Feb. 6, 2013 - When the Concordia-Chicago men's basketball team met up with crosstown rival Dominican University last month, the Stars had their way in one of the more lopsided games of the series. Tonight at Geiseman Gymnasium, the Cougars turned the tables and played the role of spoiler against the second-place Stars. Concordia jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, winning a 92-82 shootout.
There was no mystery behind the Cougars' success this evening. They shot a blistering 54 percent in the first half and built a 15-point halftime lead.
Marcus Elston's (Chicago, IL/Benito Juarez) 20 points led six Concordia players in double figures. The Cougars controlled the boards by a wide 48-31 margin, led by Elston's 15 and
Brandon Stinson's (Schiller Park, IL/East Leyden) 14. Most impressively, the Cougars moved
the ball with precision and were credited with 20 assists on their 37 baskets, led by Stinson and
Brandon Johnson (Chicago, IL/Gordon Tech) with five each.
A three by
Tyler Oden (Chicago, IL/Marist) and jumper by
Khirey Floyd (Oak Park, IL/Oak Park-River Forest) shot Concordia to a quick 5-0 lead. Logan Harris' three got the Stars on the board, and Anthony Keener scored the visitors' next five points. Keener's three-point play at the 16:52 mark brought Dominican within a single point at 9-8.
The Cougars then opened up some distance between themselves and the Stars. Beginning with Stinson's layup on a fast break, Concordia hit seven consecutive shots from the floor. Included in the run were threes by Oden and Floyd and a slam dunk by Elston on the break. Elston scored again from close in to close the run and put Concordia up 25-16 with 12:48 remaining in the half.
Dominican rallied to get within three points, but Concordia continued to put up points at a consistent rate. Stinson hit a key three, but the biggest boost at tis point of the game came from sophomore
Taylor Rawlings (Rochester Hills, MI/Stoney Creek). Coming off the bench tonight, Rawlings hit five of seven shots and both his free throws for a 12-point first half. His 11th and 12th points shot the lead back up to 16, and the Cougars ended the half with a 48-33 lead.
The second half began with Floyd taking over as the hot hand. The senior, who came into the game averaging 21.3 points over his last four games, scored Concordia's first nine points to keep the lead in the mid-teens.
The Stars looked to make up ground on the Cougars behind some strong second-half scoring from Taylor DeRoo (13 points), Anthony Keener (12) and Ryan Risley (10). But the Cougars had one more offensive weapon in their arsenal this evening in sophomore guard
Joe Pearson (Chicago, IL/St. Francis de Sales). Pearson scored all 10 of his points (3-6 FG, 4-6 FT) in the second half including a late three-point play that provided the final dagger to the Stars' chances.
Elston and Pearson were joined in double-figure scoring by Floyd and Oden with 17 each, Rawlings with 14 and Stinson with 13. Keener led Dominican (9-14, 7-8 NAC) with 20 points, followed by DeRoo with 17 and Risley with 12.
Concordia (3-20, 3-11 NAC) will host the Milwaukee School of Engineering on Saturday at 4:15.
