Jake Digiorgio had a double-double in the loss (photo credit: Eric Reid, d3photogrpahy.com)
Posted: Dec 13, 2017
MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – The Illinois Tech men's basketball team drove west on Wednesday evening to take on the Rams of Cornell College. Tech led six at halftime but ultimately fell 69-64.
How it Happened
- After a back-and-forth early portion of the game, the Scarlet Hawks took a five point advantage with 7:24 left in the first half on a Jake Digiorgio jumper to go up 22-17.
- Cornell would rally back to lead by as much as four in the first half, but Tech ended the half on a 7-0 run thanks to five Malik Howze points.
- The early second half lead reached as high as 10, as Anthony Mosley Jr. scored four of the team's first six points. Tech led 40-30 with 18:51 left in the contest.
- Cornell slowly chipped away at the lead, coming to within one with 11:40 left before breaking through with 7:09 remaining, going ahead 54-52.
- The Rams never trailed the rest of the way. Down six with 22 seconds to go, Malik Howze nailed a three to pull Tech to within three. After Cornell missed two free throws to give the Hawks a chance to tie, a Howze three hit back iron, leading to an ensuing Rams rebound and two made foul shots to seal the win.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
- Howze had 21 points to lead all scorers. He also had four assists and three steals while going 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.
- Digiorgio had a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds.
- Parker Joncus hit three shots from downtown.
Stats to Know
- Tech fell to 6-3 on the season while Cornell moved to 5-3.
- The Rams shot significantly better in the second half (46.2%) than the first (37.5%).
- Tech was outrebounded 46-35 by Cornell.
Up Next
- Tech will host Fontbonne University on Monday, December 18 at 7:00 p.m. Live audio, video, and stats will be available. The live audio will be powered by Illinois Media School.