NAPERVILLE, Ill. – The Concordia University Chicago (CUC) men's basketball team took a break in conference play to face the Cardinals of North Central College (9-2, 2-1 CCIW). Both squads went on various runs, with the lead changing eight times throughout the game, but the Cardinals came out on top, 86-78. The Cougars are now 4-5, 2-2 NACC.
Inside the Box Score
- Jacob Collicott (Lafayette, Ind.) led the team with 30 points, five assists, five rebounds, two steals, and a block.
- Aaron Brown (Joliet, Ill.) scored a career-high 10 points.
- Joel Watts (Homewood, Ill.) also scored double digits with 14 points.
- The Cougars shot 51.5% from the field.
How it Happened
First Half
Collicott got the Cougars on the board with two layups before
Darrian Williams (Garland, Texas) put up a three.
After the teams then traded a pair of points, the Cardinals picked up six unanswered points, taking an 11-point lead, 20-9, midway through the half. Brown ended that run with a layup, which kickstarted a 15-3 run by the Cougars with baskets from
Kenton Pryor (Hazel Crest, Ill.), Watts, and Collicott.
Carter Langendorf (Aurora, Ill.) ended the run to take a slight lead, 24-23, with 7:30 left in the half.
The teams battled back and forth for the lead, with the Cardinals pulling away slightly as the whistle blew, 40-34.
Second Half
Watts electrified the Cougars to begin the second half, sinking one from the corner, assisted by Collicott, just before Collicott got another layup of his own.
Sean Beckman (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) and
AJ Willard (Germantown, Wis.) also got in on the scoring, as the Cougars were hot and gaining ground on the Cardinals. With 14:45 on the clock, Willard found
Tallis Lowery (Fairview Heights, Ill.) who made the basket and took the lead 50-49.
The teams battled, but at the halfway point of the second half, North Central was able to ice CUC out for five minutes and take the lead by as much as 21 points. The Cougars rallied, with Collicott scoring 12 of the last 20 points for CUC, but were unable to close the gap and fell 86-78.
Up Next
The Cougars next game will be Tuesday December 31 at 1:00 pm. Concordia resumes conference play with a trip up to Mequon, Wis. for a showdown with Concordia Wisconsin. Coverage can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
