Senior Anthony Hollins gave the Bears the early 4-0 lead 42 seconds into the contest after a breakaway slam-dunk before the game was delayed for 10 minutes due to a broken shot clock. Junior Scott Stone extended the lead to 11-2 with 16:09 left in the first half after he drained a three-pointer from 25 feet out.
Washington U. led 16-5 before Illinois Wesleyan went on a 17-0 run to take a 22-16 with 9:36 remaining in the first half. The Bears grabbed a 34-30 lead after a three-pointer and two free-throws by sophomore Brandon York, but the Titans ended the half with a 10-4 run to take a 40-38 lead to the locker room.
York had nine points in the first half while Hollins added eight as WU shot just 36.4 percent (12-of-33) from the field. Illinois Wesleyan shot 60.0 percent (15-of-25) from the field in the first half, but committed 11 turnovers. Zach Freeman (15 points), Keelan Amelianovich (12) and Adam Dauksas (10) combined for 37 of the Titans 40 first-half points.
Illinois Wesleyan (3-0) continued its hot shooting as the Titans opened the second half with an 11-0 run to move ahead 51-38 with 16:19 remaining in the game. IWU extended the run to 16-4 to open the half after Freeman converted on a three-point play to give the Titans a 60-44 advantage. The Bears closed the gap to 11 after a three-pointer by York with 6:40 remaining, but Washington U. would get no closer.
York tied his career-high with 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting while freshman Troy Ruths and Hollins added 12. The Bears shot 34.3 percent (24-of-70) from the field, including just 23.3 percent (7-of-30) beyond the arc.
Freeman led the Titans with 23 points and 10 rebounds while Amelianovich added 21. Dauksas finished with 15 points and a game-high 13 assists.
Washington University (2-1) returns to action Sat., Nov. 27 against Albion College in the DePauw University Tournament in Greencastle, Ind. Tip off is set for 6 p.m. (EST) .