Boys basketball: Payback! Uni defeats St. Thomas More by 18

Senior Mike Renner goes up for a basket despite pressure from St. Thomas More's Clark Schmidt. Uni defeated the Sabers 63-45 tonight at Kenney Gym. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)

By Chris Yoder
Published: Tuesday, December 4, 2007 - 10:20pm

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URBANA — It was a tale of two halves at Kenney Gym tonight as the Illineks avenged last year’s 22-point loss to St. Thomas More with a 63-45 victory over the Sabers.

The win raises the team's record to 6-0, just one victory shy of matching the best start ever by a Uni boys varsity basketball team. The Illineks can tie that mark with a road victory Saturday against Fisher.

“I thought it was great that we battled back,” said head coach Joel Beesley. “We were cold shooting in the first half and battled back to play very sound basketball in the second half.”

GAME AT A GLANCE

Result: Uni def. St. Thomas More 63-45
Score by quarters:
STM 10 10 08 17 —45
Uni 11 10 23 19 —63
Varsity record: 6-0
Recap: Mike Renner scored 20 points and Frankie McFarland grabbed 10 rebounds as Uni improved to 6-0 and avenged last year's 54-32 loss to the Sabers.
Next game: Saturday, Dec. 8, at Fisher; JV game scheduled to start at 6 p.m.

St. Thomas More took the early lead, jumping ahead 8-1. It was the first time all season that Uni had trailed for an extended period of time.

Both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the first half, as Uni led only 11-10 after the first quarter and 21-20 at the half.

But something changed at halftime. Whatever inspired the Illineks, it worked. After the Sabers took a 26-25 lead, Uni found its rhythm. Senior Mike Renner, the Uni career leader in 3-pointers, hit back-to-back treys at the start of a 14-0 run.

The Illineks took a 44-28 lead into the fourth quarter on a jump shot by senior Frankie McFarland that barely beat the buzzer. The ruling was met with hostility by the St. Thomas More fans in attendance, but the call stood.

After that, the Sabers found the obstacle too much to overcome, and Uni shot 12 free throws in an anticlimactic fourth quarter to seal out the victory. All six of Uni's games have been won by double-digits.

Renner led all scorers with 20 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter. McFarland added 12 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Senior Chumar Williams added 11 points and dished out 7 assists.

If the Illineks can defeat Fisher this weekend, they will tie the school record for most wins to start a boys basketball season.

Uni teams have begun 7-0 only three times: in 1943-44 (24-4 final record), 1939-40 (16-7), and 1938-39 (14-7).

However, Beesley isn’t taking a win over Fisher for granted.

“[A Uni record] would be pretty nice,” said Beesley, “but we’re looking at Fisher — a really good basketball team. Fisher is a hard place to play. Every game is new, the challenges are new, and so at Fisher, we have to step up.”

In junior varsity action, the Uni JV fell to the Saber JV 59-18. The Illineks are now 2-2.

Senior guard Chumar Williams looks for an open teammate against visiting St. Thomas More. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)

Senior forward Isaac Radnitzer fights for possession in the second half of Uni's sixth straight win of the season. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)

Head coach Joel Beesley addresses his team during a timeout against St. Thomas More. Uni is off to the best start in Beesley's 13 years as varsity coach. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)

2007-08 BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL: 6-0 overall, 0-0 East Central Illinois Conference
(home matches listed in bold)

Nov. 19: Shiloh (Central Illinois Turkey Tourney), W 80-32

Story: Uni routs Shiloh in season-opening tournament game
Points: Mike Renner 13, Austin Rundus 13, Chumar Williams 12, Isaac Radnitzer 12, Frankie McFarland 11
Rebounds: McFarland 7, Renner 6, Ammar Rizwan 5
Assists: Williams 11
JV game: Bement 26 - Uni 25
JV record: 0-1, 0-0

Nov. 20: Buckley Christ Lutheran (Central Illinois Turkey Tourney), W 69-17

Story: Uni faces no trouble in 69-17 win over BCL
Points: Chumar Williams 13, Isaac Radnitzer 12, Mike Renner 11, Alan Kessler 11
JV game: Uni 36 - Shiloh 15
JV record: 1-1, 0-0

Nov. 23: Bement (Central Illinois Turkey Tourney), W 73-59

Story: Uni to play in tournament final after victory over Bement
Points: Chumar Williams 21, Austin Rundus 15, Mike Renner 13
Rebounds: Rundus 8
Assists: Williams 8
JV game: none
JV record: 1-1, 0-0

Nov. 24: Martinsville (Central Illinois Turkey Tourney championship game), W 74-43

Story: Renner breaks 3-point record as Uni wins Turkey Tourney championship
Points: Mike Renner 23 (four 3-pointers), Chumar Williams 16, Isaac Radnitzer 8, Frankie McFarland 8
Rebounds: Renner 5, Radnitzer 5
Assists: Renner 8, Williams 6
Steals: Williams 4
JV game: none
JV record: 1-1, 0-0

Nov. 30: at Shiloh, W 72-23

Story: Illineks roll to best start of Beesley era
Points: Mike Renner 19 (two 3-pointers, 1-2 FT), Austin Rundus 12 (two 3-pointers, 4-5 FT), Isaac Radnitzer 10, Alan Kessler 9 (5-8 FT), Dan Lilly 6, Ammar Rizwan 5 (1-1 FT), Malcolm Taylor 5 (3-4 FT), Frankie McFarland 4 (0-2 FT), Chumar Williams 2
Rebounds: Radnitzer 9, Kessler 7, McFarland 4, Renner 2, Rundus 2, Lilly 2, Rizwan 2, Taylor 2
Assists: Renner 2, Rundus 2, Radnitzer 2, Lilly 2, Williams 2, Taylor 1
Blocks: Hamer 2, Renner 1, Radnitzer 1
Steals: Renner 4, Lilly 3, Rundus 2, Radnitzer 1, Kessler 1, Williams 1
JV game: Uni def. Shiloh 33-27
JV record: 2-1, 0-0

Dec. 4: St. Thomas More, W 63-45