Nov. 29, 2011 - The Concordia Cougars and Dominican Stars got together in men's basketball action tonight at Geiseman Gymnasium, each team looking to record its first victory of the young season. The two River Forest rivals battled neck and neck through the first half, but the Cougars dominated the second half and came away with the 69-49 win.
The teams traded baskets in the early minutes but, with Dominican leading 7-6, a layup by Charles Gordon (Chicago, IL/Lane Tech) triggered a 9-0 run. Gordon added a three-point play and two more free throws during the run to put Concordia up 15-7 at the 13:29 mark.
Khirey Floyd's (Oak Park, IL/Oak Park-River Forest) three later in the half put the Cougars up 25-17, but a layup by Taylor DeRoo and a three by Kevin Tiongson brought the Stars back. Two free throws by Kevin Blackowicz completed an 11-2 run that gave the Stars a one-point lead. Justin Hineman (Hartland, WI/Arrowhead) scored to put Concordia back in the lead briefly, but Darius Nelson's fast-break layup in the final seconds let Dominican go into the half with a 30-29 lead.
Nelson led the Stars with nine points in the half as they shot 9-21 overall for 43 percent. The Cougars shot 11-30 for 37 percent, but Gordon shot 5-6 from the field and 4-4 at the line to lead all scorers with 14 first-half points.
Dominican broke out to a fast start in the second half with Taylor DeRoo's slam dunk giving them a 36-31 lead. However, Concordia needed less than a minute to wipe out the visitors' lead. Issa Avery (Evanston, IL/St. Benedict) scored on a three-point play. Following a turnover, freshman Brandon Johnson (Chicago, IL/Gordon Tech) split a pair of free throws with Avery rebounding the miss on the second. That turned into a layup by Gordon that put Concordia back in the lead at 37-36.
A free throw by Logan Harris tied the game briefly, but the Cougars began to turn up the heat. Baskets by Johnson and Gordon put the Cougars in the lead for good. Nelson scored to bring the Stars back within two, but his basket would be the Stars' final points for the next 6 1/2 minutes. Concordia then ran off 12 straight points highlighted by threes from Al Kahlfeldt (New Berlin, WI/Eisenhower) and Avery.
The Stars finally broke the dry spell on a three by Kevin Tiongson, but Avery matched the three moments later. Floyd's jumper upped the Cougars' lead to 16, and Concordia's defense ensured that Dominican would not mount any serious charge.
Dominican shot just 6-35 (17 percent) in the second half, 2-19 from three-point range. Meanwhile, Concordia shot 14-25 (56 percent) led by a superb effort from Avery. The senior scored 17 second-half points to go with seven rebounds and four steals.
Avery finished with game-highs of 25 points and seven steals, and his 12 rebounds tied Hineman for top honors. Gordon added 24 points on 9-12 from the field and 6-6 from the foul line. Also of note, Johnson came off the bench to play 18 minutes in the second half while scoring five points and handing out four assists.
The Cougars (1-4, 1-1 NAC) will host Edgewood College on Saturday afternoon as part of a conference doubleheader.
