Ty Lenhardt made two free throws with less than a second left to give Illinois College a 63-62 win over Monmouth in Midwest Conference men’s basketball action on Saturday at Sherman Gymnasium in Jacksonville, Illinois.
With this victory, the Blueboys finished their regular season with a 12-13 overall record and 9-7 in conference play. Monmouth concluded its season at 19-6 overall and 14-2 in the conference.
The game was close throughout. After trading leads early, Monmouth went on a six-point run to lead 20-14 late in the first half. Illinois College responded with a strong finish to the period, taking a 27-25 advantage into halftime.
In the second half, Monmouth regained control and led by as many as six points before Illinois College came back to go ahead 52-45 with just over eight minutes remaining. The Blueboys were up by seven points with under three minutes left when Monmouth rallied and took a one-point lead with 17 seconds left. Lenhardt’s free throws then decided the outcome.
Lenhardt led all scorers with 22 points, making ten of twelve from the free throw line. DeShawn Nolan added eleven points for Illinois College, while Brady Clark collected ten rebounds. Jaylen Swinney contributed six points and six rebounds off the bench.
Illinois College honored seniors Ty Lenhardt and Nick Doroskin before the game.
The Blueboys will compete next in their fifth consecutive Midwest Conference Tournament on Friday in Grinnell, Iowa. They enter as the fourth seed and will face top-seeded host Grinnell. The start time for that game will be announced later this weekend.
Illinois College Blue Boys Basketball is part of NCAA Division III and competes in both conference and non-conference games within the Midwest Conference (official athletics website). The team plays home games at an on-campus gymnasium in Jacksonville, Illinois (official athletics website). The program emphasizes competitive play and athlete development (official athletics website).
