It was back to business this evening after an emotional CIT weekend. The Cougar men were matched up against the NAC South Division-leading Benedictine Eagles. Concordia entered play sitting one game behind Benedictine with a 6-5 NAC record. Unfortunately,the opportunity to tie the Eagles in the standings and win the season series slipped away in the final seconds as Concordia lost its third straight heartbreaker, this one by a final score of 52-50.
The Cougar defense was outstanding in the opening minutes, making the Eagles work the clock only to take tough shots.
Keegan Johnson (Sycamore, IL/H.S.) made three steals and did well in sparking the transition game. On the offensive end,
Charles Gordon (Chicago, IL/Lane Tech) led the way in attacking the interior of Benedictine's defense. He had three of the Cougars' six baskets as Concordia grabbed a 12-2 lead after seven minutes.
While the defensive effort remained tenacious, the Cougars' offense ran cold over the next several minutes. Sparked by their all-conference guard Nate Green, the Eagles caight the Cougars and then took their first lead at the six-minute mark. However,
Al Kahlfeldt (New Berlin, WI/Eisenhower) connected on a three from the right side to put Concordia back in the lead at 16-15. Avery followed with a short jumper before BU's Michael Woolf hit threes on consecutive trips to make the score BU 21, CUC 18.
The Eagles kept up their momentum over the final few minutes of the half. Threes by Jamison Montgomery and Raphael Oglesby closed out a 25-6 run, giving the Eagles a 27-18 lead after 20 minutes of play.
Concordia opened the second half with an 8-2 spurt as freshman
Brandon Johnson (Chicago, IL/Gordon Tech) provided some steadying play from the point. Benedictine's Woolf kept his team in the lead with his third and fourth threes of the game, but Concordia continued to come at the hosts. Johnson's three-point play pulled the Cougars within 39-36. The Eagles clung to their lead, but Avery added more pressure as he found the range from the outside twice over the next couple of minutes.
The Cougars finally caught the Eagles with 1:12 remaining. Gordon drive hard to the basket and was fouled going up for the shot. Gordon missed the first but made the second to knot the score.
Green would supply the eventual game-winning points with 51 seconds left, but he also gave the Cougars a final chance to tie or win. After Avery's free throw had made the score 52-50, Green was fouled with 20 seconds left. Prior to this foul, Green had shot seven free throws in the game without a miss. This time, however, both of his free throws rimmed out. There was a tie-up for the rebound after the second miss, but the possession arrow favored the Cougars.
The Cougars nearly turned the ball over with 6.8 ticks left but were given the ball along the sideline in the backcourt. Avery took the inbounds but had trouble controlling the ball. Eventually, the ball ended up in
Brandon Johnson's hands about 30 feet from the basket. His last-ditch three was a little to the right as the buzzer sounded and time ran out on Concordia.
Avery led the Cougars with 18 points (6-11 FG, 2-4 3FG, 4-8 FT) and 10 rebounds, the latter stat helping Concordia to a 34-24 edge on the glass.
Brandon Johnson was next in scoring with his nine second-half points.
Green led the Eagles with 21 points, four assists and three steals. Woolf added 14 points on 5-7 shooting, 4-5 from three-point land.
Concordia (6-14, 6-6 NAC) will host Maranatha Baptist Bible College Saturday at 4:15, following the women's game.
