LISLE, Ill. - The Benedictine University men's basketball team suffered an 87-81 home defeat at the hands of Concordia University Chicago on Tuesday night.
The visitors set the tone early in the contest, scoring the first five points. Benedictine answered with five in a row, evening the game when
Michael Blaszczyk hammered home a dunk on a breakaway with 17:02 left in the first. Concordia Chicago went on to lead for most of the half, holding an eight-point edge on several occasions.
Tim McGinty completed a 7-0 run with a three-pointer at the 3:49 mark, handing Benedictine the lead for the first time at 31-29. Concordia Chicago went up by six in the final minute and held a 37-36 lead at the break.
Benedictine battled in the second half. Two free throws from Blaszczyk tied the game at 45-45 with 15:32 remaining. Two
John Dodson free throws handed the Eagles a brief 50-49 lead with 13:43 to go. Concordia Chicago continued to build the advantage, nabbing a 77-68 lead with 4:25 left. Benedictine charged back, using an 11-2 run to knot the score with just over a minute remaining. Blaszczyk began the run with a three-pointer and Dodson tied the score at 79-79 with a three-pointer. The visitors instantly grabbed the lead again with a runner in the lane, forced a one and out on defense, and hit six free throws down the stretch to account for the final.
The contest featured seven ties and six lead changes. Concordia Chicago scored 17 fast break points. Benedictine shot well, finishing at 51.8 percent from the floor, but Concordia Chicago shot 50 percent and outrebounded the Eagles 39-32. Benedictine was among the best in the nation in rebound margin. Blaszczyk scored 22 points to lead Benedictine. Four other players reached double digits.
Tahron Harvey netted 14 off the bench while Dodson, McGinty, and
Adam Reynolds collected 10 apiece. Despite the defeat, Benedictine remains just one game behind Aurora in the loss column after Aurora lost at Rockford.
Benedictine (12-7, 10-4 NACC) travels to Edgewood on Saturday afternoon.
