JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The Illinois College men's basketball team came out flat, enjoyed a brief resurgence, and then went ice-cold in the second half to fall to Beloit College on Saturday, 73-54. The loss drops the Blueboys to 4-9 (2-4 Midwest Conference) on the year.
Beloit burst out of the gates and quickly established a double-digit lead. A Tristan Shoup three-pointer seven minutes in made it 16-5 in favor of the Buccaneers. As the half progressed, the Blueboys made a 9-0 run to take a 29-26 lead, its largest of the day, on a
Deandre Enoch fast-break layup with less than four minutes until the break. Beloit answered back with a 14-2 run capped by an Andrew Walters breakaway dunk just before the horn to make it 40-31 for the visitors.
Jake Mazrimas knocked down a three to open up the second half, but 40-34 was as close as Illinois College would get the rest of the way. Beloit immediately came back with a 9-0 run and the Blueboys never brought it back to single-digits the rest of the way.
Shoup had a game-high 20 points for Beloit. Mazrimas led Illinois College with eight.
The Blueboys stay at home at Sherman Gymnasium on Wednesday night, hosting Grinnell College at 5:30 p.m.
