Chicago, Ill. - The Illinois Tech men's basketball team rode a hot first half off basketball, and held off a furious rally by Lakeland University in the second half to down the Muskies 82-70 in a NACC matchup Saturday night on Joe Hakes Court at the Keating Sports Center. The Scarlet Hawks improved to 6-10 overall, and evened their conference record at 5-5. The Muskies dropped to 9-9 (5-6 NACC).
The Hawks shot a blistering 59 percent from the field in the first half, including 67 percent from three-point range, to head to the break leading 47-25. Milos Dugalic and Kyle Hornacek each had highlight reel slam dunks early in the first half as the Hawks built up their lead.
Watch the Milos Dugalic slam dunk here.
Watch the Kyle Hornacek slam dunk here.
The Muskies responded with a stronger effort in the second half, using a combination of free throws and three-point shooting to get back into the game. The Muskies hit 8 of 17 behind the arc in the second half, including an Earl Lewis three-pointer with 2:29 to play to cut the Lakeland deficit to nine points at 77-68. The Hawks were able to seal the victory down the stretch, converting five free throws in the final minutes for the 12-point margin of victory.
The Hawks finished with five players in double figures in scoring for the contest.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
- Caden Gigstad paced the Hawks with 19 points, including going 6-6 from the free-throw stripe.
- Otis Reale finished with 17 points, three rebounds, two steals and two assists.
- Dugalic added 16 points, four rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocks.
- Hornacek had 10 points, and led the Hawks with 11 rebounds, a career-high.
- Furkan Mohamed had a career-high 14 points to go along with three rebounds and three assists.
Muskies Watch
- Lewis and Aiden Polzin paced the Muskies in points, each with 14 points off the bench, including a combined 7 of 14 from three-point range.
- Kai Buliox finished with 13 points, including 10 of 12 in free throws.
- Cam Jaeger had 11 points, including 8 of 8 from the free-throw stripe.
Inside the Box Score
- The Hawks shot 41% from three-point range on 7-17 shooting. The Muskies finished at 34% from three (12-35).
- The Hawks committed 22 fouls in the contest; the Muskies had 19 fouls.
- Illinois Tech was 17-21 from the free-throw line (81%). Lakeland was 24-31 (77%).
- Calvin Schmitz was the minutes leader for the Hawks, playing 37 minutes. Jequan Pegeese played 33 minutes for Lakeland.
Up Next
- The Scarlet Hawks are back in action Monday night, January 31st, as they take on Aurora University at 7pm at the Keating Sports Center in a rescheduled NACC matchup from January 6th.