Men's Basketball Falls in Heartbreaking Fashion

ROCKFORD, Ill. – The Concordia University Wisconsin men's basketball team suffered a heartbreaking 86-84 loss at Rockford on Saturday, falling to 0-3 in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play and 0-6 overall.

The game was a back-and-forth affair from the start, with neither team able to gain a substantial lead in the first half. Sophomore Casey Verhagen (Sheboygan, Wis.) led the Falcons offensively, hitting a jumper at the 13:18 mark to trim Rockford's lead to three. Senior Jack Fritz (Columbus, Wis.) dominated the paint, scoring a layup to tie the game at 18-18.

Moments later, senior Jonah Jurss (Sheboygan, Wis.) grabbed an offensive rebound, kicked it out to freshman Mekhi Sutton (San Diego, Calif.), and then repositioned along the three-point line. Sutton found Jurss for the open three-pointer, giving the Falcons a 21-19 lead and forcing a Rockford timeout.

The teams continued to trade baskets, with the score knotted at 23, 25, 28, and 30 before Concordia finished the half strong. Verhagen scored on consecutive possessions, as senior Zach Leahy (West Dundee, Ill.) and Mekhi Sutton's steals led to layups by Casey Verhagen, forcing another Rockford timeout.

The Falcons took a 45-39 lead into the break after freshman Luke Eggemeyer (Perryville, Mo.) blocked a Rockford three-pointer and Sutton hit a jumper, setting up Logan Landers' (Cedarburg, Wis.) layup.

Coming out of halftime, CUW was hot from beyond the arc, with sophomores Severin Hilt (West Bend, Wis.) and Matt Merlo (Random Lake, Wis.) each hitting a three to extend the lead to 58-46.

However, Rockford quickly responded, chipping away at the Falcons' advantage before taking a 10-point lead with 5:17 remaining.

In a game of runs, Concordia mounted a comeback. Merlo and Leahy each scored layups to cut the Regent lead to 76-75 with 2:33 left. Verhagen tied the game at 84-84 with a clutch layup, but after a timeout, Rockford managed to get a last-second tip-in off a loose ball as the buzzer sounded to seal the win.

Verhagen finished as the game's leading scorer with 26 points, while Merlo added 15. Both players also registered five assists. Fritz and Landers contributed 10 points each on efficient shooting. The Falcons shot 55.6% for the game and scored 38 points in the paint.

Concordia will look to rebound in their next contest, heading to Edgewood College on December 14th.