Thunder Outlast Falcons

WHEATON, Ill. – The Concordia University Wisconsin men's basketball team dropped to 0-3 after a hard-fought, back-and-forth road loss to the Wheaton Thunder, 78-71. The game featured 11 ties and 10 lead changes, with Wheaton ultimately securing the win down the stretch.

From the outset, the Falcons showed strong defensive effort, with sophomore Matt Merlo (Random Lake, Wis.) and juniors Logan Landers (Cedarburg, Wis.) and Jack Fritz (Columbus, Wis.) each blocking shots in the opening possessions.

Concordia surged to an early 13-8 lead, thanks in part to back-to-back baskets from sophomore Casey Verhagen (Sheboygan, Wis.). A few possessions later, the Falcons forced a shot clock violation, further stifling the Thunder's offense.

Wheaton quickly responded with a run to reclaim the lead, but senior Zach Leahy (West Dundee, Ill.) answered with a three-pointer off a sharp kick-out from sophomore Mekhi Sutton (San Diego, Calif.) to bring CUW within one, 17-18, near the midway point of the first half.

Sutton continued to make an impact, scoring on a contested layup during the next possession. The Falcons tied the game at 29-29, forcing a Wheaton timeout, as senior Jonah Jurss (Sheboygan, Wis.) created a steal that led to a fast break, capped by a two-handed dunk from Landers off a pass from Verhagen.

Verhagen and Landers continued their strong play, as Verhagen set up Landers for an open three-pointer and later scored a layup to tie the game at 36. On the next possession, CUW's defense caused another turnover, with Jurss recording another steal before being fouled.

The first half remained tight, with Wheaton holding a slight 40-38 edge at the break. Verhagen and Landers combined for 22 points, shooting 10-of-20 from the field.

The second half played out similarly, with both teams struggling to create separation. CUW briefly took a 46-44 lead following a fast break layup by Leahy, but Wheaton answered to tie the game at 46 just five minutes into the half.

With 10 minutes left, the Falcons cut the Wheaton lead to just one point, as Sutton dished to Merlo for a baseline dunk.

At the 6:52 mark, Landers made an impressive move in the mid-post, finishing a three-point play to give CUW a 62-60 advantage. However, following a Wheaton timeout, the Thunder quickly tied the game at 62.

The next three possessions saw the lead change three times, with CUW holding a 66-65 edge. But Wheaton responded with a 7-0 run, taking a six-point lead and maintaining the momentum to secure a 78-71 victory.

Verhagen led the Falcons with 19 points, six rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Landers added 15 points and a team-high two blocks. Leahy had a career-high 13 points, while Fritz was perfect from the field, scoring eight points on 4-of-4 shooting.

The Falcons will continue their challenging schedule when they return home for a conference matchup against the nationally-ranked Wisconsin Lutheran College Warriors next Tuesday.