SEWARD, NEB. – In their final game of CIT and the 2022-2023 season, the Concordia University Chicago men's basketball team fell short to the Concordia University Ann Arbor Cardinals by a score of 66-58.
Inside the Box
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Emanuel Wilson (Wheaton, Ill.) led the Cougars with 18 points, six rebounds, and six assists after shooting 41.2% from the floor and 44.4% from the three.
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Jordan Matthews (Chicago, Ill.) followed behind with 17 points and six rebounds while knocking down a game-high five three-pointers.
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Barcus Jackson Jr. (Belleville, Ill.) continued to be an asset for the Cougars as he secured 11 points and nine rebounds.
First Half
After winning the tip, the Cougars put themselves on the board first off a quick three from Matthews.
A couple of empty back-and-forth possessions came to a close after the Cardinals found themselves in the paint and on the board. A quick retaliation layup from Wilson kept the Cougars on top while another three from Matthews within two minutes added to their lead. As the Cougars continued to fight for every possession a driving layup from Jackson, Jr. completed with the foul and successful free throw, they found themselves with the momentum and power to take control of the game.
With the Cougars still trailing by three a game-tying shot was thrown up from the left corner from William Bishop-Green (Chicago, Ill.) and tipped in for two from Justin Greenlee (Brown Deer, Wis.). With fresh legs coming in on a substitution, Wilson started to heat up after immediately draining a triple to tie the game with less than six minutes to play in the half.
A 10-2 run in favor of the Cardinals to close the half left the Cougars in a deficit while the Cardinals retained the momentum.
Second Half
As the Cardinals began to become aware of the threat the Cougars posed, they jumpstarted their intensity to begin the second half. Building off their previous run to close the first half, the Cardinals added another eight consecutive points to jump to their largest lead of the game at 14 points. Doing what he does best, Matthews disrupted the Cardinals and drained another triple to start to revive the Cougars.
In an attempt to bring themselves back into the game, the tough trio of Matthews, Wilson, and Bishop-Green got to work. Matthews picked up eight points in a matter of three minutes while Wilson added in 11 points in the last ten minutes of the game. Bishop-Green contributed six points including a monstrous dunk off a fast break steal.
Despite the intense efforts, the Cougars couldn't fend off the Cardinals and ultimately fell 66-58, closing their stint in the Concordia Invitational Tournament and also closing out their season. At the conclusion of the 70th Concordia Invitational Tournament, Matthews found himself standing alongside fellow Concordia athletes as he earned recognition on the All-Tournament team.
"Felt good seeing the guys back in action," Coach
Rashaan Surles noted. "The entire weekend they fought hard and I'm proud of this team. CIT was a great experience and we are all looking forward to it next year."
All things Concordia University Chicago men's basketball can be found at cucougars.com or on Twitter @cuc_menhoops or on Instagram @cuchicago_mbb
