Bluejays win big in CCIW tournament

Bluejays win CCIW Tourney for first time 

The men's basketball team beat Illinois Wesleyan University Saturday, Feb. 29, with a close 78-72 win. This is the first time ever the Bluejays have won the CCIW basketball tournament. The win gives the Bluejays a ticket to the NCAA tournament and has improved their record to 23-5. 

The game was tight all the way through starting off the half with four changes in lead. The Bluejays finally caught their offensive groove and took it away with a 36-34 lead heading into the locker rooms. 

The Titans took over in the second half battling back with at 41-40 at the start of the second half. There was a lot of back and forth between the two teams until finally a 1:05 pass from Jake Rhode to Jay Militello for a layup followed by free throws from Rhode caught the Bluejays up with a 76-69 lead. 

EC finished the game shooting 28-for-66 (42.4%) from the floor and 6-for-24 (25%) from beyond the three point line. Jake Rhode led the Bluejays offensively with 22 points and three steals. Lavon Thomas scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds followed by Jay Militello who scored 13 and grabbed six rebounds. 

The Bluejays will find out who they will face in the NCAA tournament Monday, March 2, at 11:00 a.m.