Wheaton, Ill. - The Wheaton Thunder men's basketball team returned home tonight to play its first game in King Arena since November 30, 2011 and the 'Orange and Blue' topped Millikin 82-49 in front of the home fans. Wheaton improves to 11-3 overall and 2-1 in CCIW play. Tonight's game was the first of a three-game homestand for the Thunder, with Wheaton hosting North Central on Saturday night at 8 PM in the second game of the stretch.
A basket by Wheaton senior Spencer Schultze broke a 6-6 tie with 15:35 left in the first half and Schultze's field goal sparked a 13-2 run that gave the hosts a 19-8 lead with 11:00 remaining before halftime. Wheaton maintained an 11-point advantage at halftime with a 35-24 edge for the hosts.
Wheaton out-scored the Big Blue 15-4 over the first five minutes of the second half to extend its lead to 50-28 with 14:50 left in the game. Wheaton's 33-point advantage in the 82-49 final score was the largest lead of the night for the Thunder.
All-American forward Tim McCrary led the Thunder with 24 points on 9-for-11 shooting from the field. He also collected six rebounds, with three assists. McCrary moved into a tie for 15th place on Wheaton's all-time scoring list with his performance tonight, as he now has 1,478 career points.
The Thunder trio of Schultze, Jeremy Pflederer and Tyler Peters assisted the hosts' cause with 12 points from each player. Peters distributed a game-high seven assists and Schultze added five rebounds. Freshman Peter Smith scored 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting, including two three-pointers, from the field.
Rodney Clark led Millikin with 15 points and three assists. Nikko Robertson scored 14 points, with a team-high five rebounds. Brock Von Nordeck scored 10 points off the Big Blue bench.