Dec. 20, 2015 - Coming fresh off a hard-fought comeback win on Saturday, the Concordia-Chicago Cougars did not have long to relax. They had another tall task before them this afternoon, taking on the #20 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks before the winter break. The Cougars trailed by just one at the half, but UWW used their size to pull away over the final 10 minutes for the 107-84 win.

Both teams came out on fire to start the game. Mike Walmer (Orlando, FL/Orlando Christian) hit a three from the corner to give CUC the early 11-10 lead, but the Warhawks had an answer to the Cougar full-court pressure. They grabbed the lead on a fast break layup and forced a Cougar timeout with 18:06 remaining in the first. CUC came out of the timeout strong as Mitch Pelissier (Puyallup, WA/Mount Rainier Lutheran) knocked down a three from the left wing to tie it up at 16. Both teams shot over .550 from the field over the first six minutes. 

Later in the half, the Warhawks continued to shoot well from the field, going on an 11-0 run while getting strong play inside, using their large height advantage. Kylan Anderson (Chicago, IL/home schooled) ended the UWW run with a long two. CUC climbed a little closer when Walmer hit back-to-back floaters in the lane, the second of the two with a foul. He knocked down the free throw, and CUC trailed 29-24 midway through the first. The Cougars continued to roll and tied the game up with an Anderson three from the corner. Whitewater responded with another short run, but Walmer again brought CUC within one with a three from the top of the key. A hustle play by Kyle Hoffman (Manitowoc, WI/Lincoln) then resulted in an Anderson three and gave CUC the lead at 35-33.

UWW regained the lead on a three, but a perfect slip pass by Justin Saar (Tracy, CA/Merrill F. West) gave DeAires Blackwell (Chicago, IL/St. Rita) an open look and CUC the lead. The following possession was nearly identical, but Blackwell got fouled, and he connected on both of the free throws, resulting in the 39-36 CUC lead with 4:45 remaining in the half.  UWW again made a mini 6-0 run, but it was answered with another Walmer three. Whitewater would be able to knock down free throws, but Walmer made a long two with the clock expiring and UWW leading 45-44.

Both teams headed to the locker room shooting very well from the field (CUC .472, UWW .516) Walmer led all scorers at the break with 18 points on 7-10 shooting from the floor. Anderson had 10 points and six rebounds. The two teams were set up for a very exciting, intense second half with the Cougars smelling upset.

CUC started the second half forcing a UWW turnover, which would lead to a Pelissier layup to regain the lead. Whitewater would answer with a layup, but CUC forced another turnover that Anderson would lay in. The two teams began an inside battle, with UWW gaining a slight edge, 53-52.

Minutes later, Anderson tied the game at 58 with a different zip code range three with just over 14 minutes remaining. Anderson then gave the Cougars the lead with another deep three, 63-60. However, the key sequence of the game arrived as UWW battled back and forced multiple Cougar turnovers, making another run that forced CUC head coach Randy Rogers to burn a timeout with the Cougars trailing 70-63 and 12:06 remaining.

The Warhawks built on their lead, taking advantage of Cougar turnovers and cold shooting to extend the lead out to 10. Anderson pulled CUC closer with a pair of free throws, but CUC continued to pick up fouls and found themselves trailing 81-69 with 7:28 remaining. UWW continued to use their size advantage inside, making multiple baskets and free throws to extend the lead.

Anderson finished as the Cougars' high scorer with 24, followed closely by Walmer with 22. However, UWW shot a collective .639 from the field and outrebounded CUC by a final margin of 50-23.

Concordia-Chicago (3-4) will enjoy the Christmas break before returning to Geiseman Gymnasium for another tough non-conference matchup with Elmhurst College. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m..