Illinois Wesleyan men’s basketball took down No. 2 University of Wisconsin-Platteville in a 20-point victory during the final game of the Jack Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational at the Shirk Center on Saturday, Nov. 9.
The Titans finished with 86 points to UW-Platteville’s 66, securing the Titans’ Sikma Invite title for the second time in four years and kick starting their season with a 2-0 record.
Last season’s MVP senior Nick Roper set the team high of 18 points, with 16 made in the first half. Sophomore Mason Funk and senior Marko Anderson put up a dozen points each. Anderson tied with senior Harrison Wilmsen for most rebounds, gaining seven each.
First-year Josh Fridman made the first points of his career during the game after receiving the ball from Roper for a layup in the first half. “Playing in that big-time game felt great, just trying to do whatever to contribute to winning was a very fun experience in an incredible environment,” Fridman said about the experience.
At the conclusion of the game, Williams and Wilmsen were named to the all-tournament team. Williams was honored Most Valuable Player of the Sikma Invite. On Nov. 12, Williams was also named the CCIW Player of the Week for his contributions to the invitational.
Head coach Ron Rose says the team is still going on full steam ahead. “Our players put in a tremendous amount of work. We want to value every opportunity we get to play,” Rose said.
“I am incredibly appreciative and honored to have the opportunity to be the basketball coach at Illinois Wesleyan. Our goal each year is to build on the rich basketball tradition that has been established and make our alumni proud,” he said.
The Titans are living up to the expectation that they will take home the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin conference title, as voted on by the league’s nine head coaches in the preseason coaches poll.
The Titans travel to St. Louis for the Webster Gorlok Tournament, starting with a Friday, Nov. 22 match against the Westminster College Blue Jays before facing the Webster University Gorloks on Nov. 23. The Titans return to the Shirk Center on Dec. 4 for their CCIW opener against Carthage College. The Titans won both their matches against Carthage last season.