ROCKFORD, Ill. --- Looking to claim the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) crown, the Concordia University Chicago men's basketball team hit the road on Wednesday night for a tough showdown with the Rockford University Regents. The game started off fast-paced on both sides, with the Regents taking a one-point lead into the locker room at the half. The Cougars answered the challenge in the second half, closing out the game on a 14-3 run over the last 5:23 to claim the NACC regular-season crown for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
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Jordan Matthews (Chicago, Ill.) continued his stretch of outstanding play, netting 26 points on 10-15 shooting. He also kicked in six assists, six steals, and four rebounds in 38 minutes of action.
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Emanuel Wilson (Wheaton, Ill.) made his presence felt on the night with 20 points on 9-13 shooting. He also grabbed five boards.
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Justin Greenlee (Brown Deer, Wis.) finished with 13 points on 5-10 shooting. He also grabbed five boards and dished out four assists.
- Â Â Â Â The game was close throughout and featured 11 ties and ten lead changes.
The game had playoff intensity from the opening tip. Concordia grabbed the jump and quickly scored on a Matthews' layup. The Cougars continued to add on early, forcing a couple of Rockford turnovers that resulted in layups for Wilson and Greenlee on the offensive end. A layup by
Landen Gladney (Chicago, Ill.) forced the first timeout of the game and gave CUC an 8-3 lead just under four minutes in.
Out of the timeout, Rockford used a quick 5-0 run to pull even at eight.
Izak Ruddell (Saint Joseph, Mich.) had an answer for CUC as he knocked down a three right in front of the Rockford student section. The game remained a one-score game on either side until the 11:22 mark of the first half when Rockford grabbed a 20-15 lead on a TJ Lacey three.
The Cougars continued to battle, finally pulling the game even at 29 with 4:55 to go in the half on a Matthews second chance put back. The two sides traded baskets for the final minutes of the half, with a late Lacy layup giving the Regents a 42-41 lead over CUC at the break.
Matthews helped the Cougars to grab momentum right away in the second half with a layup. Wilson then extended the CUC lead just a few minutes later converting a Matthews steal into a layup. Rockford answered the bell however when senior guard Brandon Emerick hit a deep three from the wing to tie the game at 45.
From there the game would see-saw back and forth with neither team gaining more than a three-point advantage until Matthews gave the Cougars a 71-69 lead with 4:26 to go.
Following the three, Wilson converted Ruddell's steal into two to extend the lead to four. On the next possession, it was Matthews knocking down his fourth three of the night to extend the CUC advantage to seven with 2:45 to go. Ruddell knocked down a pair of free throws and Gladney finished off a layup to put the finishing touches on the 80-69 win.
The win sealed the NACC regular-season crown for the Cougars for the first time since the 2011-12 season. The Cougars also locked up the top seed and will have home-court advantage for the upcoming NACC Tournament which begins on Saturday afternoon.
CUC also earned a first-round bye with their championship tonight and will take on the winner of the Rockford vs. Edgewood matchup on Tuesday night. Opening tip will be at 7:00 pm from Geiseman on Tuesday. Links to coverage can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.Â
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