LISLE, Ill. - The second-ranked Benedictine University men's basketball team kept the season rolling with a dominant rebounding performance in a home victory over #10 Ohio Wesleyan to advance to the Sectional Final in the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Tournament.

FINAL SCORE
Benedictine 97, Ohio Wesleyan 84

THE DETAILS
• The first half was as even as could be with neither side leading by more than five points
• A layup from Adam Reynolds allowed Benedictine to take a 10-9 lead with 13:42 remaining in the first half
• Ohio Wesleyan held the lead for the next 10 minutes, opening five-point margins at 27-22 and 30-25
• Over the following two and half minutes, Benedictine used a 13-4 run to open a 38-34 advantage on a three-pointer from Michael Blaszczyk with 2:39 left in the half
• The contest was even at 42 apiece at halftime before Benedictine took over on the glass
• The visitors opened another five-point advantage at 61-56 with 15:07 left
• Matt Chaltin knotted the score at 64-64 with a jumper at the 12:12 mark
• Trailing 68-67, Shawn Soelter keyed a 13-0 run with a pair of three-pointers
• Chaltin finished the stretch with a jumper at the 8:03 mark to push the margin to 80-68
• Ohio Wesleyan trimmed the margin down to six points at 86-80 with 3:43 to play, but another run of 8-0 provided separation with Benedictine leading by 15 in the final minute
• The game featured seven ties and 13 lead changes
• The win advanced Benedictine to the Elite 8, matching the farthest advancement in school history

STAT LEADERS
• Ohio Wesleyan made 11 three-pointers and shot 54 percent from the field, but Benedictine, the top rebounding team in the nation, held a 54-26 advantage on the glass including 25 offensive boards
• Not a single Benedictine player reached double figure rebounds, but the team picked up 27 second chance points
• Luke Johnson paced Benedictine with 23 points while John Dodson and Blaszczyk each notched 14
• Tim Reamer picked up 12 points and nine boards off the bench

UP NEXT
Benedictine (29-0) hosts Alma College on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. for the right to advance to championship weekend in Salem, Virginia. Tickets for the game go on sale at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday