Men's Basketball Battled in the 2022-23 Campaign
MEQUON, Wis. - The CUW men's basketball went an overall 8-16 with a 5-4 record at home and a 3-1 record in neutral site games in their 2022-23 season.
Throughout the season, the Falcons continually played tight and highly competitive games.
In a thrilling two-overtime matchup, the Falcons picked up their first victory in Waverly, Iowa, at the Buzz Levick Tournament against Cornell. Junior Freeman Jackson (Green Bay, Wis.) led the Falcons with a career-high 36 points and four steals, while senior Gabe Pruss (Fond du Lac, Wis.) had a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds.
On December 3, CUW claimed their first conference win over Rockford 90-79 as three Falcons scored 20+ points, Gabe Pruss scored 20, senior Jared Jurss (Sheboygan, Wis.) scored 21, and Freeman Jackson totaled 20 points.
The Falcons went south to Florida for Christmas break to compete in the 2022 Daytona Beach Shootout. In game two of their Florida trip, the Falcons claimed the 87-66 victory over Muskingum.
In their next contest, the Falcons took their largest win of the season over Lakeland as CUW won 90-66 as 10 different players recorded points for the Falcons, including a season-high 12 points from junior Sam Meerstein (Green Bay, Wis.), who went 3-4 from beyond the arc.
On January 24, the Falcons gave Marian their second conference loss of the season with an 81-75 overtime victory as every starter for the Falcons recorded at least 12 points.
Three days later, on January 27, the Falcons took a convincing victory over NAIA Concordia Ann Arbor in the first round of the Concordia Invitational Tournament. Senior duo Grant Karsten (Decatur, Ill.) and Jared Jurss put together a spectacular performance as Karsten finished with 23 points going 7-13 from beyond the three-point line, while Jurss finished with a double-double of 22 points and 12 assists. Gabe Pruss also completed the double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
On Senior Day, the Falcons took another thrilling, down-to-the-wire win over Edgewood with a score of 78-77. Seniors Jared Jurrs and Matt LeVene (Manitowoc, Wis.) led the Falcons in points as Jurss recorded 21 points while LeVene had 17. In that contest, Jurss recorded his 1000th career.
The Falcons closed out their home competition versus Dominican on February 14, as the Falcons took the 90-68 win. In that win, the Falcons saw Gabe Pruss go for 19 points while Jared Jurss completed another double-double with 14 points and 10 assists. Freeman Jackson and Grant Karsten also both recorded double-digit points. Junior Zech Hans (Oconomowoc, Wis.) also had nine points off the bench.
For their performance on the court and in the classroom, Jared Jurss and Grant Karsten both earned CSC Academic All-District Honors.
Jared Jurss was also named to the All-NACC Second Team for his performance throughout the year. Jurss finished the season averaging 13.6 points per game, 4.2 rebounds per game, and an NCAA Division III-leading 7.7 assists per game.
CUW will look forward to their 2023-24 season as they return a fair portion of their lineup.
