River Forest, Ill. — Concordia Chicago men's basketball returns home on Sunday to host the Beavers of Buena Vista University. The Cougars are coming off a tough one-point loss at the hands of MSOE last Monday, while Buena Vista holds a record of 3-1 with a game currently scheduled for Saturday afternoon. 

Jordan Matthews (Chicago, Ill.) had a fantastic outing against the Raiders of MSOE. The junior guard led all scorers with 25 points, shooting over 50 percent from the floor and converting 5-6 attempts at the free throw line. He pulled in four rebounds and forced three steals in addition to three assists. 

Freshman standout Emanuel Wilson (Wheaton, Ill.) continued his hot start to the season, shooting 3-5 from deep on his way to a 12-point outing. Matthews, Wilson and junior Izak Ruddell (Saint Joseph, Mich.) combined for 50 of the Cougars 73 points in Milwaukee. The trio also collected 11 of CUC's 25 rebounds. 

The loss was CUC's highest scoring output of the season by nearly 20 points. It was the type of game that leaves coaches and players wanting to get back in action the next day, rather than having to wait nearly a week. Head Coach Steve Kollar and the rest of the team are itching for another opportunity to get their first win by playing their brand of basketball. 

"We are looking forward to getting out and competing again after not playing since Monday," Coach Kollar said. "I'm really looking forward to seeing if we establish our identity as a tough, gritty, fight on every possession type of team. Are we the team that was out there for the second half of the Benedictine game, or the team that was flying all over the place on the road at MSOE?"

Five days without a game does have its advantages, especially with a young team that's eager to get better each and every day. While their opponent played three games throughout the week, the Cougars had the chance to grow inward through each other. 

"We talked to the guys about developing our identity and how you do that through consistency every single day by embracing the details," Coach Kollar said. "We are learning and growing with each practice and game, and this team will continue to get better without question. The main reason for that is their desire to push each other and get better every day, as well as their willingness to be coached."

Sunday's game is set to tip-off at 1 p.m. at Geiseman Gymnasium. A stream to the game can be found on the team schedule, as well as on the CUC Athletics Youtube channel.