PICTURED ABOVE: Aston Francis scored 21 points and collected four steals in Wheaton's 64-51 win over Luther on Friday night.

Wheaton, Ill. - The Thunder men's basketball team recorded its first victory of the young season on Friday night with a 64-51 victory over Luther College in the Lee Pfund Classic. With the victory, Wheaton moves on to Saturday night's Championship game against Heidelberg University at 8 PM in King Arena. Wheaton is now 1-1 on the season and Luther is 0-2.

Wheaton's defense carried the load on Friday night, holding the Norse to just 31.6% (18-57) from the field and a sparse 25% (5-20) from the three-point line. Luther converted on 66.7% (10-15) of their free throw attempts. Wheaton managed a 43.4% (23-53) field goal percentage with a 33.3% (7-21) success rate on three-point attempts. The Thunder made 11-of-17 free throw attempts to finish at 64.7%. Luther was able to win the rebounding battle by a margin of 42-34 including a dominant 16-8 advantage in offensive rebounds. Wheaton forced 12 steals on Luther's 21 turnovers while turning the ball over just 14 teams.

Kobe Eichelberger (PICTURED RIGHT) led the charge led Wheaton out of the gate with a three-pointer on the game's first possession, a block and a steal on Wheaton's first defensive possession of the game, and another three-pointer just 74 seconds into the game to give Wheaton an 8-0 lead. Wheaton would pull away early using another 14-4 run to take a commanding 28-8 lead with 8:12 remaining in the half. The 20-point lead would equal Wheaton's largest of the game. Luther was able to close the half on a 10-2 run and a three-pointer by Ray Whitlock with two seconds left in the half, brought the halftime deficit down to 30-18 for the Norse.

Aston Francis knocked down a jumper on the first possession of the second half but Luther responded by scoring eight straight points to get within 32-26. A Zack Kvam lay-up and a Reagan Jones three-pointer highlighted a quick six-point burst that pushed Wheaton's lead back into double figures where it would stay for the remainder of the game. Seven straight Thunder points late in the half pushed the lead back to 20 points before Luther was able to work the final margin down to 64-51.

For the second straight game Aston Francis led the Thunder in scoring, tallying 21 points to go with four steals and two assists. Ricky Samuelson added 15 points and Kobe Eichelberger finished with 12 points and six rebounds. Reagan Jones turned in a strong all-around performance with nine points, six rebounds, two assists and three blocks.

Wheaton will face the Heidelberg Student Princes in Saturday night's Championship game after Heidelberg defeated Bethel 89-87 in Friday night's first game of the Lee Pfund Classic.