Men's Basketball Charges to Ninth Straight Win

Max Hisatake tallied 14 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks in just 22 minutes (photo credit: Gianni Carvajal).
Max Hisatake tallied 14 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks in just 22 minutes (photo credit: Gianni Carvajal).

CHICAGO, Ill. - The Illinois Tech men's basketball team won its ninth game in a row on Tuesday night in dominant fashion. The Scarlet Hawks defeated Maranatha Baptist University in the Keating Sports Center 78-50, which is Tech's season-best for points allowed in a game this season.

How it Happened

  • It did not take long for the Scarlet Hawks to find a second gear on this night. Tech built a nine-point lead (15-6) after just 3:48 of action. Samuel Rarick scored six of the team's first eight points. Malik Howze also converted a four-point play at the 16:29 mark.
  • Tech's lead reached double-digits for the first time on a Parker Joncus three-pointer with 12:45 left in the first half (26-14). The Scarlet Hawks slowly built the lead as the half went on, reaching as high as 16 on several occasions. A Jake Bruns free throw at the end of the half put the Hawks up 17 (44-27) at the intermission.
  • Maranatha was able to slow the Scarlet Hawk offense at the start of the second half. Tech scored just four points and shot 2-of-11 from the floor over the half's first 5:38 as the Sabercats trimmed the lead to 12.
  • After a Richard Medina dunk for MBU at the 13:44 mark, the Scarlet Hawks went on an 11-0 to stretch the lead to 23 (61-38) with 8:28 to play. The lead in the half would reach as high as 29, which occured with 3:20 to play (72-43) on Jake Digiorgio's second made three-pointer of the season.
  • Brett Ott and Brinden Carlson made three-pointers down the stretch for the Hawks as the team cruised to a 78-50 win.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

  • Max Hisatake recorded a strong line in just 22 minutes of action. The freshman scored 14 points, pulled down 13 rebounds, and blocked five shots.
  • Rarick finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, and three assists.
  • Digiorgio has 13 points and nine rebounds off the bench.

Stats to Know

  • Neither team shot particluarly well from the field. Tech was 41.5% (27-of-65), while MBU was 21-of-54 (38.9%). 
  • The Scarlet Hawks controlled the glass, outrebounding the Sabercats 47-26.
  • Second chance points (15-4) and points off turnovers (15-2) were big advantages for the Hawks.

Up Next

  • Tech's final regular season home contest comes on Friday at 7:00 p.m. against Emmaus Bible College. Live audio, video, and stats will be available. The live audio will be powered by Illinois Media School.