Raiders Snap CUW’s Win Streak

MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The Concordia University Wisconsin men's basketball team battled hard but came up short against the Raiders of MSOE, falling 74-79. The loss drops the Falcons to 4-7 overall, 2-4 in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play, and snaps CUW's four-game win streak.

Sophomore Severin Hilt (West Bend, Wis.) opened the scoring for CUW, hitting a three-pointer from the corner in the early minutes. The Falcons maintained a slim lead as Hilt's early three was followed by layups from sophomores Casey Verhagen (Sheboygan, Wis.) and Matt Merlo (Random Lake, Wis.), pushing the lead to 14-7 with 13:05 remaining in the first half.

CUW continued to build momentum with strong play off the bench from freshman Luke Eggemeyer (Perryville, Mo.), who finished a layup off a pass from Verhagen. Verhagen then knocked down a three-pointer to extend the Falcons' lead to double digits at 22-12 with 9:28 left in the opening half.

The Falcons kept the pressure on, and junior Logan Landers (Cedarburg, Wis.) gave CUW a 27-18 lead with a mid-range jumper with three minutes left in the half. A few moments later, Merlo drained a three-pointer off a kick-out from Landers.

As the half wound down, MSOE would add some free throws, but with just one second remaining, Landers made a full-court baseball throw to Merlo, who caught it and hit a turnaround jumper at the buzzer to give CUW a 32-25 lead at the break.

Out of halftime, MSOE came out with renewed energy and began to chip away at the Falcons' lead. By the 10:38 mark of the second half, the Raiders had taken a 10-point lead, 54-44.

Determined to make a comeback, CUW answered with a flurry of offense. Sutton hit a three-pointer off a pass from Hilt, and Hilt followed up with another transition triple from Verhagen, cutting the Raiders' lead to 56-51. A pair of free throws from Hilt brought the Falcons to within three, as CUW trailed 62-59 with under five minutes remaining.

In the final minutes, the Falcons continued to battle, but could not get enough stops on defense to complete the comeback. Merlo hit another wing three-pointer, but MSOE quickly answered with a bucket on the other end. Despite continuing to fight until the final seconds, CUW couldn't close the gap, falling 79-74.

Landers posted another double-double with a team-high 24 points and 11 rebounds, while Merlo added 13 points, eight rebounds, one block, and one steal. Verhagen chipped in 14 points and three steals, and Hilt finished with 13 points, including a solid 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.

The Falcons will regroup and look to get back on track when they travel to Marian on Wednesday for their next NACC matchup.