RIVER FOREST, ILL. - The Concordia Chicago Cougars (3-3, 1-1) made their way back to Geiseman Gymnasium by hosting the visiting Greenville University Panthers (4-3, 0-1) for a non-conference matchup. While the energy in Geiseman was electric from the jump the Cougars were able to secure the home court win. The Cougars would take down the Panthers with a score of 119-117, making this game the highest scoring game in school history.
Inside the Box
- Jordan Matthews (Chicago, Ill.) continued to lead the way in scoring. The senior had 23 points, eight rebounds, four assists and one steal.
- Justin Greenlee (Brown Deer, Wis.) recorded a double-double in tonight's competition with 20 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal.
- Sean Beckman (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) also got in on the double-double action with 17 points, 10 rebounds, one block and one steal.
- Darrian Williams (Garland, Texas) made his presence known tonight. The junior recorded 12 points, two assists, two blocks and one rebound.
How it Happened
First Half
Greenville started off hot with an instant three pointer. But, the Cougars were able to respond with a quick bucket by Greenlee. As play continued back and forth, The Panthers were able to build a fast 8-2 lead. A Kieren Heller (Whitefish Bay, Wis) three got Geiseman up on its feet and cut the lead by three.
With constant defensive stops, the Cougars were able to get another three, thanks to Williams. Greenville was not backing down as they were able to hit back-to-back threes. However, a Beckman and one basket was able to bring the Cougars back within two. Additionally, another Greenlee and Matthews bucket gave the Cougars the lead with a score of 33-29.
The Panthers full court pressure had the Cougars stunned and were able to cut the deficit, leading to a timeout by head coach
Rashaan Surles. Out of the Cougar timeout, A Matthews three and euro step bucket into the lane continued to pull out the lead. Greenville continued to slowly chip at the lead but the Cougars were not phased at all. The Cougars led going into the half with a score of 66-54.
Second Half
Greenville continued to strike first with getting the first four points of the second half. A Beckman and Matthews bucket got the Cougars offense going. The Panthers were able to get easy looks to the basket and brought the score within one. With another Greenville stop, they were able to get a three off to lead for the first time in the game with a score of 76-74.
Out of another timeout, the Cougars were able to convert with an
Emanuel Wilson (Wheaton, Ill.) three and a
William Bishop-Green (Chicago, Ill.) strong take to the basket. Greenville responded with another basket of their own, but it was not enough for a Cougar offensive scoring run. The Cougars were able to now extend their lead out to 99-86.
The Panthers full court pressure was no challenge for the Cougars as
Carter Langendorf (Aurora, Ill.) was able to score an easy layup. The Panthers took it personally and went on a scoring run and had the electric Geiseman Gymnasium silenced. However, the Cougars were not backing down from the fight and put up easy buckets with two of them coming from Beckman. It didn't stop there as Greenlee got an easy dunk that had Geisman hyped up.
A Wilson three and
Joel Watts (Homewood, Ill.) hard take to the rim brought the score to 116-111. Greenville continued to bring on the pressure and brought the score again to within two. Beckman was able to get the fast break bucket, but the Panthers hit a much needed three to now trail by one. With 16.3 seconds left on the clock, Wilson nails a free throw to secure the two point lead.
With no room for error on the Cougars defensive end, the Panthers were not able to hit a shot and took down Greenville with a score of 119-117.
The Cougars will be back in action on Saturday as they will host the visiting Wisconsin Lutheran College in a NACC (Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference) matchup. Tip off will be a 2:00 pm start time. Coverage can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
