Jan. 27, 2015 - Putting together one of their most consistent performances this season from start to finish and getting a season-high 37 points from Kylan Anderson (Chicago, IL/home schooled), the Concordia-Chicago men's basketball team defeated Benedictine University 87-81 at the Rice Center in Lisle. With the win, the Cougars avenged an earlier loss to the Eagles and also prevented them from gaining ground on first-place Aurora University who also lost this evening. The victory was the fourth for the Cougars in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play and sixth overall.
The Cougars got off to an early lead, doing some good work inside the paint as they controlled the boards and forced some Eagles' turnovers. Offensively, Anderson started early on his big night as he hit two threes and added a short jumper while CUC took a 16-8 lead.
Benedictine whittled the lead down to 18-14 over the next couple of minutes, but Kostas Doxakis (Thessaloniki, Greece) came off the bench to provide some instant offense. Doxakis hit a baseline jumper and followed that up with a three from the right corner for a 23-15 lead. Concordia-Chicago held the lead for all but 30 seconds of the half. Tim McGinty's three gave the hosts a brief 31-29 lead, but the Cougars bounced right back as DeAires Blackwell (Chicago, IL/St. Rita) and Doxakis scored underneath for a two-point CUC lead. The Cougars scored their last few baskets of the half on great run-outs with Brandon Stinson (Schiller Park, IL/East Leyden) finishing off both breaks. However, the Eagles scored the final five points of the half to make the halftime score Cougars 37, Eagles 36. Anderson and Doxakis combined for 21 points in the half as CUC shot just below 50 percent (16-34). Benedictine went 14-28 from the field, but CUC had the rebound edge 20-18 over the NACC's number one team on the glass.
The Cougars were also more careful with the ball, committing just five turnovers to the Eagles' eight.
Starting the second half, the Cougars opened up the lead to five on baskets by Blackwell and Patrick Phillip (Kissimmee, FL/Osceola). The Eagles fought back into the chase but also found themselves picking up several early fouls. Concordia-Chicago got into the bonus at the 15:07 mark, and two free throws by Blackwell let CUC regain the lead at 47-45. Benedictine fought back to take a 54-51 lead, but Anderson's short jumper and two fast breaks finished by Doxakis and Anderson put CUC back in the lead at 57-54 at the 11:47 mark. Anderson hit on a couple of threes, and Blackwell added a jumper in the lane and a three from the right wing to keep the Cougars in the lead despite the Eagles getting some strong inside play by Adam Reynolds.
Anderson's layup gave CUC a 77-68 lead, but Michael Blaszczyk led the home team back. He hit consecutive threes from the left wing and then added two free throws to pull the Eagles within one. Anderson's two free throws held off the Eagles momentarily, but John Dodson connected on a three from the right wing to even the score 79-79 with 67 seconds to play.
Fittingly, it was Anderson that gave the Cougars the lead for good as he drove the lane and hit a 10-foot jumper with 45 seconds remaining. Benedictine went for the lead on the ensuing possession but missed a three from the left side of the key. The Cougars chased down the rebound, and Blackwell was fouled with 20.2 seconds left. He calmly hit both free throws to give CUC a two-possession lead. Dodson's jumper with 9.9 seconds left made it a two-point game, but Anderson and Walmer each knocked down two free throws in the final seconds to wrap up a well-deserved win. Free throws were a deciding factor in the game as CUC made good on 12 of 13 in the second half, 14 of 17 for the game. By contrast, Benedictine missed six free throws in the second half and 12 for the game.
Several other factors played into the victory, according to CUC head coach Tyler Jones. While ackowledging that Anderson was "fantastic," Jones also noted that credit should be given to his teammates. "They all realized that Kylan had a hot hand going and they didn't break the rhythm. The guys stuck to the game plan, they found something that worked and kept at it."
Jones also praised the Cougars' ability to get several fast break buckets and win the rebounding battle by a 39-32 margin. "Benedictine has a lot of big men that really battle you inside. But we were able to get a lot of hustle rebounds. There were about a dozen rebounds that could have gone either way, and our hustle got us most of those balls."
The Cougars shot 33-66 for 50 percent on the final stat sheet and made seven of 19 from long range. Anderson's 37 points came on 13-23 from the field (5-10 threes) and 6-7 at the line. Blackwell finished with 13 points (4-6 FG, 1-1 3FG, 4-4 FT) and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds. Doxakis scored 11 and handed out five of CUC's 18 assists. Mike Walmer (Orlando, FL/Orlando Christian) was the fourth Cougar to hit double figures as he scored 10 points. Benedictine was led by Blaszczyk's 22 points. Harvey finished with 14 points, and three other Eagles had 10 points each.
Concordia-Chicago will now prepare for the 64th annual Concordia Invitational Tournament (CIT) to be held this weekend in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Cougars' first-round game will come against Concordia University Nebraska at 3:00 (eastern time) on Friday.
