CHICAGO, IL - The Benedictine University men's basketball team dropped a conference contest at Illinois Tech on Wednesday night.

FINAL SCORE
Illinois Tech 78, Benedictine 68

THE DETAILS
• Benedictine led by five points early on a three from Kyle Graebner, but Illinois Tech posted a strong shooting half
• Hayden Helfrich made a layup at the 12:19 mark of the first, pulling Benedictine within 16-13
• Illinois Tech countered with a 9-0 run to move ahead by double figures at 25-13
• The hosts scored the final six points of the half to lead 39-22 at the break
• The advantage grew to 20 early in the second half
• A three-point play from Eric Grygo drew Benedictine within 57-44 halfway through the second
• A free throw from Michael Johnson pulled Benedictine within nine with just over two minutes to go and Collin Mergl made a layup in the final 10 seconds to claw within eight

STAT LEADERS
• Benedictine shot just 28 percent in the first half but improved to 50 percent in the second, finishing the game at 40 percent
• Grygo led Benedictine with 16 points and 12 rebounds
• Kenny Bogus and Johnson each finished with 10 points

UP NEXT
Benedictine (10-8, 7-6 NACC) hosts Dominican on Saturday afternoon.