BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – A run late in the first half broke the game open, but not in favor of the No. 2 Washington University in St. Louis men's basketball as No. 9 Illinois Wesleyan won a battle of top 10 teams on Thursday evening, 84-68.

Senior Hayden Doyle led WashU in scoring with 19 points while dishing out four assists. First-year Connor May had a career-high and team-high 11 assists while nearly recording his first double-double, scoring eight points.

Small streaks early in the first half by both teams saw the Titans lead 18-9 with 14:53 on the clock. The Bears answered with a 15-6 run down to 8:16, capped by back-to-back threes by Doyle and sophomore Jake Davis to bring WashU within just one, 25-24.

Illinois Wesleyan answered with a 13-0 stretch to pull away with 4:32 left in the half. A pair of free throws by senior Drake Kindsvater and a three by junior Will Grudzinski brought it back within single digits with just over three minutes left before the break.

After a pair of baskets by IWU, Doyle closed out scoring for the half with a layup with 45 seconds on the clock, as the teams went to the locker rooms with the Titans leading, 42-31.

The first five minutes halftime was back to an even match up with IWU increasing their lead by one, 53-41. Unfortunately for WashU, the Titans continued to slowly adding to their advantage, leading by as many as 22 with 7:41 left in the contest.

Over the final five minutes, the Bears began to chip away, outscoring the Titans by four, but IWU held on for the 84-68 win over WashU.

The Bears did lead the Titans in a pair of categories including offensive rebounds (12-9) and second chance points (12-5).

WashU are off for the rest of 2024 and will return to the court on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, when they travel to Wabash. The contest with the Little Giants is scheduled for a 2 p.m. tip off in Crawfordsville, Ind.