After trailing by as many as 26 points, the Benedictine University men's basketball team pulled within 11 points with just under three minutes left but could not complete the comeback in dropping a 93-78 decision at home against Concordia Chicago in the first action of 2024.
The visitors did not trail in the contest, scoring the first six points of the game and racing to a double-digit advantage behind hot shooting just over three minutes into the contest. A 10-2 run in just over two minutes started the comeback late in the second, but Concordia Chicago regularly had a response while ticking down the clock on each possession.
Concordia Chicago shot 62 percent in the first half, making six threes, and finished the game at 60 percent while scoring regularly in transition. Benedictine shot 58 percent in the second half but finished the game at 47.6 percent while holding a 33-30 edge on the glass. Benedictine was just 3-of-23 from three-point range. Both teams scored 50 points in the paint. Concordia Chicago turned 16 Benedictine turnovers into 22 points.
Trevor Montiel returned to the lineup and finished with 21 points to pace Benedictine in his fifth game with 20+ this year. Montiel, who is just six points from 1,000 in his career, added five rebounds. Five players reached double-digits for Benedictine.
Ryan Sammons tallied a career best 13 off the bench.
Tanner Resch and
Nick Howard each logged 12. All 12 of the points for Howard came in the second half.
Drew Stokes contributed 11 to go with six rebounds.
Cullen Cosme led the team on the glass with seven boards.
Benedictine (6-7, 3-3 NACC) has now dropped five consecutive games and will return to action on Wednesday with a home tilt against Concordia Wisconsin at 7:30pm.
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