WAVERLY, Iowa – The Concordia Wisconsin men's basketball team snagged their first win of the season at the Buzz Levick Tournament. The Falcons defeated host Wartburg, 80-75, and move on to the Championship game tomorrow. Competing in the tournament is CUW, Wartburg, Cornell, and UW-Eau Claire.
 
The game was a close one between the two squads. Going into halftime the Knights led the Falcons 36-34. The Royal Blue and Grey continued to fight on the court for the lead, but was only able to lead for a short time. The team found a way to pull away from the hosts with six minutes left in the contest.
 
A jumper by junior Matt Merlo (Random Lake, Wis.) brought the Falcons within one point of the Knights with 5:37 remaining, putting the score at 67-68. A three-pointer by fellow junior Casey Verhagen (Sheboygan, Wis.) gave CUW the lead just thirty second later. Merlo added another two points by grabbing an offensive rebound and tipping in the ball at the 4:22 mark.
 
Wartburg tried to close in on the Concordia Wisconsin lead with a group of free throws but it was too much to overcome. Another key three-pointer, this time from junior Jacob Christjohn (Milwaukee, Wis.), added to the struggle.
 
As the clock was ticking down Christjohn made two trips to the charity strip. He cemented the Falcons win by going 4-for-4.
 
Merlo led the team in points with 24, a career high. The junior went 10-for-16 and 2-for-4 from beyond the ark. Senior Logan Landers (Cedarburg, Wis.) finished with a double-double, having 17 points and 11 free throws. This is the seniors eighth double-double at CUW. As a team the Falcons were 27-for-65 from the field and 22-for-29 from the free throw line.
 
CUW will play UW-Eau Claire tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 15, in the championship game. Tip off is set for 4 p.m. in Levick Arena.