Falcons Stave Off Illinois Tech in Double-Overtime Thriller

MEQUON, Wis. – The Concordia men's basketball team pushed its home winning streak to three games on Saturday night, narrowing the Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks in a contest that took two extra periods to decide. The win granted the Falcons their sixth win of the 2023-24 campaign, which has seen victories in five of its last six games.

Senior Sam Meerstein (Green Bay, Wis.) recorded a team-best 25 points in the contest, his highest total since notching 29 in a November matchup with Loras.

Senior Freeman Jackson (Green Bay, Wis.) collected his third career double-double, while fellow senior Gabe Pruss (North Fond du Lac, Wis.) tallied his seventh in a Concordia uniform.

The two squads exchanged the lead on four occasions in the first half, but the Scarlet Hawks began to pull away as the clock dwindled. An 11-point lead was carried into halftime, and it was extended to 14 in the opening minutes of the second half.

However, just 10 days after completing a 27-point comeback over Marian, the Falcons battled back into the game. A layup from Jack Fritz (Columbus, Wis.) granted Concordia the lead just nine minutes later, by a score of 45-43. The sophomore's score took place in the falling action of a 20-2 run for the Falcons, which concluded with a four-point advantage.

Concordia pushed its lead to six in the final minutes of the half, but a late surge by the Scarlet Hawks evened the score with 38 seconds remaining in play. The Falcons briefly regained the lead after a pair of Meerstein free throws, but Carter Garrison tied the contest for Illinois Tech with two seconds on the clock, sending the game to overtime.

The Scarlet Hawks took a pair of leads in the bonus period, both of which were quickly nullified by three-pointers from Meerstein and senior Zech Hans (Hartland, Wis.). The Falcons held the advantage into the dying seconds of the frame, but a stingy attack from Illinois Tech once again kept the game alive, as Nicolas Ortiz buried a three-pointer of his own as time expired.

Junior Jonah Jurss (Sheboygan, Wis.) tallied the opening points of the second overtime, and a layup from Freeman Jackson granted the Falcons the lead for good, snagging the 77-73 win.

Concordia will be back in action on January 17 against the 13-3 St. Norbert Green Knights.