Blueboys Advance to Championship of Bluffton Holiday Tournament

Box Score
BLUFFTON, Ohio – The Illinois College men's basketball team started slowly, but took the lead for good midway through the first half and survived a late charge to earn an 81-73 victory over Pitt-Greensburg in the first semifinal of the Bluffton McDonald's Holiday Tournament on Friday afternoon. The win improves the Blueboys to 5-4 on the season.

Pitt-Greensburg opened the game with back-to-back buckets from Brady Kingston and a three-pointer from Joe Mancini to take a 7-0 lead with less than two minutes elapsed. Illinois College responded back with a 10-0 run of its own. Mason Speer started the scoring with a layup and free throw, then Tim Parks banged in a three to cut the deficit to one. Sean McDonald scored on a jumper to give IC its first lead and Parks connected on two free throws for a 10-7 advantage. 

The Blueboy bench provided a spark in the middle of the first half as David Bauer and Isaac Collins came off the pine firing. Each hit a three-pointer with their first shot attempt of the game, and a Collins layup tied the score up at 23-23. Another Collins triple put Illinois College on top, 26-25, and two free throws from Brady Hays at the 7:45 mark put the Blueboys on top for good. IC led by as many as seven before the first half came to a close, and the edge was 44-39 at the break.

Max Stutsman opened the second half with a lay-in for a 46-39 lead, and IC's margin remained steady in that range until a three-pointer from Brady Hays with 12:34 remaining gave the Blueboys their first-double-digit lead at 56-46. The next time down the floor, Collins hit another from downtown, and a tip-in from McDonald gave IC its largest lead of the game, 63-49, with less than 10 minutes to play.

The Bobcats refused to give in, unfurling a quick 10-0 response in less than two minutes to get within four points, 63-59, before a Parks three-pointer pushed Illinois College's edge back to seven. A five-point burst on consecutive trips down the floor brought Pitt-Greensburg within a point, 70-69, with just over three minutes to play.

In need of points, Illinois College went to the hot hand. Stutsman scored 13 points in the second half, none more important than the five straight he cashed in to give the Blueboys a 75-71 lead with 1:49 to play. Following two Bobcat turnovers, McDonald and Speer hit four straight free throws for a 79-71 cushion. Time was working against Pitt-Greensburg after that and IC was able to run out the clock for the eight-point victory.

Five players ended in double-figures for the Blueboys, led by Stutsman's game-high 23 points. Speer and Collins each ended with 11 points, while Parks and Hays had 10 each. Riley Dugan matched Stutsman with six rebounds on the afternoon, while McDonald and Bauer had four assists each. 

Illinois College advances to the championship game of the Bluffton McDonald's Holiday Classic, where they will meet the hosts. The Beavers were victorious over Ohio State University-Lima in the other semifinal. IC and Bluffton tip off at 7 p.m. (EST) on Saturday night.