The Case Western Reserve University men's basketball team improved to 3-0, defeating Washington College 70-66 on Saturday afternoon to claim the 2018 Bill Sudeck Tournament Championship at Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Spartans' 3-0 start is their first since the 2015-16 campaign.  Meanwhile, the loss was the first of the season for Washington, which fell to 3-1.

CWRU junior forward Michael Hollis was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, scoring nine points and collecting a game-high 13 rebounds.  Sophomore guard Ignas Masiulionis claimed a spot on the all-tournament team, leading the squad with 15 points and three steals in the game.  Also earning all-tournament honors were Alec Lewis of second-place Washington, Matt Trent of third-place Franciscan and Jaylen Nuckles of fourth-place Keystone.

Sophomore guard Michael Volkening came off the bench to score 13 points with five rebounds, while sophomore guatd Antonio Ionadi and freshman forward Ryan Newton each registered 10 points in the game.  Newton also had seven rebounds and a pair of blocks on Saturday.

The Spartans overcame a slow start on Saturday, falling behind 12-5 in the first five minutes.  However, a quick 8-2 run, including threes by sophomore guard Michael Volkening and freshman forward Ryan Newton, helped the Spartans get back within a point, 14-13.  CWRU regained the lead on a jumper by sophomore guard Antonio Ionadi with 11:21 remaining, and would go on a 26-2 run to build a 20-point advantage, 39-19 with 2:54 to play, before closing out the opening half with a 43-26 lead.

CWRU held a double-digit lead for most of the second half, but Washington chipped away at the advantage throughout the period.  The Shoremen trimmed the lead down to three with 30 seconds left and two with 10 seconds left.  However, Hollis drained a pair of free throws in the waning seconds to lock up the win.

CWRU finished the game shooting 41.5% from the floor, and 33.3% from behind the three point line.  The team also blocked seven shots in the game.

CWRU will be back in action on Tuesday, November 20^th, when the Spartans hit the road for the first time this season to face Denison University in Granville, Ohio.  Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.