Wheaton led for the first 13 minutes of the game, but Elmhurst’s Reuben Slock gave the hosts their first lead of the game at 29-28 with 5:07 to play in the first half. Elmhurst held onto the lead until the intermission, taking a 38-34 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
Elmhurst’s Gabe Kirstein drained a three-pointer with 12:00 to play in the game to give the hosts a 53-45 lead. Wheaton followed Kierstein’s trifecta with a 15-4 run as the Thunder took a 63-59 lead with 5:40 to play in the game. The contest was tied 63-63 with 1:50 to play when Wheaton guard Jon Nielson hit two free throws to give the Thunder a 65-63 lead. Nielson made two more free throws with for a 67-63 lead with 15 seconds left in the game. Kirstein made a layup with six seconds in the game to cut Wheaton’s lead to 67-65. Wheaton’s Tony Bollier was fouled, made his two free throws and locked up the 69-65 win for the Thunder.
All-American center Joel Kolmodin led the Thunder with 23 points on 8-11 shooting from the field, 10 rebounds and six assists. Junior Martin Trimiew scored 17 points with 10 rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals. Nielson scored 12 points, senior Will Landry added nine points with seven rebounds, and Bollier scored seven points with four assists.
Chris Martin led the Bluejays with 20 points, ten rebounds, four assists and three steals. Patrick Trierweiler was 7-9 from the field with 14 points, Kirstein scored 13 points and Slock added 11 points.
Wheaton shot 46.7% (21-45) from the field, 36.4% (4-11) from three-point range and 82.1% (23-28) from the free throw line. After shooting 51.5% (17-33) from the field in the first half, Elmhurst shot just 25.7% (9-35) in the second half for a 38.2% (26-68) field goal percentage in the game. Elmhurst out-rebounded the Thunder 36-35 on the night, including a 19-10 edge on the offensive glass that gave the Bluejays a 23-12 advantage in second chance points.
Wheaton College vs Elmhurst College 2/4/04 7:30 p.m. at Elmhurst, Ill. - R.A. Faganel Hall At Elmhurst, Ill. - R.A. Faganel Hall WHEATON COLLEGE 69, ELMHURST COLLEGE 65 WHEATON COLLEGE (17-2, 6-2 CCIW) Kolmodin, Joel 8-11 6-8 23; Trimiew, Martin 5-10 7-9 17; Nielson, Jon 2-6 6-6 12; Landry, Will 4-7 1-1 9; Bollier, Tony 2-8 2-2 7; Lettinga, Andrew 0-3 1-2 1. Totals 21-45 23-28 69. ELMHURST COLLEGE (9-9, 1-6 CCIW) Martin, Chris 6-18 8-9 20; Trierweiler, Patrick 7-9 0-1 14; Kirstein, Gabe 6-10 0-1 13; Slock, Reuben 4-10 3-4 11; Bosworth, Wayne 2-10 0-0 5; Abdul-Haqq, Adam 1-3 0-0 2; Bruns, Aaron 0-2 0-0 0; Schau, Craig 0-6 0-0 0. Totals 26-68 11-15 65. Wheaton College............... 34 35 - 69 Elmhurst College.............. 38 27 - 65 3-point goals-Wheaton College 4-11 (Nielson, Jon 2-3; Bollier, Tony 1-4; Kolmodin, Joel 1-2; Lettinga, Andrew 0-2), Elmhurst College 2-18 (Kirstein, Gabe 1-4; Bosworth, Wayne 1-7; Bruns, Aaron 0-2; Schau, Craig 0-3; Martin, Chris 0-2). Fouled out--Wheaton College-Trimiew, Martin, Elmhurst College-None. Rebounds-Wheaton College 35 (Kolmodin, Joel 10; Trimiew, Martin 10), Elmhurst College 36 (Martin, Chris 10). Assists-Wheaton College 15 (Kolmodin, Joel 6), Elmhurst College 14 (Bosworth, Wayne 4; Martin, Chris 4). Total fouls-Wheaton College 16, Elmhurst College 23. A-534