Wheaton, Ill. -- After two impressive wins on the road in the past week, the Wheaton men's basketball team returned to the friendly confines of King Arena on Saturday night for the latest edition of the program's long-running series against Illinois Wesleyan University. The Titans, ranked 15th in the country in this week's D3hoops.com poll, powered their way to a seventh-consecutive win with an 80-61 result this evening. Sophomore Kyan VanderWoude scored a career-high 30 points to lead the Thunder, who now have an overall record of 10-6 with a 4-3 mark in league play. IWU stands at 13-3 on the season and is tied for first place in the conference standings at 5-2.

Illinois Wesleyan scored 46 points in the first half to establish a solid advantage en route to its victory, but the first ten minutes of Saturday's contest was perfectly balanced, as Wheaton held its own against an experienced and talented squad. VanderWoude accounted for 11 of the hosts' first 13 points tonight and made his first four three-pointers of the game to raise the volume levels in front of a large crowd. IWU took a 13-8 lead following a back-and-forth opening five minutes, but a triple from the Michigan native and a steal by Soren Richardson to set VanderWoude up on the fast break quickly brought the Thunder back on level terms. After another 5-0 spurt for the visitors, Wheaton sank four-consecutive free throws to pull back within one and tied the score up at 20-20 at the halfway point of the period thanks to an old-fashioned three-point play by VanderWoude.

But the Titans responded with six-straight points from their leading scorer, who also went for 30 and a 13-rebound double-double tonight, and the nationally ranked visitors would keep their lead for the remainder of the game. The Thunder trimmed the deficit to 26-25 following another VanderWoude three and a fast break basket from Martin. But IWU's top shooter sank four triples over the last seven minutes of the half, as the Titans closed on a 20-8 run. The guests forced three turnovers and allowed just one offensive rebound down the stretch in the first frame, and Illinois Wesleyan's hot shooting at the other end allowed it to build its double-digit edge heading into the break.

The Bloomington side's shooting percentage fell by 15% in the second half and sank just three three-point shots compared to eight in the first period. But Wheaton was limited to a 9-28 field goal mark and a 3-14 count from beyond the arc after halftime and could not find enough answers on the offensive end to mount a sustained comeback effort. IWU's lead rose to as much as 25 points six minutes into the second frame, but the Thunder showed spirit and knocked down three-straight triples to spark an 11-0 run. The Titans made just one field goal between the 13:50-7:50 stretch of the second half, but they came up with enough rebounds and defensive stops to bleed the clock and not allow their hosts to pull back within single digits. The 15th-ranked unit ended its shooting drought in the final six minutes and pulled back ahead by 24 before VanderWoude and Brady Wynja notched the final five points of the night to set the ultimate scoreline.

The visitors shot 55% from the floor in the first half and finished with a 47% overall mark while holding the Thunder to a 34.5% percentage on the night. Illinois Wesleyan knocked down 11 triples and shot 48% from deep compared to Wheaton's 27% tally on a 7-26 measure. The hosts held the edge at the free throw line, however, putting in a nearly flawless 14-15 display, while IWU went 9-13 at the stripe. Both sides went into double-figures in offensive rebounds tonight, as the Titans held the overall advantage on the glass at 41-35, and they grabbed 12 steals while edging the turnover count at 17-14. Wheaton earned a 16-9 scoring advantage from its substitutes, but Illinois Wesleyan out-gained the Thunder in paint scoring, points off of turnovers, and fast break points.

VanderWoude made nine of his 15 shot attempts and was a perfect 7-7 at the foul line on Saturday to establish his new career-high scoring mark. He brought down five rebounds, earned a pair of assists, and was the only Wheaton player to sink multiple three-pointers tonight, going 5-8 from beyond the arc. Richardson scored nine points, collected seven boards, and led the team with three steals. Wynja contributed nine points and a team-high eight rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench.

The Thunder will not take the floor again until next weekend, as Wheaton has its midweek bye in the conference rotation on Wednesday. The Orange and Blue will play the second of three-consecutive home games next Saturday when North Park University comes to King Arena for a 4:15 PM tip-off.