Max Hisatake had 18 points in the win (photo credit: Steve Joncus).
Posted: Nov 21, 2018
GALESBURG, Ill. – The Illinois Tech men's basketball team moved to 1-1 on the season on Wednesday night, dismantling the Knox College Prairie Fire 79-43 on the road. Using a strong first half and stifling defense, Tech led from start to finish in the victory.
How it Happened
- To say the Scarlet Hawks started fast would be an understatement. Tech scored the game's first 13 points, with Knox notching its first points after four and a half minutes of play. Jake Digiorgio went on a 5-0 run of his own during the 13-0 stretch.
- Knox would go scoreless over the next four minutes and not make a shot from the floor until the 8:40 mark of the second half. While the Prairie Fire struggled to find the net, Anthony Mosley Jr. did not. The senior point guard made three-pointers on three stretch possessions in the middle of the half, helping to extend Tech's lead to 30-6 with 8:33 left.
- The run continued as freshmen Ahmad Muhammad and Zach Parduhn drained threes to help push the first half lead to 30 and 42-12. Illinois Tech took a 44-19 lead into intermission.
- Tech's starting front court of Digiorgio and Max Hisitake dominated in the first half, with each player scoring double-digits and Digiorgio tallying a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds. The two continued to control in the early stages of the second half, combining to score Tech's first eight points.
- The Scarlet Hawk bench helped push the lead back above 30 for good, as the unit controlled the tempo of the second half to cruise to the big margin of victory.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
- Tech's veteran trio of starters in Digiorgio (19 points, 17 rebounds, two steals), Hisatake (18 points), and Mosley Jr. (14 points, four rebounds, five assists, two steals) all put together impressive stat lines despite playing below normal minute totals. Digiorgio and Mosley Jr. did their damage in 25 minutes, with Hisatake playing just 19 himself.
- Muhammad scored seven points starting opposite Mosley Jr. in the backcourt.
- Off the bench, Brett Ott (six points) and Jake Bruns (five points) led Tech in scoring.
Stats to Know
- The Scarlet Hawks shot 52.5% for the contest while holding Knox to just 32.7% shooting. Knox was also just 1-of-13 (7.7%) from three-point range.
- The glass was also dominated by Tech, outrebounding the Prairie Fire 50-27.
- The 36-point margin of victory is Illinois Tech's largest since a 78-42 win of the same differential last season against East-West University (February 20).
Up Next
- Tech will play twice this weekend at Carroll University, taking on Carthage College first on Saturday at 5:00 p.m.