BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The 21st-ranked Elmhurst University men's basketball team took down No. 22 Illinois Welseyan, 68-64, to capture the 2024 CCIW Tournament Championship and earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Elmhurst (22-5, 12-4 CCIW) claimed their third tournament title since 2020, and have earned their third NCAA Tournament appearance in the past five seasons as well.

John Ittounas and Ocean Johnson powered the Elmhurst offense, with both scoring 16 points while Ittounas added eight rebounds and Johnson grabbed nine rebounds. Johnson was particularly clutch in the second-half, with all his points coming in the final period of play.

Quinn Pemberton and Jonathan Zapinski both tallied nine points, while Tagen Pearson added eight including a pair of threes.

Illinois Wesleyan (19-8, 14-2 CCIW) had four scorers in double-digits, led by 15-points from big man Marko Anderson, while Harrison Wilmsen tallied 13. Hakim Williams grabbed eight rebounds and scored 11, while Luke Yoder tallied 10 points and added six assists.

The top-25 matchup in the conference final started tough, with both teams combining for just six made field goals to begin the game. A 10-3 Elmhurst run put the Bluejays up by 11 with under ten to go, a lead which the Bluejays kept thanks to a stifling defense that held the Titans to just 32% shooting and an 0-for-7 mark from beyond the arc in the first half. Ittounas would knock down a jumper in the closing seconds of the half before a pair of free-throws from the Titans gave Elmhurst a 30-22 lead with 20 minutes to go.

Elmhurst's offense would continue to roll to begin the second period, beginning with an 8-4 run with a Johnson jumper extending the lead to 15 and forcing a Titan timeout. The hosts would not go down easy, though, as an Illinois Wesleyan scoring run would cut the Bluejay lead to just two, 46-44, with 8:40 to go.

Despite a raucous home crowd and the momentum in favor of the Titans, the Bluejays would answer the run with buckets in four-straight possesions to extend their lead back to nine with 6:41 remaining.

Elmhurst answered each Illinois Wesleyan basket with one of their own to maintain a steady three-possesion lead. Again, the momentum shifted towards the home team after a thunderous dunk cut the lead to six, but Ittounas silenced the crowd by burying a three. Elmhurst got their free-throws to fall in the final minutes of the game, and came away with the CCIW Tournament title, 68-64.

UP NEXT 

Elmhurst will now turn their focus to the NCAA Tournament, and the Bluejays will learn their postseason destination and opponent during the NCAA selection show this Monday, Feb. 26 at 12:00 p.m., with action set to begin next Friday, March 1.

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