Wheaton convinces doubters it's back
Coming off a recent three-game losing streak, folks may have built up some doubt regarding Wheaton College's men's basketball team.
The Thunder left little doubt Wednesday night.
In a duel between nationally ranked teams and co-leaders in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, Wheaton regained sole possession of first place in the league with a dominant 79-64 victory at Elmhurst College.
The Thunder (19-3, 8-3), ranked 10th nationally in Division III, took quick control in the first half en route to their fourth straight win. Opening a 43-22 lead on an Andrew Jahns 3-pointer, Wheaton took a 43-24 advantage to the half.
"This is a tough place to play, so we wanted to come out and execute from the start," said Timothy Christian graduate and Thunder junior Jake Carwell. "We knew we controlled our own destiny, and that's the biggest thing."
The victory avenged a 13-point home loss to No. 17 Elmhurst (16-6, 7-4) on Jan. 24, but Wheaton's Kent Raymond missed his third and final game that day with an ankle injury. On Wednesday the senior All-America scored 16 of his game-high 29 points in the first half.
"We knew this was a huge game, and we knew we had to come out with a lot of energy," Raymond said. "Just putting a complete game together felt really good."
Wheaton's defense commanded the first half, especially against Brent Ruch, Elmhurst's 6-foot-9 senior center. He scored his only 2 points of the half in the final minute and finished with 6 points - nearly 13 below his average. Elmhurst's second-leading scorer, Ryan Burks, was held to 12 points.
"I was disappointed because I knew Wheaton was going to come at us hard," said Elmhurst coach Mark Scherer, whose team committed 14 of its 22 turnovers in the first half. "This will be a test of us and how we can bounce back."
A 7-0 run to start the second half narrowed the deficit to 43-31, but Wheaton quickly built the margin back to 20 by midway through the half.
Ben Panner overcame an ankle twist to score 14 points for Wheaton. Andy Wiele added 13. Robert Strzemp scored 12 points for Elmhurst.
"Allowing 24 points at the half, it really set the tone," said Thunder coach Bill Harris. "When we've got our team and we're healthy, I'm not sure I want to get off the bus with anybody else."