By: Though tied at halftime, Austin College was able to outmuscle IC on the glass and come away with a 74-66 win on Monday afternoon.
Box Score SHERMAN, Texas – A fast 14-2 start to the game put the Illinois College men's basketball team temporarily in the driver's seat, but Austin College was able to tie the game by halftime and pull away in the second half for a 74-66 victory on Monday afternoon. The loss was the eighth straight for the Blueboys, who drop to 1-8 on the season. Austin improved to 4-5 with the victory.
The long lay-off after the holidays was evident in the early going, with both teams unable to get much going offensively.
Brandon Fishburn finally connected on the game's first field goal with 16:08 left in the first half to give IC a 3-0 lead. The tough defense of the Blueboys forced six turnovers and six missed field goals from the 'Roos in the opening stages before Austin could make a layup to momentarily cut the lead to 8-2. Free throws from
Mitchell Patterson and
John Taylor sandwiched a layup from
Jacob Taylor that gave IC its largest lead of the game, 14-2, with 12:16 to go until halftime.
Little by little, Austin was able to work its way back into the game. The 'Roos never led in the first half, but had the contest tied at 21-21 with 5:57 to go until the break after an Andres Rivera three-pointer.
Tim Schappaugh and Patterson each knocked down a pair of free throws after that to go back up by four, but the teams would enter the locker rooms all square at 26-26.
When Fishburn and
Cody Hildebrand each made a shot in the first minute of the second half, the script from the first half looked to be repeating itself. It was unfortunately not to be for the Blueboys though. After
Jacob Taylor buried a triple with 8:37 remaining, Illinois College was up, 49-43. Within 90 seconds, a 7-0 run from the 'Roos had given them a 50-49 edge. The lead would swing back and forth for a few minutes, with Fishburn knocking down a three-pointer to give IC its last lead at 54-53. From there, Austin rattled off another 7-0 run and the Blueboys would get no closer than three points down the stretch.
Fishburn led all scorers in the game with 16 points, knocking down 4-of-6 shots from distance. Schappaugh joined him in double-figures with 14 points, hitting 11-of-14 from the charity stripe.
Brad Herrmann had a team-high six rebounds, but Austin was able to do a large portion of its damage thanks to a 50-31 advantage on the glass that included 19 offensive boards.
Illinois College will play its final non-conference game of the season on Dec. 30, facing the University of Dallas at 4 p.m. A member of the United State Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA), the Crusaders are ranked No. 2 in the nation at that level with a 7-1 record.
