MONMOUTH, ILL. – The Concordia University Chicago Cougars (0-2, 0-0 NACC) fell to the Monmouth College Scots (1-2, 0-0 Midwest Conference) in a heartbreaking loss 94-92.

INSIDE THE BOX

• Jacob Collicott (Lafayette, Ind.) led the Cougars overall with 19 points, seven rebounds, three steals, and two assists.
• Jordan Matthews (Chicago, Ill.) led the Cougar offense with 29 points and two assists while snagging three rebounds.
• Justin Greenlee (Brown Deer, Wis.) worked as a facilitator securing seven assists while also grabbing seven boards and one steal.

FIRST HALF
The Cougars and the Scots both struggled to get things going as the first points of the game didn't come until two minutes in. Despite the Scots striking first, the Cougars found their way right back into the swing of things. An early and-one from Matthews would give him the chance for a three-point play and give them their first lead of the day.
 

Back-to-back threes from Collicott and Sean Beckman (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) would put the Cougars up by four and force the Scots to take a timeout.
 

The Cougars continued to utilize their deep bench as William Bishop-Green (Chicago, Ill.), Joel Watts (Homewood, Ill.), and Elijah White (Sheboygan, Wis.) checked in and immediately put in the work. A floater in the paint from Bishop-Green broke the 16-16 tie while a back-to-back threes from Watts and White would give them a five-point cushion.
 

Another pair of layups from Matthews and Collicott tacked on with a pair of free throws from Collicott would give the Cougars a six-point lead while threes from Brent Hatten (Olney, Ill.) and Collicott would extend the lead to a first half high of seven-points.
 

A last second three from the Scots would cut the Cougar lead down to three as they headed into the half.

SECOND HALF
The Cougars came out with intensity and an and-one from Wilson followed by a fastbreak layup from Matthews would bring the lead up to a game-high eight-points. With the Scots not backing down, they were able to capitalize on a tired Cougar defense and overtake the Cougars less than five minutes into the second half – leaving the Cougars in a deficit for the remainder of the game.

The ravaging Scot offense would jump on top of the Cougars by as much as 14 before a three from the corner from Wilson would break the dry spell and re-ignite the Cougars.
 

Needing to stay aggressive, the Cougars locked in on defense and were able to go on a 6-1 run in less than a minute span. With the clock still ticking down, the Cougars needed to get quick points and looked to Kieran Heller (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) who drained a corner three with less than a minute to play to make the game a two-possession game.
 

Back-to-back threes from Wilson and Matthews would bring the Cougars within two points and hand the ball back over to the Scots with one second on the clock. On the inbound, the Cougars would foul immediately and two missed free throws from the Scots would give the Cougars a timeout with less than a second to play. Unable to convert on the inbound, the Cougars would fall 94-92 to the Scots.

The Cougars will continue their non-conference schedule on Saturday as they head to Millikin University with tipoff set for 4:00pm. Coverage can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.