MEQUON, Wis. – The Concordia University Wisconsin men's basketball team improved to 7-7 overall and 5-4 in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play with a thrilling 75-72 victory over the first-place Green Knights of St. Norbert College.
With this win, the Falcons have now triumphed in seven of their last eight games. It also marked their first victory of the season in a game decided by three points or fewer.
St. Norbert came out strong, jumping to an early 13-4 lead within the first five minutes of the game. Both teams struggled offensively through much of the first half, with the Green Knights maintaining a solid 18-11 lead midway through the period.
Concordia began to close the gap, and sophomore Casey Verhagen (Sheboygan, Wis.) helped trim the deficit to just two points, 28-26, after forcing a turnover and finishing with a fast-break layup. However, St. Norbert closed the half on a strong note, extending their lead to eight points, 39-31, at the break.
After halftime, the Green Knights built their largest lead of the game at 12 points, leading 47-35 with 17:57 remaining. But the Falcons steadily chipped away at the lead, starting with a three-pointer from sophomore Matt Merlo (Random Lake, Wis.), assisted by senior Jonah Jurss (Sheboygan, Wis.).
Moments later, sophomore Severin Hilt (West Bend, Wis.) hit a pull-up jumper, cutting the Green Knights' lead to just five, 55-50, with 15 minutes left. A few possessions later, junior Logan Landers (Cedarburg, Wis.) sparked a fast break after blocking a St. Norbert shot. The Falcons quickly moved the ball up the court, with Verhagen finishing with another layup to bring CUW within three, 54-51.
Verhagen tied the game at 54-54 with a spin move and layup, and the Falcons soon took the lead with four straight points from the free-throw line, going up 58-54 with nine minutes remaining.
From there, Landers took control, scoring seven consecutive points to help Concordia maintain the lead. He started the run with a layup off a feed from Hilt, then converted a three-point play before capping off the stretch with another layup.
The Falcons continued to pressure the Green Knights, pushing their lead to double digits with two minutes left, when Landers converted another three-point play, making it 73-62.
Despite St. Norbert's best efforts to rally, cutting the deficit to just three points at 73-70, the Falcons held firm. With seconds remaining, the Green Knights were awarded three free throws while attempting a three-pointer, giving them a chance to force overtime. St. Norbert made the first two free throws, but with the game on the line, the Green Knights missed the third attempt as the Falcon faithful showed their support by making noise.
Matt Merlo then sealed the victory for CUW with two clutch free throws, securing a 75-72 win.
"I was really pleased with how we responded after the first half," said head coach Shawn Cassidy. "Our effort and toughness were much better. I'm also grateful for the energy from our bench and the incredible support from our fans and band, which really gave us a homecourt advantage tonight."
As a team, the Falcons dominated in the paint, outscoring St. Norbert 38-22, and also excelled in transition, recording 15 fast-break points compared to the Green Knights' five. Concordia also limited St. Norbert to just 40 percent shooting from the field while the Falcons shot a blistering 53.2 percent (25-of-47).
Verhagen led the Falcons with 26 points on 9-of-13 shooting, adding six assists. It was his seventh game this season scoring 20 or more points. Landers contributed 22 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, and one steal. Merlo played a key role in the victory, finishing with 14 points, seven rebounds, three blocks, and two steals, while shooting 2-of-4 from beyond the arc.
The Falcons will next travel to Dominican on Saturday, looking to continue their strong play in conference action.
