Kenosha, Wis. -- After having the midweek off from competition, the Wheaton men's basketball team returned to the court on Saturday afternoon for a CCIW matchup at Carthage College. The hosting Firebirds took the lead early in the game and remained in front for the rest of the contest, eventually pulling away after a competitive first half to log a 77-59 victory. Today's result sets the Thunder's record at 6-4 overall with a 1-2 mark in conference play, while Carthage improves to 5-4 and 2-1 in league action.
Kyan VanderWoude opened the scoring in Wisconsin today from a steal on the hosts' opening possession and a fast break basket at the other end. Carthage's leading scorer then knocked down jump shots on consecutive trips down the floor to put the Firebirds in front, and the home side would hold the lead for the remainder of the game. Carthage kept Wheaton scoreless on its next four possessions following VanderWoude's scoop and score, and another fast break layup from
Devin Martin was answered with a three-pointer and a jumper in the lane to give the Firebirds an 11-4 advantage. A bucket at the halfway point of the first period extended the home side's lead to double-digits, but
Soren Richardson connected on back-to-back jumpers of his own to keep the Thunder in sight, and the margin hovered around eight points in Carthage's favor for the rest of the half. Martin concluded the scoring in the opening period with an and-one layup that brought Wheaton back within six at 35-29 heading into the break.
The Firebirds, who were ranked eighth in the country in the preseason D3hoops.com poll, tallied the first four points of the second frame to push their lead back up to ten, and a three-ball at the 16:45 mark would see Carthage solidify its double-figure advantage for the rest of the game. The Thunder attempted to hang with their experienced and talented hosts for as long as possible, but the Firebirds' rebounding, three-point shooting, and defensive advantages proved too much to overcome on the day.
Carthage shot 48% from the field in both halves of Saturday's contest and knocked down ten three-pointers, seven of which came in the second period. Wheaton entered today's matchup as one of the top three-point shooting squads in Division III, but the Firebirds held the Thunder to a 4-19 count from beyond the arc and a 40% field goal mark overall. Both sides had 13 free throw attempts, and Wheaton made nine to Carthage's seven. The Wisconsin outfit enjoyed a 39-31 edge on the glass, while each team played a relatively clean game, combining for just 17 total turnovers and seven takeaways. The visitors did a better job of capitalizing on those turnovers, notching 11 points to Carthage's five, while the Firebirds got 13 points from their bench to Wheaton's five.
Richardson led the Thunder in scoring with 19 points on a 7-14 field goal total and made all four of his foul shots.
Carson Grier matched Richardson on a 50% shooting outing with 14 points and led all players with four assists and collected four rebounds. VanderWoude was the third Wheaton player to score in double-figures this afternoon, and he topped the team count in rebounding and steals with eight and two, respectively. Martin finished with eight points, while
Brady Wynja brought down five boards.
Having opened their CCIW slate with three league matchups, the Thunder now head into the Christmas break and will next be in action on New Year's Eve when Wheaton returns to the state of Wisconsin to face Wisconsin Lutheran in a non-conference fixture.
