Wheaton, Ill. -- The CCIW regular season champions had their hopes of completing the conference double on their home floor ended on Friday night, as the fourth-seeded Elmhurst Bluejays defeated the Wheaton Thunder, 76-58, in King Arena. Tonight's result marked Elmhurst's second road win of the year against the Thunder and meant that Wheaton were denied a chance to play for the conference tournament championship by the Bluejays for the second consecutive campaign. Elmhurst used a comprehensive first half showing to build a decisive advantage and managed the game well after halftime to stave off any potential comeback from the hosts. Wheaton's record falls to 22-4 with tonight's defeat, and the Thunder will wait to hear their name called when the NCAA Tournament bracket is released on Monday. Elmhurst advances to play North Park, tonight's other semifinal winner, in Saturday's championship game. The Bluejays are after their second straight conference tournament crown, while the Vikings are seeking their first-ever CCIW Tournament trophy.
Elmhurst's Wesley Hooker set the tone for tonight's contest by driving straight to the basket on the guests' opening possession to give the Bluejays the first points of the game.
Tyson Cruickshank responded for the hosts on their first series, but the visitors from just down the road reclaimed the lead a minute later at 4-2 and held the advantage from that point on. The Thunder struggled to put the ball in the basket in the first half, and Elmhurst repeatedly came up with shot conversions at important times to build their early lead. An 8-0 run either side of the game's first media timeout saw Elmhurst earn a 14-4 edge.
TJ Askew capped a responding seven-point flurry by Wheaton with a three-pointer to cut the scoreline down to 19-17 halfway through the opening frame, but the Bluejays scored on their next two possessions to reestablish the momentum and stay in front. Another jumper from Cruickshank pulled the hosts back within five with eight minutes remaining, but this was the closest Wheaton came to erasing Elmhurst's lead the rest of the way, as the Bluejays out-muscled their hosts and imposed their style of play on the game. Elmhurst closed out the first half by holding Wheaton scoreless in the final three and a half minutes and converting a pair of timely buckets in the lane in the last 45 seconds to earn a 42-27 halftime lead.
The second half proved to be a masterclass in game management by the underdogs as they kept Wheaton at arm's length and refused to let the noisy King Arena crowd affect their control on the game. Facing a 15-point deficit with 12 minutes left in regulation, Wheaton's
Nate Sock and
Nick Schiavello combined to tally the next three points and provide a glimmer of hope for the home side. But 12 points was as far as Wheaton's comeback attempt managed to reduce Elmhurst's lead, and two Tagen Pearson baskets either side of a missed Wheaton three-ball placed the advantage firmly back in light blue. John Ittounas, the player who hit the game-tying three-pointer to send the first meeting between these two teams this season into overtime, took center stage once again to apply the dagger with five minutes left via another three-pointer. Schiavello answered back with one of Wheaton's four second-half threes, but the hosts came up empty on their next three possessions, and by that point, too much time had come off the clock to work their way back into the game. Elmhurst's Reece Taylor notched the final two baskets of the night, and the Bluejays avenged their home defeat to the Thunder from six days ago to book their ticket in another conference tournament championship game.
The shooting percentages for both sides were the most telling statistics of the night, as Elmhurst shot 47.7% from the floor and restricted Wheaton to a 38.2% figure. The Thunder were an excellent 10-11 from the free throw line, but the home side only managed to hit six three-point shots from 28 attempts and their guests converted ten of their 19 long-range tries. The Bluejays also out-rebounded Wheaton by a margin of ten, as the conference's top rebounding side continued their superiority on the glass. Elmhurst won the battle in the paint, posting 36 points in the lane to Wheaton's 26. Both teams registered 11 second chance points and five fast break points, but the Bluejays enjoyed more production off the bench and earned nine points off of turnovers to just two for Wheaton.
All four of Wheaton's starters who played more than 15 minutes tallied 12 points.
Nate Sock grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and scored six as part of his valuable contribution off the bench.
TJ Askew picked up six boards, a game-high four blocks, and knocked down a pair of three-pointers.
Nick Schiavello, Wheaton's most efficient starting shooter on Friday, joined him on two triples and collected five rebounds.
The 2023 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship field is set to be announced on Monday, February 27th at 12 PM CT on
NCAA.com. Wheaton will enter the national tournament as a strong at-large contender, as the team waits to see where and when they will play their first round matchup. Elmhurst will take on second-seeded North Park in the 2023 CCIW Tournament Championship at 7 PM on Saturday in King Arena, with the winner earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
