DUBUQUE, Iowa -- Kicking off their 2019-20 campaign against a premiere program in the nation, the Concordia-Chicago men's basketball team traveled to Loras College for opening tip this evening. The Duhawks, who are receiving votes among national rankings, jumped out to an early 9-0 lead and never looked back, as the American Rivers Conference team won the match up, 108-85.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- Sophomore Izak Ruddell shined in the game, as he reached a career-high 13 points and had the team-high four rebounds and four steals for CUC.
- Sophomore Landen Gladney had the game-high 18 points, but was stunned at the glass with just two boards.
- Freshman Brent Hatten has a solid collegiate debut, as he was second on the team with 16 points, shooting 6-of-10 from the field, in 23 minutes of work.
- Two other Cougars reached double-digit scoring figures, as Charlie Reznikoff and Jalen Meeks scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Loras jumped out the gates on their home court this evening, as they opened up on a 7-0 run early. Reznikoff looked to stall the Duhawks' burst, as he caused a turnover and earned the steal at the 17:09 mark, allowing Concordia to take a timeout.
As the Duhawks extended their lead to 9-0, CUC finally halted the efforts thanks to a driving layup from
Xeo Golding to establish the team's first points of the 2019-20 season.
Down the stretch, after an 11-6 Loras run, Gladney stepped up from beyond the arc and nailed a three-pointer to pull the Cougars within nine of the Duhawks.
Unfortunately, the nine-point deficit was as close as CUC would pull to Loras throughout the half. The Duhawks led by as many as 22 points along the way, thanks to 71.0 percent shooting from the field. After the first half of play, Loras led 57-41
It would be the Cougars to come out hot at the start of the second half, as Meeks drained back-to-back jumpers to quickly make it a 59-45 point game. CUC electrified its bench early on too, when Amos deflected a Duhawks' pass and converted the steal into a fastbreak layup.
With 17 minutes left on the clock, and trailing by 17, Hatten pulled up to make a bank-shot jumper, followed by a long three-pointer just a few seconds later. Despite CUC's best efforts however, any rally was not enough to combat Loras' 60 percent three-point shooting in the second half.
Refusing to give up, CUC's line up out scored the Duhawks 17-9 over the final 5:36 of play, before ultimately falling 108-85.
Concordia-Chicago returns to the floor on the road again, on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at UW-Platteville. Tip off is slated for a 7 p.m. start time.
