RIVER FOREST, ILL.- The Concordia University Chicago (CUC) men's basketball team played on home courts against Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). After a tense back and forth battle, the Scarlet Hawks defeat the Cougars with a final score of 79-77.
INSIDE THE BOX
- Honroe Yangoua (Williamstown, Ky.) was one of the Cougars top scorers with season highs of 14 points, ten rebounds and five assists.
- Aaron Brown (Joliet, Ill.) with the strong offense, contributed 14 points and seven rebounds.
- Ryker Johnson (Fond du Lac, Wis.) followed with 12 hard-fought points and eight rebounds.
- Jacob Robinson (Saint Louis, Mo.) chipped in ten points to finish off the game with his career high.
HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED:
FIRST HALF
The Cougars were first on the board with a huge three-pointer from
Darrian Williams (Garland, Texas), but the Scarlet Hawks answered quickly with a one of their own to tie at 3-3. Early on, both teams would continue to trade layups, keeping the score tight. After
Andreas Louloudis (Thessaloniki, Greece) knocked down a three for the Cougars, the Scarlet Hawks went on a 6-0 run, briefly creating a gap on the scoreboard, leaving the Cougars to trail15-8 before the media timeout. With the Cougars substitution, Yangoua and Johnson each made key layups, bringing the Cougars back in the game. Following a Cougar foul,
Sebastian Hill (Decatur, Ill.) drained a three-pointer to cut the deficit to just one, 16-15. Both teams exchanged back to back scoring drives, combining for 14 more, Cougars still trailing by four, 24-20. Refusing to back down, the Cougars continued to battle with Brown's hook jumper and Yangoua layup, tied the game at 24-24 and a strong free throw by Brown gave the Cougars their first lead, 27-26. The Scarlet Hawks responded with two solid free throws to reclaim the lead. The Cougars and Hawks kept the game close, tying the game at 31-31. The Scarlet Hawks pushed ahead with a 6-0 run, creating a four-point advantage. But the Cougars weren't finished and closed the half with Yangoua hitting two clutch free throws and Robinson completed the three point play after a fast break layup turned into an and-one, to tie the game at 37-37 to close the half.
SECOND HALF
Breaking the tie, the Scarlet Hawks scored five straight points but
Matthew Guthrie (Carlyle, Ill.) from the Cougars responded with a layup. Followed by a free throw by Williams adding to the scoreboard, trailing by one, 41-40. The Scarlet Hawks then found their rhythm and went on a 7-0 run against the Cougars, creating an eight point lead. Willard and Brown combined for a layup, followed by a driving layup by Hill for the Cougars, narrowing the Scarlet Hawks deficit 48-44. As both teams traded baskets, Robinson hit a three-pointer, bringing the Cougars within one. Only for the Hawks to answer with a three-pointer and jumper, restoring a six-point lead, 57-51. Coming out of the timeout, Williams sank a three-pointer and despite Pryor's layup for the Cougars, the Scarlet Hawks maintained a seven-point advantage, 61-56. The Scarlet Hawks extended their lead with four crucial free throws, increasing their lead, while the Cougars remained stuck in a two minute scoring drought. Johnson finally broke the drought, exchanging threes with the Scarlet Hawks, trailing by nine, 68-59. Keeping the Scarlet Hawks close, the Cougars go on a 9-0 run, coming back with a tie 70-70. Strong defense from both teams, but the Scarlet Hawks managed a driving layup to take a two-point lead with just over three minutes remaining. After the Scarlet Hawks created a five point lead, Robinson delivered a clutch three-pointer to tie the game with 24 seconds left. In the final moments, the Scarlet Hawks secured a win with two successful free throws, defeating the Cougars 79-77.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Cougars will be back on their home court to go up against Lakeland University on Saturday, January 17th. This game marks the annual Alumni Day as the Cougars look to "Pack the Stands". Tip off is set for 3:15 pm. Coverage for all things CUC men's basketball can be found at
cucougars.com/coverage.
