ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Illinois College men's basketball team hung in with Washington University in St. Louis for a half on Saturday, but the shots stopped falling at the same rate in the second half and the Bears were quick to take advantage, pulling away for a 91-62 win. The loss drops the Blueboys to 0-2 on the season.
Thanks to a fast start beyond the arc from
Trevor Otten and some solid post play from
Trae Robinson III, the Blueboys led Washington University, 12-8, after five minutes of play. Though the home side regained the lead, Illinois College went on top again as the first half hit its midway point on a
Michael Adams jumper to make it 19-18.
A trio of three-pointers from Jack Nolan soon after the Adams jumper gave Washington University the lead for good. Still, Illinois College hung in with its nationally-recognized opposition and trailed by six late in the half until the Bears took a 41-32 lead at the break.
In the opening three minutes of the second half, IC went on a 10-3 run that included three-pointers by
Riley Mehrens and Otten, shrinking the nine-point deficit to 44-42. Even four minutes later, the Blueboys still trailed by just six, 55-49, after
Sean McDonald sank a pair of free throws. Down on the other end of the floor, the Bears got a third look at the basket and finally scored on a Marcus Meyer layup. He added another second-chance layup the next time down the floor to push Wash U. back in front by double-digits and the lead grew as Illinois College experienced a field goal drought down the stretch, making the final less indicative of the game than it should have been.
Robinson III ended the night with a team-high 16 points, 14 of which came in the opening half. Otten added 12 points.
Mason Speer scored eight points and handed out nine assists.
Illinois College is back home on Friday and Saturday, hosting the Bill Merris Classic at Sherman Gymnasium. First up is a Nov. 16 matchup with Principia College at 8 p.m.
