DE PERE, WIS. – The Concordia University Chicago Cougars kicked off Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC) play on Tuesday, traveling to take on the St. Norbert Green Knights. The Cougars and Green Knights battled back-and-forth, ultimately resulting in a Cougar loss 86-80.

INSIDE THE BOX

• Jacob Collicott (Lafayette, Ind.) and Emanuel Wilson (Wheaton, Ill.) led the offensive charge with 15 points each. Collicott also added seven rebounds while Wilson grabbed two.
• Joel Watts (Homewood, Ill.) picked up career-high eight points in the maroon and gold while Carter Langendorf (Aurora, Ill.) picked up a career-high five points.

FIRST HALF
The Cougars fell behind early after letting the Green Knights jump to a 5-0 lead. A three from Jordan Matthews (Chicago, Ill.) would break the clean slate. With buckets from Beckman, Greenlee, and a pair of free throws, the Cougars would jump ahead 9-7.
 

Despite some back-and-forth efforts, the Green Knights would jump out to a ten point lead with less than nine minutes to play in the first half. Langendorf would add back-to-back buckets to jump start the Cougar climb back while additional threes from William Bishop-Green (Chicago, Ill.) and Watts would cut the Green Knight lead down to two going into the half.
 

SECOND HALF
With the Green Knights once again coming out with force, the Cougars fell behind by ten. A three from Matthews would break the Cougar dry spell and get the Cougars back into the game.
 

As the raging Cougar offense continued to work, the defensive efforts struggled to hold back the aggressive Green Knights. Once again working outside the perimeter, threes from Matthews, Bishop-Green, and Wilson would cut the deficit down to two. A series of missed shots, fouls, and strong Green Knight offense would once again put the Cougars at a significant disadvantage. A jumper from Watts in the paint followed by a huge three would bring the Cougars within one. A set of free throws from Collicott would bring the Cougars back into the game and give them their first lead since early in the first half.
 

Five consecutive points from the Green Knights would dig them out of their new deficit and despite a few found opportunities the Cougars would be unable to hold off the Green Knights.
The Cougars will be back in action on Saturday as they continue NACC play to take on Illinois Institute of Technology. Tipoff is slated for 1:00pm. Coverage can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.