Men's Basketball falls short in CIT Championship against Ann Arbor

Mequon, Wis. – A CIT Championship was on the line and both Concordia Wisconsin and Concordia Ann Arbor battled tooth and nail for the right to hoist the trophy in glory. In the final minute of the game was when CUAA clinched the 67th annual CIT Championship over CUW by a final score of 82-77.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Concordia Ann Arbor 82, Concordia Wisconsin 77
Location: R. John Buuck Field House (Mequon, Wis.)
Records:Concordia Wisconsin 11-9, 9-6 NACC; Concordia Ann Arbor 9-15, 4-11 WHAC

HOW IT HAPPENED
- In a contest that was coming down to the wire and with less than three minutes left to play, the anticipation for a big play was building. The Cardinals held a one-point lead after freshman Jordan Johnson (Cedarburg, Wis.) made a tremendous jumper with the defender draped all over him to make the score 76-75 with one minute left to go. The Falcons were looking for a quick defensive stop but CUAA was moving the ball well to keep the clock ticking and CUW waiting. After an errant throw by Concordia Ann Arbor and a scuffle for the loose ball that resulted in a Concordia Wisconsin foul that sent Jared McDaniel to the free throw line, as he pushed the lead to three and ultimately out of reach for the Falcons.
- The Cardinals were fortunate enough to have the service of tournament MVP Jalen Thompson who seemed to score at will on the big stage. Thompson recorded 29 points and nine rebounds while hitting multiple momentum changing shots down the stretch, helping CUAA past the Falcons.
 - The two teams were trading baskets one trip after another as the Cardinals shot a blazing 51.6 percent knocking down clutch shots late in the game. CUW led for 15 minutes of the game but CUAA never trailed by more than five points the entire second half and only regaining the lead for the final time with 5:25 left to play in the final period. Concordia Wisconsin would push the lead and seem to gain momentum of the energized crowd, but Concordia Ann Arbor would respond right away and not allow for the game to get out of hand.
- Concordia Wisconsin saw a strong performance from Johnson as he went 50 percent from behind the arc on his way to a team-high 25 points on the night, while also corralling eight rebounds. Johnson was later named to the All-Tournament team. Senior Josh Hau (Slinger, Wis.) followed up with 13 points, as the Falcons shot a combined 33.3 percent from deep and 45.2 percent from the field. The Cardinals shot 35.3 percent from behind the arc and 51.6 percent from two-point range.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The game didn't count towards Concordia Wisconsin's overall record because it was designated as an exhibition game.

THE OPPOSITION
- Concordia Ann Arbor got production from All-Tournament team member Connor Phee who netted 22 points while ripping down a team-high 13 rebounds. Emmanuel Dominguez also chipped in 16 points and recording four rebounds.

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE
- Concordia Wisconsin will return to conference play to face off against Marian on Wednesday, inside the R. John Buuck Field House with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 pm.