Cougar Men Enjoy Easy Win
Feb. 4, 2012 - After losing their last three games in gut-wrenching fashion, the Concordia-Chicago men's basketball team made sure that there would be no repeat this afternoon at Geiseman Gymnasium. The Cougars scored the first 14 points of today's game and rolled to an easy 66-47 win over Maranatha Baptist Bible College in Northern Athletics Conference play.
The Cougars opened the scoring on Justin Hineman's (Hartland, WI/Arrowhead) basket just 12 seconds after tip-off, and they went to the inside game in the early minutes. Charles Gordon (Chicago, IL/Lane Tech) attacked the basket for a reverse layup, and Issa Avery (Evanston, IL/St. Benedict) got free inside for a couple of baskets including a slam dunk on a feed by Gordon. Avery's third score of the game made it 14-0 Cougars before the Crusaders finally broke the ice at the 13:15 mark on a three-pointer by Tanner Moses.
A solid defense that forced the visitors into numerous first-half turnovers allowed Concordia to keep its lead in the mid-teens for most of the half. The Cougars then finished the half with a strong burst as Al Kahlfeldt (New Berlin, WI/Eisenhower) nailed a three from the left side. Baskets by Keegan Johnson (Sycamore, IL/H.S.) and Avery put an exclamation point on a solid 20 minutes of play that saw the Cougars take a 36-12 lead to the locker room.
Maranatha attempted a comeback midway through the second half as Joel Borchardt hit back-to-back threes and Matt McGivern added one from behind the arc. But the Cougars' bench answered the challenge as Jacob Oakley (Sun Prairie, WI/H.S.) sank a three and added a tip-in, Brandon Johnson (Chicago, IL/Gordon Tech) also connected from deep, restoring a 17-point lead for the Cougars at 53-36. The Crusaders would get no closer than 16 the rest of the game.
Avery led all scorers with 21 points (8-15 FG, 5-6 FT) and also notched a double-double with 11 rebounds. Gordon added 12 points and seven rebounds, and Hineman chipped in with 10 points.
With the win, Concordia (7-14, 7-6 NAC) is currently in a three-way tie with Aurora University and the Milwaukee School of Engineering for third place in the NAC South standings. The Cougars will play at Aurora on Wednesday night.
