Contact: Chassidy Holloway, Associate Executive Director, holloway@midwestconference.org
 
JACKSONVILLE, Illinois – Illinois College rallied from a 15-point halftime deficit to defeat Grinnell College 108-84 in the Midwest Conference (MWC) Men’s Basketball Tournament title game on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Blueboys did not hold a lead in the opening half of the game and trailed the Pioneers 58-43 at halftime.
 
Illinois College came out firing in the second half, going on a 18-2 run to take its first lead, 61-60, with 12:47 remaining in the game.
 
After two Grinnell free throws put the Pioneers back up one, the Blueboys would score eight straight points for a 70-62 advantage, going full steam ahead for the 24-point victory.
 
Grinnell closes the season with a 19-7 overall record (12-4 MWC), while Illinois College improves to 23-4 overall (13-3 MWC).
 
Today’s win marks the second consecutive MWC tournament title, third overall, for the Blueboys, and they will advance to the NCAA postseason for the second season in a row on the league’s automatic qualifier.
 
Illinois College will find out its NCAA Tournament destination during the Selection Show on NCAA.com, scheduled for Monday, February 26, at 12:00 p.m.