Nashville, Tenn. -- Looking to get back to winning ways, the Wheaton men's basketball team shrugged off the disappointment of yesterday's defeat and responded with a professional 18-point victory over Edgewood College in Thursday's nonconference clash. Tyson Cruickshank was the star player this evening with a career-best 33 points to lead all scorers. As a result of this win, Wheaton improves to 11-2 on the season and leaves the Music City Classic on a high note. 

The story of tonight's game unfolded in a similar way in both halves, as the Thunder seized the advantage early on and never looked back. After trading pairs of baskets in the paint, a Nyameye Adom three-pointer just under two minutes into the contest gave Wheaton a 7-4 advantage. From that point on, the Thunder held the lead the rest of the way. A layup from the senior standout pushed the lead to seven before Edgewood went on a 6-1 run to cut the deficit to two points at 12-10. But before the Eagles could turn the scoreline in their favor, Luke Anthony and Cade Alioth converted triples on back-to-back possessions to keep the opposition at bay. The Thunder's lead reached as high as 13 points in the opening half after Eli Considine converted a layup in the paint. A subsequent pair of Edgewood jumpers threatened to make things interesting in the closing stages of the period, but Wheaton matched their intensity and refused to let their opponents seize the momentum. With six seconds remaining in the first half, Adom drained two free throws to ensure that the Thunder held a double-digit lead at the intermission.

If there was any doubt about the end result going into halftime, Wheaton quickly laid those fears to rest at the start of the second half. A ten-point explosion from Cruickshank on the opening four possessions of the period gave the Thunder their largest lead of the contest at 52-31 and allowed Wheaton to coast through the remaining 18 minutes. The Eagles did their best to remain competitive but never managed to get within 14 points and were thoroughly outmatched by the sixth-ranked team in the country on the night. 

The Thunder shot 43.7% from the floor and 34.6% from the three-point line, going 41.67% in both categories in the second half. Wheaton posted an even 50% from the free throw line on the night, and held a slender 42-38 edge in points in the paint. Second chance points was a larger discrepancy, however, as the Thunder topped the Eagles 13-3 in this measure and 8-0 in fast break points. The points off of turnovers category made the crucial difference as Wheaton cashed in 21, while holding Edgewood to just two. The Thunder led by as many as 21 points and never trailed their opponents in Thursday's meeting.

In addition to his impressive points tally, Cruickshank picked up eight rebounds, seven assists, and four steals in an all-around performance, while knocking down five triples across both halves. Cade Alioth picked up his tenth double-double of the campaign by going for ten points and 11 boards. The veteran big man added three assists and two steals. Fellow senior guard Nyameye Adom collected 19 points and three steals of his own and made four defensive rebounds on the night. Finally, Eli Considine grabbed eight rebounds and had one assist and one steal in the game. 

After ending 2021 with a win, Wheaton will return to the court on Wednesday, January 5th when they visit North Park in conference play.