Franklin jumped out to a 15-0 lead on the Thunder and the Grizzlies held a 47-28 lead at halftime. The hosts’ biggest lead of the game was a 30-point advantage at 72-42 with 9:33 remaining in the game. However, Wheaton continued to battle for the entire game. Franklin led 82-61 with 4:40 left in the game when the Thunder used stingy defense and opportunistic shots to put together a 10-0 run that cut the Grizzlies’ lead to an 11-point advantage at 82-71 with 1:58 left in the game. Franklin shot 10-for-10 from the free throw line in the final 1:10 of the game to secure the victory. The hosts did not make a field goal in the final 4:40 of the game. Franklin had a decisive edge at the free throw line making 31 of its 36 attempts at the charity stripe.
Senior guard Tony Bollier led the Thunder with a career-high 31 points on 11-for-16 shooting from the field. Bollier drained three field goals from behind the three-point line, adding three assists and two steals. Freshman Andy Wiele tied his career-high, set last night against Clarke, with 13 points and also contributed six rebounds. Both Bollier and Wiele were named to the All-Tournament Team of the event. Junior Michael Fiddler scored 11 points and John Mohan added 10 points.
Tournament MVP Nick Kane led Franklin with 24 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots. Joseph Finke scored 22 points with six boards to also earn All-Tournament honors. Guard Jace Redman scored 13 points, with four assists.
Wheaton shot 51.7% (30-58) from the field, with 41.2% (7-17) from three-point range and posted a 58.8% (10-17) free throw percentage. Franklin shot 59.2% (29-49) from the floor, with 37.5% (3-8) from three-point range and 86.1% (31-36) at the charity stripe.
Wheaton College vs Franklin College 12-10-05 3 p.m. at Spurlock Center; Franklin, Ind. At Spurlock Center; Franklin, Ind. FRANKLIN COLLEGE 92, WHEATON COLLEGE 77 WHEATON COLLEGE (3-5) Bollier, Tony 11-16 6-7 31; Wiele, Andy 6-9 0-1 13; Fiddler, Michael 4-7 3-4 11; Mohan, John 4-14 0-1 10; Kemper, Jordan 2-5 1-4 5; McKay, Jeff 2-3 0-0 5; Noell, Dave 1-3 0-0 2; Denham, Phill 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 30-58 10-17 77. FRANKLIN COLLEGE (6-1) Kane, Nick 9-12 6-6 24; Finke, Josh 9-13 4-6 22; Redman, Jace 2-4 8-8 13; Tudor, Luke 2-3 4-4 9; Harney, Justin 3-5 1-1 7; Glover, Matt 1-1 4-5 6; Young, Marty 1-3 2-2 4; Neill, Jon 1-4 0-2 3; Catron, Jared 1-2 0-0 2; Marshall, Dustin 0-2 2-2 2. Totals 29-49 31-36 92. Wheaton College............... 28 49 - 77 Franklin College.............. 47 45 - 92 3-point goals-Wheaton College 7-17 (Bollier, Tony 3-7; Mohan, John 2-4; McKay, Jeff 1-2; Wiele, Andy 1-2; Noell, Dave 0-1; Kemper, Jordan 0-1), Franklin College 3-8 (Neill, Jon 1-1; Tudor, Luke 1-2; Redman, Jace 1-3; Marshall, Dustin 0-2). Fouled out--Wheaton College-Denham, Phill, Franklin College-None. Rebounds-Wheaton College 23 (Wiele, Andy 6), Franklin College 36 (Kane, Nick 12). Assists-Wheaton College 13 (Kemper, Jordan 4), Franklin College 18 (Tudor, Luke 5). Total fouls-Wheaton College 23, Franklin College 20.