Wheaton was leading 28-26 with two-seconds remaining in the first half when senior Tony Bollier drained a three-pointer to give the Thunder a 31-26 lead at halftime. The ‘orange and blue’ opened the second half by out-scoring the Crusaders 15-8, as Wheaton’s biggest lead came in the form of a 12-point 46-34 advantage with 12:20 left to play in regulation.
Wheaton led 52-43 with 7:00 left in the game when Clarke put together a 13-4 run that tied the game at 56-56 with 2:05 left to play. The Thunder regained a 58-56 lead with 1:20 left in the game thanks to a pair of free throws by sophomore John Mohan. Clarke’s Brian Harris drained a three-pointer to give the Crusaders a one-point lead at 59-58 with 47-seconds left in the game. Bollier was fouled with 32-seconds left in the game and drained a pair of free throws to give the Thunder a 60-59 advantage. Clarke had the ball for one final possession; however, the Thunder defense clamped down and did not allow the Crusaders a good scoring opportunity. Harris attempted a desperation three-pointer for the Crusaders as time expired, but the shot fell short and Wheaton emerged with the win.
Bollier led Wheaton with a game-high 19 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the field, including 3-for-6 from three-point range, and three assists. Senior co-captain Jordan Kemper scored 14 points, with four three-pointers and two steals. Freshman Andy Wiele had a breakout game setting career-highs with 13 points and 11 rebounds, including seven offensive caroms. Wiele was 5-for-10 from the field playing a career-best 31 minutes. Mohan scored 10 points, with eight rebounds.
DeMonte Bynum added 17 points and seven assists for Clarke. Grant Cirks scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, with three steals and two blocked shots. Chris Kilburg scored nine points and grabbed six caroms. Harris scored eight pints and dished out six assists.
Wheaton shot 45.5% (20-44) from the field, with 40% (8-20) from three-point range and 80% (12-15) from the free throw line. Clarke shot 39.3% (22-56) from the floor, 33.3% (7-21) from behind the three point arc and 80% (8-10) at the charity stripe. Wheaton out-rebounded the Crusaders 31-27; however, Clarke held an 11-9 edge on the offensive glass.
Clarke College vs Wheaton College 12-09-05 6 pm at Spurlock Center; Franklin, Ind. At Spurlock Center; Franklin, Ind. WHEATON COLLEGE 60, CLARKE COLLEGE 59 CLARKE COLLEGE (3-5) BYNUM, DeMonte 5-13 3-3 17; CIRKS, Grant 6-11 0-1 13; RUSSELL, Demarvis 4-5 1-1 9; KILBURG, Chris 3-8 3-4 9; HARRIS, Brian 3-8 0-0 8; MURLEY, Sam 1-8 1-1 3; THOMPSON, D.J. 0-1 0-0 0; OKPALAEZE, Michael 0-0 0-0 0; HEAVENS, John 0-0 0-0 0; FITZSIMONS, Andy 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 22-56 8-10 59. WHEATON COLLEGE (3-4) Bollier, Tony 6-11 4-4 19; Kemper, Jordan 5-9 0-1 14; Wiele, Andy 5-10 3-4 13; Mohan, John 3-10 3-4 10; Fiddler, Michael 1-3 0-0 2; Denham, Phill 0-0 2-2 2; Noell, Dave 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-44 12-15 60. Clarke College................ 26 33 - 59 Wheaton College............... 31 29 - 60 3-point goals-Clarke College 7-21 (BYNUM, DeMonte 4-10; HARRIS, Brian 2-7; CIRKS, Grant 1-2; MURLEY, Sam 0-1; RUSSELL, Demarvis 0-1), Wheaton College 8-20 (Kemper, Jordan 4-6; Bollier, Tony 3-6; Mohan, John 1-6; Wiele, Andy 0-2). Fouled out--Clarke College-None, Wheaton College-Denham, Phill. Rebounds-Clarke College 27 (CIRKS, Grant 10), Wheaton College 31 (Wiele, Andy 11). Assists-Clarke College 15 (BYNUM, DeMonte 7), Wheaton College 9 (Bollier, Tony 3). Total fouls-Clarke College 13, Wheaton College 13.