an 87-62 victory at Loras College on Tuesday.

The Thunder led 44-28 at the half thanks to 50 percent shooting from the field. Tim McCrary and Spencer Schultze were scoring down low with 12 and nine points in the half, respectively. Nate Serenius also hit a pair of treys to rack up eight points.

Wheaton was just as hot in the second half. Senior guard Jeremy Pflederer (PICTURED LEFT) found his rhythm and stroked a quartet of three-pointers in the second half to end up with 16 points in the game. The Thunder led by as much as 32 points (70-38) midway through the second half as the visitors emptied their bench in the final minutes.

McCrary led the team with 20 points in a well-rounded effort that included 10 rebounds and five assists. Aaron Garriott hit 9 of 10 free throws to end up with 13 points. Schultze tallied seven rebounds to go with his nine points. Tad Fisher and Serenius each finished with eight points. Pflederer and Tyler Peters each dished out five assists.

Wheaton finished up going 29-for-60 from the field (48 percent), 8-for-18 from beyond the arc (44 percent) and 21-for-26 on free throws (81 percent). The Thunder ended up with only seven turnovers while forcing 19 by Loras.

The Duhawks shot 19-for-51 in the game (37 percent), 4-for-11 from three-point range (36 percent) and 20-for-22 from the charity stripe (91 percent). Tim Kelly scored 14 points and Connor Mooney added 12 points.

The Thunder start its home schedule this weekend as hosts of the Lee Pfund Classic. They will face Beloit College at 8 PM on Friday.