Falcons Outlast Eagles in NACC Matchup

MADISON, Wis. – The CUW men's basketball notched its second win in conference play on Wednesday night, topping the Edgewood Eagles 63-54. The effort was spearheaded by a strong second-half performance from the Falcons, collecting 34 points while ending the game on a 13-5 run.

Senior Sam Meerstein (Green Bay, Wis.) finished as the Falcons' leading scorer for the third time of the season, notching 14 points in the contest.

The first half was played at a balanced pace, as neither team was able to have the game largely in hand. The Falcons built up the game's biggest lead at six before an Eagles three-pointer cut the advantage in half entering the break.

Edgewood battled to regain possession of the lead as the second half began, cutting the margin to two just minutes in and down to three with just over twelve minutes remaining in play. Ultimately, the Falcons managed to strengthen the lead as the game neared its end, not allowing the Eagles to draw back to even.

The Falcons dominated on the fast break throughout the course of the contest, outscoring the Eagles 18-0 in the statistic. The 18 fast break points represented the team's highest total in 22 games.

Defensively, the Falcons' strong presence in the rebound column played a significant role in the matchup, out-rebounding Edgewood 47-31 and 12-6 in the final six minutes of the game. Just as well, the Concordia defense held the Eagles without points in the closing five minutes of play. The effort featured a combined three blocks in the game's final 3:20 from senior Gabe Pruss (North Fond du Lac, Wis.) and freshman Matt Merlo (Random Lake, Wis.)

The winning result proved to be a strong testament to the determination of a Falcons team that has remained determined throughout the season. Head coach Shawn Cassidy said after the performance, "I am proud of the way the guys have responded to a difficult start of the season. They continue to work hard, put in extra time, and compete for each other."

Surely enough, the team battled throughout the game and overcame adversity in the form of the Eagles' challenges throughout the contest. With each approach to balance on the scoreboard, Concordia found ways to maintain the lead and stay on the path to success.

The Falcons will look to start a winning streak in their next game, set to take place on Wednesday, December 20th against the 3-5 Concordia Chicago Cougars.