Men's Basketball holds off Lakeland in last minute victory

PLYMOUTH, Wis. – Concordia Wisconsin traveled to the Moose and Dona Woltzen Gymnasium to take on rival Lakeland. The Falcons toppled the Muskies with a late offensive surge that was capped off by last second free throws from senior Jake Jurss that helped secure the 65-64 victory.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Concordia Wisconsin 65, Lakeland 64
Location: Moose and Dona Woltzen Gymnasium (Plymouth, Wis.)
Records: Concordia Wisconsin 10-5 (10-2 NACC); Lakeland 6-10 (4-7 NACC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
- As the clock was frozen at 55 seconds senior Jake Jurss (Sheboygan, Wis.) was at the free throw line with the chance to take the lead, as CUW was down by one point, 63-64. Jurss took a breath and let the ball fly and sunk the first attempt to tie the game. The next free throw seemed just as routine as any other and Jurss knocked it down with ease. The Falcons would hold the Muskies on the defensive side of the ball in the final minute to grab the 65-64 victory.
- The defense for Concordia Wisconsin stood tall on a night that the offense didn't seem to click as well as it has in the last few contests. CUW held Lakeland to 36.8 percent from the field and 25.7 percent from behind the arc. The Falcons were flying around with energy and forced the Muskies into 18 turnovers on the night. Junior Olalekan George (Milwaukee, Wis.) led the team with three steals, while sophomore Jordan Johnson (Cedarburg, Wis.) and senior Andrew Fratzke (Winona, Minn.) both had two steals.
- CUW, trailed by three points, by the score of 57-54 with just under four minutes remaining. Johnson had a nice layup in the lane where he drove past his defender and kissed the ball of the glass and into the hoop to keep Concordia Wisconsin close with the score sitting at 57-56 in favor of Lakeland. After trading baskets, Jurss drained a deep three to tie the game at 61-61 with only two minutes remaining in the contest. The Muskies' Garrett Duffin hit a huge momentum killing 3-pointer to give Lakeland a one-point 64-63 lead with 1:18 to go till the final buzzer.  
- Lakeland and Concordia Wisconsin went back-and-fourth for the whole contest, as the two teams battled for control. The Muskies found their largest lead of the game, as they led 19-12 with 10:30 remaining in the first half. Concordia Wisconsin clawed their way back within two points after back-to-back possessions from a 3-pointer and a layup, but the Falcons wouldn't take the lead tell a buzzer beater layup by George that would give the guests momentum going into the break.
- The Falcons were led by Johnson who had a game-high 20 points, while senior Josh Hau (Slinger, Wis.) followed with 17 points. George had 10 points from off the bench and Freshman Brandon Keller (Plymouth, Wis.) recorded five rebounds in 14 minutes. Lakeland was led by Jequan Pegeese, who had a team-high 12 points, while Eric Nygaard and Duffin had eight rebounds each on the night.

UP NEXT
- The Falcons will be back in action on Saturday, as they host Rockford at 4:15 pm inside the R. John Buuck Field House.