CUW's Comeback Falls Short

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The Concordia University Wisconsin men's basketball team fell 63-75 to Franklin College in their second game of the Bill Merris Tournament.

After a hard-fought game in the opening round against Illinois College, the Falcons struggled to find their rhythm early against Franklin. CUW committed 11 turnovers in the first half and trailed 25-42 at the break.

Junior Jack Fritz (Columbus, Wis.), sophomore Javanni Blackman (Milwaukee, Wis.), and senior Zach Leahy (West Dundee, Ill.) each contributed six points in the first half to lead the Falcons offensively.

Coming out of halftime, CUW showed signs of life, quickly cutting the Grizzlies' lead to single digits at 35-44 with 14:40 remaining. Sophomore Casey Verhagen (Sheboygan, Wis.) and junior Logan Landers (Cedarburg, Wis.) each made layups following defensive stops, energizing the team and briefly shifting momentum.

Despite the Falcons' improved play, they continued to trail by nine points as Verhagen scored four consecutive points to keep the pressure on Franklin. 

CUW had several good looks at the basket but struggled to convert, missing several open shots that could have narrowed the gap.

The Falcons kept battling, with Blackman hitting his second three-pointer of the game and sophomore Jacob Christjohn (Milwaukee, Wis.) adding two triples of his own to pull CUW to within 10 points with five minutes remaining. 

Fritz followed up with a layup to trim the deficit to eight, but once again, the Falcons couldn't find the basket in the final minutes, ultimately falling to the Grizzlies, 75-63.

Verhagen led the Falcons with 15 points and five assists, earning a spot on the Bill Merris All-Tournament Team for his strong play. Blackman was a spark off the bench, scoring 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including his first collegiate points in the first half.

Sophomore Matt Merlo (Random Lake, Wis.) led the Falcons with nine rebounds, while junior Logan Landers and senior Jonah Jurss (Sheboygan, Wis.) each recorded one block.

CUW will look to rebound on Tuesday as they travel to Wheaton, Ill., for a matchup against the Thunder of Wheaton College.