The Bears (6-3) jumped ahead 8-4 behind the post play of sophomore Troy Ruths. Ruths scored six of WU’s first eight points, and senior Mike Grunst added a lay-up for the early lead.
Illinois Wesleyan responded behind senior Keelan Amelianovich, who scored seven consecutive points to give IWU a 22-14 advantage and force a Bears timeout with 11minutes remaining in the half. The Titans extended to an 11-point lead twice at 30-19 and 36-25 before the Bears rallied behind freshman Tyler Nading.
Nading was assigned the task of guarding Amelianovich, who had already scored nine points in the first 10 minutes of play. Nading, though, limited Amelianovich to just one three-pointer the rest of the half. In the process, Nading added six points to help the Red and Green draw within eight points (42-34) at the half. Amelianovich led all scorers with 12 points at the break, while Ruths led WU with 11 points and seven rebounds.
The Bears struggled from the field, connecting on 10-of-28 (35.7 percent) first-half field goals. Illinois Wesleyan, meanwhile, remained hot throughout the period, hitting 53 percent of its shots (17-of-32).
Junior Zach Freeman led the Titans during a 5-0 run to open the second half. Freeman recorded a lay-up and a two-handed dunk to give IWU (6-0) a 47-34 lead and force a WU timeout with 17:29 left on the clock. Amelianovich sparked a 14-0 run later by scoring seven points in leading his team to a 65-42 lead at the 11:19 mark.
Senior Adam Dauksas notched 12 assists for the Titans, who shot 52.5 from the field for the game. Amelianovich tallied a game-high 23 points on 8-of-14 from the field. Senior Chris Jones added 12 points and 11 rebounds. Ruths posted 14 points and nine rebounds for the Bears, while Nading finished with 13 points and four boards. Grunst registered three blocked shots to move into a second-place tie on the WU career chart with 152 career blocks.
Washington University returns to action Saturday, Dec. 17 versus Fontbonne University. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m. at the WU Field House.