Second-Half Shooting Woes Sink Blueboys

Box Score

BELOIT, Wis.- Mason Speer scored 15 points in the game, but it wasn't enough to overcome Illinois College's poor night from the field, as the Blueboys were downed by Beloit College, 88-64. IC falls to 6-6 (1-5 MWC). Beloit moves to 2-11 (1-5 MWC) on the year.

Illinois College junior Sean McDonald was the first to strike blood on the afternoon, hitting a layup to put IC up, 2-0. Beloit's Cody Risseeuw countered with a three-pointer, giving the Buccaneers a 3-2 advantage.

The Blueboys would reclaim the lead after Speer converted a layup and the and-one free throw, giving IC the lead, 7-5.  Beloit took back the lead following a Darin Empereur three-pointer.

Max Stutsman worked the post for an Illinois College layup, giving the team a 15-14 advantage. It would be the last time that the Blueboys held possession of the lead, as Matthew Miller hit a layup with just over seven minutes played in the half, sending Beloit in front, 16-15.

Illinois College would tie the game later in the half, as Tim Parks found Riley Dugan for a deep three, knotting the game at 27-27 with seven minutes left in the first 20 minutes. That would be as close as the Blueboys would come for the rest of the contest.

Risseeuw scored four straight points as part of a 7-0 Beloit run that saw the Buccaneers extend their lead to 10, 43-33, with one minute remaining in the first half. Dugan converted a free throw with 20 seconds left, sending the game into the break with Beloit up over Illinois College, 43-34.

Stutsman began the scoring in the second half, hitting a layup that brought Illinois College within seven, 43-36. Empereur helped extend Beloit's lead back out to 14 points, 52-38, after hitting an 18-foot jumper three minutes into the half.

Illinois College's Isaac Collins wrangled Beloit within nine points, 55-46,  following his first three-pointer of the game. Beloit responded with an 11-0 run, which contained three three-pointers, to boost its lead to 20 points, 66-46, midway through the half.

After some IC resurgence, the Beloit lead was extended to 30 points, 83-53, which was the result of a 15-2 run that the Buccaneers constructed. With four minutes to play, the lead was essentially out of reach to seal Beloit's victory.

Azzy Hill drilled a three-pointer to pull Illinois College within 21, 85-64. However, it was countered with a triple from Brandon Moore, sending the game to 88-64, where it would stand as the final score.

Stutsman followed up Speer's performance with a 12-point effort. McDonald finished with nine points. Parks, Brady Hays, and David Bauer each snatched two steals for the Blueboys. Shoup was the leader for Beloit, scoring 20 points and bringing down 15 rebounds. Risseeuw finished with 18 points, and Empereur tallied 13 points for the Buccaneers.

Illinois College takes the road for its next contest, squaring off against Blackburn at 8 p.m on Monday night. The Blueboys return home on Jan. 12, where they will square off against St. Norbert College. The game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.