SPOKANE, Wash. -- The Concordia-Chicago men's basketball team will look to snap a five-game losing streak, and will look for their first win in the month of December tonight against the No. 9 Whitworth University Pirates. Tonight's match up will mark the Cougars' first ranked opponent of the season. 

Tip off is set to begin at 7 p.m. (PST). Live stats, radio and video coverage can be found at cucougars.com/coverage. Complete game notes are available here. 

This team is ready to close the Washington trip strong!

Bring on #9 Whitworth

It's Gameday!!!! pic.twitter.com/58XhDyWhIF

— CUC Athletics (@CUChicagoSports) December 19, 2018

 
About the Pirates... With a 7-1 overall record, the Pirates are 2-0 in conference play among the Northwest Conference. Whitworth is ranked No. 9 in the country, and averages 93.5 points per game on the season. The squad ranks ninth in the country for scoring offenses and Ben College poses the biggest threat to CUC, averaging 4.63 three-point field goals per game, which is good for fourth nationally. 

Second Half Warriors... Through nine games this season, the Cougars have headed into the halftime break trailing their opponent eight times. On the year, CUC has been outscored by its opponents 352-420 in first halves. However, Concordia-Chicago always seems to spark a comeback during the second half, outscoring opponents 432-421 through the final halves of play. Despite the deficits, CUC still leads the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference in scoring offenses, averaging 87.1 points per game. 

Pelissier's Pike... Senior Cougar Mitch Pelissier has the opportunity to play in front of a home crowd of his own this week, as a native of Puyallup, Wash. Pelissier is the second leading scorer in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference, averaging 20.4 points per game and runs the Cougar offense, with 37 total assists on the year. Nationally, Pelissier ranks 71st in points per game. In his tenure, the senior has 1,463 career points which is good for sixth all-time in Concordia-Chicago history.  

Strong and Steady... First year athlete and Chicago native Landen Gladney has had an electric start for the Cougars through the first nine games of his collegiate career. In nine games, Gladney has tallied eight double-doubles and reached double-digit rebounds in all nine games. He ranks among the top-10 in the country for most double-doubles on the season as well as rebounds per game (13.2).

Practice at Gonzaga: ✅✅✅

Next up, #9 Whitworth. pic.twitter.com/2KYrZtHmUe

— CUC Athletics (@CUChicagoSports) December 19, 2018