River Forest, Ill. — The Concordia University Chicago men's basketball team saw their historic season come to an end on Friday night, falling 52-49 to Marian University in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Semifinals.
Inside the Box Score
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Senior Landen Gladney (Chicago, Ill.) led the team with 10 points and seven rebounds. It's his 11th game this season scoring in double-figures. He also added two blocks
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Junior Tavarus Davis-Williams (Fox Lake, Ill.) was 3-3 from the field on his way to eight points in 16 minutes of action.
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Senior Jordan Matthews (Chicago, Ill.) had nine points, four rebounds, two steals, and an assist.
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The Cougars struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 2-20 on the night. Their 49 points were the fewest in a game this season.
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CUC did win the battle on the glass, out-rebounding Marian 38-28.
Just like Wednesday night against Edgewood, the Cougars jumped on the board first with a layup from sophomore Justin Greenlee (Brown Deer, Wis.). A steal from senior Izak Ruddell (St. Joseph, Mich.) and a finish on the other end by Matthews quickly made it a 4-0 game.
It didn't take long for Marian to get going, however, as the teams traded blows throughout the first half, similar to their two prior regular season meetings. Despite their struggles offensively, the Cougars stayed in the game by holding one of the top scoring teams in the league in check.
The Sabres did manage to build their lead to the largest of the half (eight) in the final minute, taking a 31-23 advantage into the locker room.
After not hitting a three the entire first half, the Cougars opened up the second with a corner three from Ruddell, pulling them back within five.
The Cougars scored the first six points of the second half and appeared to be gaining control of the momentum. A 10-2 run from the Sabres quickly erased this, and they held a double-digit advantage for the first time all night at the 13:15 mark.
They slowly fought their way back into the game, even drawing as close as one following the second and final CUC three of the night courtesy of Matthews.
He answered with a layup once again on the following possession with a layup to make it a 50-49 game with 2:02 left, but this was the last basket of the game and the season for the Cougars.
The Sabres took a 52-49 lead with 1:47 remaining, and the Cougars were unable to find the bottom of the net on any of their remaining possessions until the final buzzer sounded.
This closes the book on a historic season for the Cougars. They won 15 games for the first time since the 1993-94 season and won a postseason game for the first time in a decade.
CUC Athletics would like to thank all of the fans who followed and supported the team throughout the season. This is only the beginning for Head Coach Steve Kollar and his team.
You can follow offseason updates at cucougars.com and keep up with team news on Twitter @cuc_menhoops.
