Chicago, Ill. — The Concordia University Chicago men's basketball team took their three game winning streak on the road to the Illinois Institute of Technology on Monday night. The team was unable to work their way back into the game after falling behind early, and their streak was eventually snapped in a 71-53 loss at the hands of the Scarlet Hawks. 

Inside the Box Score

• The senior duo of Jordan Matthews (Chicago, Ill.) and Izak Ruddell (Saint Joseph, Mich.) led the team in scoring with 13 points apiece. Ruddell added a team-high six boards, while Matthews added four.

• Sophomore Emanuel Wilson (Wheaton, Ill.) once again found himself in double-figures with 10 points. He also had four rebounds and two assists.

• Fellow sophomore Ben Gordos (Manchester, England) made the most of his minutes, setting a new career-high with four points. 

Unlike their previous two games, it was the Cougars who fell behind in the early going. The Scarlet Hawks jumped to a double-digit lead within six minutes of action, a lead that would continue to grow for the remainder of the half. 

The Scarlet Hawks couldn't seem to miss from the floor in the first 20 minutes, shooting 63.3 percent, including 6-10 from downtown. This excellent shooting display made it difficult for the Cougars to reduce the deficit. 

Seven-straight Cougar points from Ruddell cut the lead to 13 with just under eight to play in the half, presenting an opportunity for his team to strike. However, Illinois Tech would go on to close the half on a 20-4 run to take a 29 point lead into the break. 

The Cougars came out of the half strong, connecting on three triples in the first two and a half minutes to make it a 22-point game and provide some much-needed energy. This was the closest they were able to get, however, as they never trailed by less than 20 until Gordos knocked down a pair of free throws in the final minute. 

While Illinois Tech didn't match their first half shooting performance, they still looked like the more comfortable on their home floor. 

It's another quick turnaround for the Cougars, who will hit the road yet again on Wednesday to take on Lakeland University at 7 p.m. Coverage will be available on cucougars.com/coverage.