MEQUON, Wis. – The Concordia Wisconsin men's basketball team opened its season with a heart-stopping contest on Saturday night, falling just short in a 99–95 thriller against Wheaton College.

The Falcons came out firing, starting the night on a 9–2 run capped by back-to-back baskets from junior Severin Hilt (West Bend, Wis.). After the Thunder rallied to pull within one, junior Matt Merlo (Random Lake, Wis.) halted the momentum with a thunderous dunk.

Concordia twice extended its advantage to eight points, fueled by senior Logan Landers (Cedarburg, Wis.) and junior Casey Verhagen (Sheboygan, Wis.). However, a foul-heavy first half swung the momentum back to Wheaton, which carried a 47–44 lead into the break after a stretch featuring 24 combined fouls and 31 free throw attempts.

The second half continued as a back-and-forth battle. Despite multiple Concordia runs, Wheaton repeatedly found ways to respond. The Falcons finally pulled even at 89–89 with 2:14 remaining on a clutch three-pointer from Hilt.

Moments later, a steal from junior Javanni Blackman set up freshman JD Davison (Madison, Wis.), whose layup gave CUW a 91–89 advantage. Wheaton answered with a three-pointer, only for Blackman to drive for another go-ahead layup with 37 seconds remaining, making it 93–92 Falcons.

The Thunder countered again from deep to retake the lead, 97–95. Verhagen tied the game at 95 with 22 seconds left, but Wheaton scored four points in the final 10 seconds to escape with the victory.

In a game featuring Preseason All-Americans, Landers and Verhagen shined brightest in the opener, each tallying 27 points. Landers also led all players with seven rebounds, while Verhagen posted a game-high eight assists and added two steals.

Concordia Wisconsin  will look to bounce back next weekend in Iowa at the Wartburg Buzz Levick Tournament, opening play Friday evening against Wartburg.