River Forest, Ill. — It was a big night at Geiseman Gymnasium on Tuesday as the Concordia University Chicago men's basketball team put their five game winning streak to the test against conference rival Benedictine University. After keeping it tight for much of the game, the Cougars failed to muster enough offense to keep up with the Eagles down the stretch, falling 71-58.
Inside the Box Score
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Senior Jordan Matthews (Chicago, Ill.) led the charge with 17 points on 6-10 shooting.
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Fellow senior Landen Gladney (Chicago, Ill.) added ten points of his own, also pulling in four rebounds.
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Despite a rough night shooting, senior Izak Ruddell (St. Joseph, Mich.) led the team with eight rebounds and dished out a team-high five assists.
It was a fast-paced first few minutes of action as both teams ran up-and-down the floor looking to create offensive opportunities. The Cougars did much of this work in transition, scoring 17 points off turnovers in the first 20 minutes. They were also an effective 5-10 from beyond the arc in the first half, helping them keep pace with the Eagles who made just two.
Despite these positive signs, the Cougars struggled on the glass and from the free throw line. They were out-rebounded 25-12 in the first half and shot just 3-8 from the line. After trailing by as much as nine in the half, the Cougars went to the break behind by just four.
The Cougars managed to pull ahead by as much as four in the first four minutes of the second half, but the problems that plagued them in the first half never went away. They again lost the rebound battle by double-digits and shot under 50 percent from the charity stripe. Scoring was tough to come by in general, as the team shot just 8-27 from the floor in the final 20 minutes.
One thing the team did well throughout the game was shoot the three. They were 10-25 from deep in the game, led by Matthews who was 3-5. Gladney was also an effective 2-2 from beyond the arc.
The turning point of the game came with just under seven and a half minutes to play. Matthews had scored five-straight points to bring the Cougars back within four, but the Eagles answered with a 15-0 run over the course of five minutes to take their largest lead of the night en route to victory.
It's a major test for the team this Saturday as they hit the road to Bloomington, Ill., for a non-conference game against No. 2 Illinois Wesleyan University. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and coverage will be available on cucougars.com/coverage.
