Sangamon Sun

The Illinois College men's basketball team secured its fourth consecutive victory by defeating Cornell 73-70 in a Midwest Conference game on Tuesday at the Small Athletic and Wellness Center in Mt. Vernon, Iowa.

With this win, Illinois College improved its overall record to 14-5 and 7-3 in conference play. Meanwhile, Cornell's record shifted to 12-6 overall and 6-3 in the conference.

The Blueboys started strong, maintaining control throughout the first half. They never trailed and extended their lead to as much as 14 points with less than ten minutes remaining in the half. Illinois College entered halftime with a six-point lead at 33-27.

In the second half, Illinois College extended their advantage back to 11 points early on, but Cornell responded with a run of their own. The Rams tied the game with just over thirteen minutes left and took their first lead at 52-50 shortly after.

Cornell increased their lead to seven points before Illinois College answered with a seven-point run to tie the game once more. The teams exchanged leads for several minutes until Ty Lenhardt's layup gave Illinois College a decisive edge with two minutes and twenty-nine seconds remaining. Lenhardt contributed four points in those final moments, supported by key free throws from Javonte McKenzie, Buzz Ritzel, and Seth Doss.

Ritzel led Illinois College with 21 points. Doss added 18 points along with eight rebounds while Lenhardt scored 17 points and grabbed seven boards. Jaylen Swinney also contributed off the bench with seven rebounds.

This victory marks Illinois College's fourth straight win and seventh out of their last eight games. It was also the 99th career win for head coach Steve Schweer. Over recent seasons, Illinois College has won an impressive number of games both overall and within their conference.

Looking ahead, Illinois College will continue its road trip through Iowa as they face Grinnell on Saturday for another Midwest Conference matchup scheduled for 3:00 p.m.