Sat. Feb 15th, 2025

Titans topple North Central in thrilling triple-overtime win

On Saturday, January 11, 2025, over 2,000 fans packed the stands to celebrate the Shirk Center’s 30th birthday at halftime, and to watch the Titans face North Central College. 

But what fans weren’t expecting was a last-minute conference victory that spanned 4 hours and ended in triple overtime. 

The Titans started strong, putting up thirteen uncontested points. 

First-year guard Josh Fridman started the scoring streak with a pair of successful free throws. 

Layups from senior guard Hakim Williams, and senior forwards Marko Anderson and Harrison Wilmsen continued the scoring streak. 

Finally, a deep three from sophomore guard Mason Funk put the Titans up eleven and forced North Central to use their first timeout. 

The Titans maintained their lead for the remainder of the first half, but the Cardinals gained momentum. 

North Central worked to close the gap by the end of the first half, eight points behind the Titans who led 39-31.

Illinois Wesleyan lost their momentum after halftime, allowing North Central to stay within three points of the Titans for the majority of the second half. 

A few missed shots from Illinois Wesleyan slowed play, but they managed to hold onto their lead until a little over a minute remained in the second half. 

With 1:20 on the clock, North Central tied the game at 68 points each. 

Exceptional defense from Fridman kept the Cardinals from making one last shot, which sent the battle into overtime. 

The Titans made up most of their points through free throws, with a jump shot from Willams and layup from Anderson keeping the Cardinals on the defensive. 

Both teams got scrappy in extra time, keeping each other on their toes and battling for every shot. 

Fouls on both teams kept the Cardinals and Titans close throughout the first overtime, but North Central held a steady advantage until the last few seconds of play. 

After multiple timeouts from both sides in the last minute, the battle continued into a second overtime, tied at 79-79. 

Neither team slowed down as play extended into the second overtime. 

Tight defense forced more missed shots on both sides, but Anderson and Williams kept the Titans afloat with successful buckets. 

North Central countered in the last 45 seconds, matching Illinois Wesleyan’s two point lead to tie it up at 86-86. 

The Titans picked it up in the final overtime period,  forcing the Cardinals to play catch-up. 

Williams set junior forward Nathan Boldt up for a clean three pointer, giving Illinois Wesleyan the advantage at 91 points. 

Roper secured a layup and was followed by two fastbreaks from Williams to get the score to 99-91 and secure victory in the 4-hour game on their home court. 

This game marked the Titans first triple overtime game since 1981, four years before current head coach Ron Rose began his ball career with Illinois Wesleyan as a player. 

1981 was the same year the Boston Celtics won the NBA Championship against the Houston Rockets and the year George Lucas’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark” dominated the box office.

Both Roper and Anderson scored career highs this game. 

Roper took home a total of 29 points, besting his record of 25 from last season, but the senior credited this win to his teammates. 

“It was a real team victory, it took all twenty-two of us players, all the coaches, the trainers; it took all of us to get this done.” Roper said. 

Anderson also topped his previous record of 17 points by two. 

Like Roper, Anderson recognized the whole team rather than focusing on his own achievement. “It was a battle,” Anderson said, “A total team effort.” 

The teamwork recognized by two of the team’s top scorers was evident in their gameplay. The Titans are celebrating their win, but while this game puts on a show for the crowds, the team is looking forward to how they can improve for the next few games. 

Both Anderson and Roper want to build on the team’s consistency, and their ability to shut down opposing teams early. “We started off well, we just couldn’t continue to contain that lead,” Anderson said, “We can always play harder.” 

“We started the first half well, but I would say we should come out harder in the second half, really put teams away,” Roper said. 

This game makes Illinois Wesleyan’s record 13-2, 5-1 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. The next conference matchup for the Titans will be against Augustana on January 22, at the Shirk Center at 7pm.

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