Bulldogs Outlast Men's Basketball in CIT Championship

MEQUON, Wis. – The Concordia Wisconsin men's basketball team fell to the scholarship-receiving Concordia Nebraska Bulldogs of NAIA in the Concordia Invitational Tournament championship game on Saturday night by a 75-69 margin. The contest saw the Falcons finish as the event's runner-up after beating Concordia Chicago 85-77 on Friday.

The Falcons jumped out to a 6-0 lead to open the game after two free throws from senior Sam Meerstein (Green Bay, Wis.). Meerstein would go on to boast a 4-9 line from the three-point arc as part of a 21-point performance.

Concordia Nebraska slowly climbed back into contention, securing its first lead at  13-12 just over eight minutes into the first half. However, a series of three-pointers from junior Adam Bruins (Oak Creek, Wis.) and freshman Mekhi Sutton (San Diego, Calif.) restored the Falcons' advantage on the scoreboard.

The two squads would continue to battle for the remainder of the half, exchanging the lead ten times before the game hit its midway point. Senior Gabe Pruss (North Fond du Lac, Wis.) would add to the three-point barrage for Concordia Wisconsin, burying two triples in the opening twenty minutes, which finished with a 41-38 score in favor of the Falcons.

The Bulldogs assembled a quick 5-0 run to kick off the second half before junior Jonah Jurss (Sheboygan, Wis.) knocked down a three-pointer to end the stretch. A triple for Concordia Nebraska just minutes later granted them possession of the lead, which it proved to carry for the remainder of the game.

A layup from senior Freeman Jackson (Green Bay, Wis.) pulled the Falcons within one with 7:05 to go in the contest, but a resilient Bulldogs team fought off the relentless comeback attempt of Concordia Wisconsin for the final minutes of play. After a three-pointer from Meerstein at the buzzer, the scoreboard finished the game with a 75-69 reading.

Meerstein was named to the All-Tournament Team

The Falcons will next battle the 7-12 Aurora Spartans in a conference matchup on Wednesday, January 31.