Men's Basketball Claws Marian

FOND DU LAC, Wis. - The Concordia University Wisconsin men's basketball team handed Marian University its second loss of the season Wednesday night, securing a 75-65 victory to improve to 5-7 overall and 3-4 in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play.

The matchup between these NACC rivals was a thrilling back-and-forth contest, featuring seven ties and four lead changes. 

The Sabres jumped out to an early lead, but the Falcons remained poised and fought their way back, cutting Marian's lead to just one point at 13-12 following a three-pointer by sophomore Severin Hilt (West Bend, Wis.) with 12 minutes left in the first half.

After a brief Sabres run, Hilt again answered with another three-pointer, this time off a pass from senior Zach Leahy (West Dundee, Ill.), bringing the score to 20-21 with 7:23 remaining in the half. 

Hilt's hot shooting continued as he knocked down his third three-pointer at the 5:00 mark, tying the game at 25-25, with sophomore Casey Verhagen (Sheboygan, Wis.) providing the assist.

The two teams remained deadlocked throughout the final minutes of the half, and they entered the break tied at 33-33.

The second half began with Marian briefly reclaiming the lead, but the Falcons quickly responded. Sophomore Matt Merlo (Random Lake, Wis.) hit a floater off a pass from junior Logan Landers (Cedarburg, Wis.) to tie the game at 35-35. 

Landers followed with a layup on the next possession, then Verhagen stole the ball and raced down the court for an easy layup, giving CUW its largest lead of the night at 39-35.

Marian answered with a run to regain a two-point advantage, but Verhagen was there again, drilling a mid-range jumper to tie the score at 45-45. At the 10-minute mark, Landers connected on two free throws and finished a strong move in the paint, giving the Falcons a slim two-point lead. 

Leahy applied defensive pressure, forcing a turnover and converting a transition layup to extend CUW's advantage to 51-47.

The Falcons continued to seize momentum as they earned a defensive stop and then found senior Jonah Jurss (Sheboygan, Wis.) open on the wing for a three-pointer, pushing their lead to 54-47 and forcing a Marian timeout.

CUW maintained its distance down the stretch, getting to the free-throw line and converting 23 of 28 attempts. Despite a brief run by Marian to cut the lead to 62-57, Jurss answered with a critical three-pointer on the next possession, pushing the lead back to eight at 65-57 with just under five minutes to play.

In the final minutes, the Sabres resorted to fouling in an attempt to close the gap, but the Falcons held steady, ultimately securing a 75-65 win.

"That was a great team road win against a tough Marian team," said head coach Shawn Cassidy. "Our defensive intensity picked up in the second half which allowed us to open up our lead and secure the win."

As a team, Concordia outpaced Marian in assists, points in the paint, and fast-break points. The Falcons shot 46 percent (23-of-50) from the field, holding the Sabres to just 39.7 percent shooting and 27.3 percent from beyond the arc. 

CUW also dominated at the free-throw line, hitting 23-of-28 attempts compared to Marian's 17-of-28.

Individually, Landers delivered his fourth consecutive 20-point performance, finishing with 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting, 11 rebounds, and a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe. 

Verhagen also eclipsed the 20-point mark for the fifth time this season, posting 23 points on 6-of-12 shooting and dishing out a season-high eight assists. 

Hilt, who had been efficient all game, nailed four three-pointers, finishing 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.

Defensively, Matt Merlo made his presence felt with a career-high three blocks, while Leahy led the team with three steals.

The Falcons will look to build on their momentum when they host Benedictine University on Saturday at the R. John Buuck Fieldhouse.