JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – Stellar defense and timely offense keyed the Illinois College men's basketball team to a 68-53 win over 16th-ranked Wabash in the championship game of the Bill Merris Tournament on Saturday at Sherman Gymnasium.
The Blueboys, who moved to 4-0 on the season, were trailing by three at 13-10 before holding the Little Giants scoreless for nearly 12 minutes and pushing their lead to 28-13 with an 18-0 run. IC took a 31-21 cushion into halftime.
The second half saw IC increase its lead to 14 at 40-26 before Wabash made an 18-4 run to tie the score at 44. The Blueboys used a 24-8 run over the final 10:53 of the contest to provide the final margin.
Jake Mazrimas led the Blueboys with 24 points and six rebounds while
Josh Harris chipped in with 14 points and five boards.
Buzz Ritzel had 13 points to go with his seven rebounds.
Jahkeis Tippett was steady throughout, scoring nine points and grabbing a team-high nine rebounds.
Mazrimas, Harris and Ritzel were all named to the All-Tournament team and were joined by Wabash's Rich Brooks, T.J. Schnurr of Coe, and North Park's Shamar Pumphrey.Â
IC returns to action Wednesday when it hits the road for the first time, traveling to Millikin. Game time is set for 3:00 p.m.
