MILWAUKEE, WIS.—Ahmad Muhammad erupted for 18 second-half points for the Illinois Institute of Technology men's basketball team in their Tuesday-night showdown at MSOE. He orchestrated an IIT 22-3 run in the second half with 15 points, which resulted in a brief 45-43 lead over MSOE with 9:27 left in the game after being in a 40-23 hole at the 17:50 mark. The Scarlet Hawks wouldn't grab another lead in the game as MSOE iced a 68-57 victory.
The Scarlet Hawks fall to 6-10, 4-7 NACC while MSOE ups their record to 9-7, 6-5 NACC. The road woes continue for IIT as they exit Tuesday with a 1-6 record in away games.
"I was pretty disappointed in today's game," said IIT head men's basketball coach Todd Kelly. "We didn't defend today, and was particularly disappointed in our best players as our seniors didn't give us what we needed. Most importantly, we need to find a way to win on the road!
Muhammad finished the contest with a game-high 19 points on 7-10 shooting and 3-6 from beyond the arch. Max Hisatake's double double streak ended at eight as MSOE held him to six points and nine rebounds. Miles Curry rounded out the IIT players in double figures with 15 points. Milos Dugalic commanded IIT at the glass with a team-high 10 boards.
Michael Pitrof paced a balanced MSOE attack with a team-high 16 points, while Josh Herzog (15) and Travis Ballard (11) rounded out the double figure scorers. The Raiders mustered a 25-47 (.532) shooting mark and held IIT to just 19-53 (.358) from the floor.
IIT trailed for most of the first half, where they found themselves in a 33-23 hole at intermission. That deficit grew into their largest of the contest at 40-23 with 17:50 left in the second, where Muhammad generated a 22-3 IIT run with 15 points. The run was capped by Curry's layup with 9:27 remaining in the frame, which gave Illinois Tech a short-lived 45-43 lead. The Scarlet Hawks couldn't keep things rolling as MSOE hit 9-13 shots to close the game en route to a 68-57 win.
The Scarlet Hawks will return to action on Saturday, January 25 when they host Rockford University at 2:00 p.m.