Falcons dunk on the Duhawks in the season opener

MEQUON, Wis. - The CUW men's basketball team opened the 2020-21 season with a thrilling 96-84 victory over Loras College.

"We are so thankful to everyone at CUW for allowing us to practice and play," said head coach Shawn Cassidy. "We know the sacrifices that are being made and the hard work that our athletic training and pharmacy staff are putting in and we are appreciative of the opportunity. I am really proud of the effort that we showed tonight. Our returners did a great job in establishing a tone with our younger players and made an immediate impact on the game. It was a great first game for us. It was tough, intense and toughly fought throughout."

The Duhawks pushed their lead to four points on four different occasions during the first half.

Senior Joey Zietlow (Oak Creek, Wis.) scored a layup with 7:35 remaining in the half to give the Falcons their first lead of the half at 28-27.

The Falcons used an 11-0 run to push the lead to 35-27 and took a 42-20 lead into halftime.

The two teams exchanged the lead multiple times in the first 12 minutes of the second half before a 7-1 run gave CUW some late separation. 

The Duhawks cut the Concordia lead to 78-76, when junior Jared Jurss (Sheboygan, Wis.) sank a three-point basket to put ice on the Loras comeback. Junior Brandon Keller (Plymouth, Wis.) extended the lead with a jump shot and a dunk by senior Jordan Johnson (Cedarburg, Wis.) closed an 8-0 run to put away the Duhawks.

The Falcons had five players score 10 or more points on Wednesday. Jordan Johnson led the flock with 21 points. 

Joey Zietlow secured 19 points, while senior Garrett Hoffmann (Belgium, Wis.) and Brandon Keller finished the evening with 14 points. Keller also led CUW with nine rebounds.

Jared Jurss finished his double-double performance with  13 points and 10 assists. 

The Falcons held a 40-31 rebounding advantage on the Duhawks.

CUW returns to action on Wednesday night when they host MSOE at the R. John Buuck Fieldhouse for the first time since the 2020 NACC Championship Game.