RIVER FOREST, Ill. -- After securing back-to-back wins inside Geiseman Gymnasium in early December, the Cougars will return home tomorrow afternoon, looking to win their third straight contest, this time slated to take on the Trine University Thunder.
Tip off is scheduled for 4 p.m. with complete coverage available at
cucougars.com/coverage and
@cuc_menhoops on Twitter. Complete game notes can be found
here.
Quick Recap... CUC last competed on Monday, Dec. 16, taking on No. 24 Benedictine University. With the match up against the Eagles, the Cougars faced their third opponent this season that was being acknowledged among d3hoops.com's national rankings. CUC jumped out to a monstrous 57-31 halftime lead over BenU and never looked back, ultimately taking down the Eagles 90-72. The win marked the Cougars' first victory over a ranked opponent since joining the NCAA's Division III. Jalen Meeks led the Cougars with 26 points and eight rebounds, while as a team, CUC held the Eagles to just 36.5 percent shooting from the field. The win marked the first time Concordia-Chicago won back-to-back home games for the first time since the 2008-09 season. Prior to Christmas break, the Cougars also traveled to UW-Green Bay for an exhibition match against the Division I Phoenix.
Meeks Matters... Colorado native Jalen Meeks continues to make his prescence known throughout the NACC and across the country, as the junior averages 20.7 points per game so far this season, which is good for 61st among Division III basketball. Meeks also ranks 44th in the nation with a 60.4 field goal percentage, while he has gone on to score in double-figures in all seven games thus far. In CUC's last three contests, Meeks has scored at least 20 points, while earning himself the NACC's Athlete of the Week last Monday, for his 26-point effort in the Cougars' monstrous win over Benedictine.
Thunder Struck... Members of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), Trine University is 5-5 to begin the season. With a win over fellow NACC opponent Illinois Tech, the Thunder also had a notable, two-point loss to Loras College back on Dec. 15. Averaging 72.1 points per game, the Thunder are led by Langston Johnson who averages 20.0 points per game and 3.4 assists per game. As a team, Trine has shot 34.1 percent from beyond the arc and 69.9 percent from the charity stripe this season.
Notables... With a win over Trine, the Cougars would earn their first non-conference victory of the season and just the 17th of this decade. A win would also mark the first time, since at least 2006, that CUC has secured three consecutive home wins.
