GAME STATS PICTURED ABOVE: Tyler Peters (LEFT) and Tad Fisher (RIGHT) each scored career-high point totals for the Thunder.
Wheaton, Ill. – The Wheaton College men's basketball team returned home to King Arena on Wednesday night to earn a 93-68 victory against Elmhurst College (8-5/0-2 CCIW) in CCIW action. The Thunder improves to 9-4 overall and 2-0 in CCIW play. Wheaton will entertain 12th-ranked Augustana (12-1/2-0 CCIW) on Saturday at 7 PM.
Wheaton was in control of the Bluejays early in tonight's meeting, as the Thunder led Elmhurst 20-4 through first 5:30 of play. Wheaton led 24-8 with 12:20 left in the first half when Elmhurst scored nine unanswered points to trim the hosts' lead to 24-17 with 10 minutes left. Wheaton quickly responded however by inflating its 32-20 lead with 7:25 left in the first half to a 56-25 advantage with 1:40 remaining before halftime thanks to a 24-5 scoring surge.
Wheaton led the Bluejays at halftime 56-29. The Thunder shot a sparkling 66.7% (16-24) from the field in the opening half, including 7-for-8 (87.5%) from three-point range. Thunder senior
Tad Fisher led all players in scoring at halftime as he registered 16 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the field, with 4-for-5 from three-point range.
Brayden Teuscher (PICTURED LEFT) and
Tyler Peters each scored 13 points for the Thunder in the opening half and
Nate Haynes collected 10 first-half rebounds.
Wheaton continued in control in the second half, leading by 20 or more points throughout the period. Peters led all scorers in the second half with 20 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the floor.
Peters tallied a career-high 33 points tonight, shooting 13-for-21 from the field and he was 6-of-7 at the free throw line. The senior All-American also distributed a game-high five assists.
Brayden Teuscher was 6-for-7 from the floor tonight and made eight of his nine free throw attempts in scored 21 points, with two assists and two steals. Fisher scored a career-high 16 points, making four three-point field goals and he added two assists. Junior
Peter Smith (PICTURED RIGHT) scored 12 points, with two assists. Senior
Nate Haynes tallied a game-high 14 rebounds on the evening.
Wheaton recorded a 54.5% (30-55) field goal percentage, with 64.3% (9-14) from three-point range and 70.6% (24-34) at the free throw line. Elmhurst shot 46.2% (24-52) from the field, including 23.1% (3-13) from behind the three-point arc and 65.4% (17-26) at the charity stripe. Elmhurst out-rebounded the Thunder 32-31, with the Bluejays holding a 9-6 advantage on the offensive glass.
Kyle Wuest and Will Nixon each scored 13 points to lead Elmhurst in scoring. Bryan Ackerman and Nick Sanford each contributed 10 points for the Bluejays.
Note Worthy: Tyler Peters surpassed 1,200 career points in tonight's victory, becoming the 32nd player in school history to reach that milestone and now has 1,224 points in his four years…Peters moved into sixth place on Wheaton's all-time assists list tonight with 345, surpassing the 344 career assists distributed by Kent Raymond (2005-09)…tonight's win was the 123rd victory for Wheaton in its 163 all-time meetings against Elmhurst and is the most wins by Wheaton against any other opponent.
