Doedens cousins drain 3-pointers as Men’s Basketball earns come-from-behind victory

ROCKFORD, Ill. - Concordia University Wisconsin trailed by two with 2:52 remaining in the game before seniors Nick Doedens and Luke Doedens combined to make three 3-pointers, as the Falcons finished the game with a 10-4 scoring run to earn a 78-73 Northern Athletics Conference men's basketball victory at Rockford College on Saturday afternoon.

CUW led for less than two minutes during the second half prior to Nick Doedens' 3-pointer which gave the Falcons a short 69-68 lead with 2:38 remaining in the game at the Seaver Center. RC answered with a jumper before Luke Doedens nailed a 3-pointer to put the Falcons in front for good. He then made a layup and a free throw to push CUW ahead by four, 75-71, with 1:06 to play. Following a pair of Rockford free throws, Nick Doedens slammed the door on any chance of a Regents victory with a 3-pointer with 14 seconds left in the contest.

The Falcons (12-4, 8-2 NAC) controlled the game from the opening tip, building a lead as large as 15 points midway through the first half, but RC (9-9, 6-4 NAC) entered the game in first place in the NAC South Division for a reason. The Regents responded and controlled the scoreboard for the final 2:30 of the opening period and nearly the entire second half.

Luke Doedens (Cedarburg, Wis.) led all scorers with 28 points on 10-of-19 shooting, including four triples. The 6-foot-5 guard also assisted on four field goals, stole three passes and hauled in 13 rebounds for his first double-double in a Falcons uniform. Junior Brian Jackson (Carol Stream, Ill.) scored 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting and senior Matt Paluchniak (Oostburg, Wis.) recorded five assists, three rebounds and two steals.

The Falcons dominated the paint, outscoring the Regents 42-28 in the colored area. CUW also outrebounded the Regents 42-31, including 12 offensive rebounds which resulted in 10 second chance points.

The victory was the second of three-straight road games for CUW against a team that was first in their respective NAC division. On Tuesday the Falcons knocked off Lakeland College, 70-69, on the road as both teams were in a three-way tie for first place in the NAC North Division.

Dominique Walker paced RC with 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting, to go along with six rebounds and six assists. Danny Fair and Alen McVeigh added 15 and 10 points, respectively. Paul Hall recorded eight points, seven rebounds and a game-high seven assists.

CUW's charge in the second half was due in large part to its 63.3 percent (19-of-30) shooting from the field. There were 11 scoring ties and nine lead changes in the contest.

The Falcons will take a few days off to rest and recharge before hosting Wisconsin Lutheran College on Wednesday at 7 p.m. inside the friendly confines of the R. John Buuck Field House.