Madison, Wis. - The Concordia University Chicago Cougars men's basketball team (3-5, 1-3) took the drive up to Madison, Wisconsin to take on the Edgewood College Eagles (3-5, 3-1) for a NACC (Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference) matchup. In what was a battle from beginning to end, the Cougars would fall to the Eagles with a score of 93-89.
Inside the Box
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Justin Greenlee (
Brown Deer, Wis.) led the offensive charge. The senior recorded 29 points, three assists and two rebounds.
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Emanuel Wilson (
Wheaton, Ill.) was also providing offense for the Cougars with 16 points and two rebounds.
- Jacob Collicot (
Lafayette, Ind.) got in on the action with 14 points, six rebounds, two steals, one assist and one block.
How it Happened
First Half
The Cougars struck first with a Wilson drive in for an easy floater. With the Cougars providing full court pressure, the Eagles were able to knock down a three to get them on the board. It did not phase the Cougars as
Brent Hatten (Olney, Il) was able to get a bucket in the post. The Eagles fired back with a response of their own, but a Greenlee short jumper got the Cougars back on top leading 6-5.
With more back and forth action from both teams, another Hatten drive to the basket put the Cougars back in front. The Eagles responded back with a triple of their own, but a Collicott three and Wilson and-one bucket provided more offensive momentum. The Cougars would now lead by four, but Edgewood would start to chip away with another bucket.
Sean Beckman (Hoffman Estates, Il) got in on the action with a drop step to the rim.
Following an Edgewood timeout, the Cougars would convert with a
Jordan Matthews (
Chicago, Ill.) strong step back three. The Eagles were able to score on the next possession, but another Matthews euro step into the paint had the Cougars leading with a score of 21-17. With more back-and-forth action from both the Cougars and Eagles, two Collicott layups and a
Carter Langendorf (
Aurora, Ill.) reverse layup got the offensive pace going strong. The Eagles were able to answer back with multiple stops and buckets, which led to a Cougar timeout.
Coming out of the timeout, back to back threes by the Eagles were able to cut the deficit completely and take their first lead in the game with a score of 37-33. A
Darrian Williams (
Garland, Texas) take to the rim was able end the Eagle scoring run. A Cougars miscommunication was able to give the Eagles 4-0 scoring run and would now lead 41-35. With the countless defensive stops and transition offense by the Cougars, they were able to take back the lead going into halftime with a score of 50-48.
Second Half
The Eagles were able to come out of the half with a floater and three pointer, which led to a Cougar timeout with 19:22 on the clock. Greenlee was able to convert on the offensive end with a put back bucket of his own. The Eagles were able to score off the inbound play, but another Wilson bucket was able to cut down the deficit to three.
With defensive stops from the Eagles that had the Cougars rattled, they managed to extend the lead back out to a score of 65-56. With the Cougars going cold on the offensive side, another Wilson bucket and
Joel Watts (
Homewood, Ill.) fast break got the momentum going for the Cougars leading to a Edgewood timeout. A Greenlee mid range jumper brought the Cougars within six, but the Eagles offensive presence was consistent and proceeded to build the lead back to 14.
Back-to-back buckets again by Greenlee helped bring the deficit back to two. With a shot fake-drive to the basket by Hatten, the Cougars were able to tie the score at 74 a piece. Another aggressive take to the rim was able to give the Cougars the first lead since halftime with the score being 76-74. In what was full court pressure on both ends, the game was constantly tied until the Eagles pulled away with the lead in the final minutes winning the competition with a score of 93-89.
The Cougars will take a little break before heading back to Geisman Gymnasium as they will host the visiting Aurora University Spartans in a conference matchup. Tip off will be on December 18th with a 7:00 pm start time. Coverage can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
