2019-20 Stories of the Year (No. 5): Johnson, Jurss have a record-setting night
MEQUON, Wis. -- The 2019-20 athletic year was another successful one for the Concordia Wisconsin Athletic Department. The Falcons won and contended for conference championships in many sports and put together an impressive list of great achievements. As in years past, the Department of Athletic Communications tries to sort through all the great moments and give you, the fans, top stories from the past year.
The list of stories was compiled by the Department of Athletic Communications and, like all lists, is subject to debate. The top stories will be revealed over the next four weeks, with a story being released on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The top story will be released on May 20.
No. 5 Story of the Year
Johnson, Jurss have a record-setting night
February 27 will go down as one of the most memorable nights in Men's Basketball program history, as Jordan Johnson netted a program-record 45 points and Jared Jurss set the program's single-season record for assists. It was also an important night because the Falcons defeated Wisconsin Lutheran, 96-83, to advance to the NACC Tournament Championship, which they hosted and eventually won.
Johnson entered the game having previously scored 30-plus points just twice and was accomplished on back-to-back nights on February 12 and 15. During the memorable 45-point outing, he did it by making 16-of-26 field goals (five 3-pointers) and 8-of-9 at the free-throw line. The Cedarburg, Wisconsin native had just 11 points by halftime and exploded for 34 in the second half. During the second half, he made 12-of-16 shots from the floor. More importantly, he outscored the Warriors 29-22 over the final 10 minutes of the game. The previous single-game scoring record was held by Jeff Golsteyn who scored 43 points against Marian in 1980.
Jurss entered the contest needing four assists to surpass the great Frank Yinko, who tallied 191 assists during the 1990-91 season. The guard found a cutting Johnson for his 192nd assist of the season to become the new leader with six minutes to play in the game. During the year he quietly had outstanding games of seven or more assists 17 times and double-digit assists in five contests.
The Sheboygan, Wisconsin native ended the season with 197 assists to lead the NACC, which was also 90 more than the next closest player. He also ranked fifth nationally in total assists and ninth in assists per game at 6.8. The sophomore has 313 career assists and the program record is 482 set by Frank Yinko (1990-93).
The 96-83 victory over Wisconsin Lutheran, coupled with an MSOE upset over Benedictine in a No. 5 vs. No. 1 matchup, gave Concordia Wisconsin the right to host the NACC Tournament Championship. The Falcons would go on to defeat MSOE in an 80-75 overtime game to win their second NACC Tournament Championship.
2019-20 CUW Athletics Stories of the Year
HM: Women's Basketball and Football break records
No. 10: Sam Otto of Men's Golf breaks 36-hole record
No. 9: Softball posts program-best start
No. 8: Dance wins CIT title
No. 7: Goucher and Curran shine at NACC Women's Indoor Track & Field Championship
No. 6: Men's Hockey upsets No. 9 Lake Forest on senior night
No. 5: Johnson, Jurss have a record-setting night
No. 4: May 13
No. 3: May 15
No. 2: May 18
No. 1: May 20
