MEQUON, Wis. – The Illinois Tech men's basketball team won arguably its most important game of 2018-19 season thus far on Wednesday evening, taking down Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference foe Concordia University Wisconsin 71-61 on the road. Tech (5-5, 3-3 NACC) handed the Falcons (5-3, 5-1 NACC) its first loss in conference play, using a 32-point effort from senior Anthony Mosley Jr. and stout defense to do so.

How it Happened

• The Scarlet Hawks came out strong, using an 8-0 run to take a 16-8 lead over the Falcons over the first four and a half minutes.
• After an 8-0 Falcons run gave CUW a lead, the hosts rode the momentum to build a double-digit advantage late in the first half. While Mosley Jr. scored the team's last eight points of the half, the Scarlet Hawks were held scoreless over the final 5:42 and carried a 40-29 deficit into the intermission.
• Jake Digiorgio was the one to put Tech in the right direction after halftime, scoring six of the team's first eight points to pull the Hawks within five. With 11:28 left in the half, he capped off the comeback with a jumper to give the team a 50-49 lead, Tech's first since leading 29-28 with 5:42 left in the first half.
• Concordia-Wisconsin would never lead again, as Digiorgio's basket at the 11:28 mark came in the middle of a 13-0 run by the Scarlet Hawks. Mosley Jr. put an exclamation point on the run with an emphatic slam dunk in the paint, which gave Tech a 55-49 lead at the time.
• The Falcons would never get closer than three points the rest of the way. A Digiorgio slam with 1:05 remaining may have served as the clincher, giving the Scarlet Hawks a nine-point lead.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

• Mosley Jr. finished with a season-high 32 points, his most dropping 35 on East-West University on January 7, 2017. He scored 16 points in each have and also tallied five rebounds and four assists while committing just one turnover, tying a season-best. He also shot a season-best 70% from the field (14-of-20), his best mark in a game with at least 10 shot attempts also since the 2016-17 victory over East-West.
• While he was held to a season-low five rebounds, Digiorgio scored 15 points, shot 7-of-9 from the field, and recorded three steals.
• Max Hisatake was strong on the glass, recording 14 rebounds. He also had nine points, three assists, and three steals.

Stats to Know

• The Scarlet Hawks were on a different level in the second half, shooting 63.0% (17-of-27) from the field while holding the Falcons to just 27.6% (8-of-29). Tech also committed just four turnovers in the second half compared to 12 in the first half.
• Tech dominated inside, scoring 44 points in the paint. The post duo of Digiorgio and Hisatake were also each fouled six times, more than anyone else in the contest.
• Illinois Tech has now won three of the last four games.

Up Next

• Illinois Tech will be off from game action for the next 10 days before a tough non-conference test on Saturday, December 29. The Scarlet Hawks will host Wheaton College at 7:00 p.m. at the Keating Sports Center. Live audio, video, and stats will be available, with the live audio powered by Illinois Media School.