By Jami Sponaugle

Chicago, Ill. - The Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks men's basketball team took on the Calvin University Knights in the Hawks home opener of the 2022-23 season inside the Keating Sports Center. Although the Hawks carried the momentum during the second half, the undefeated Knights handed the Hawks a 65-62 loss in non-conference play. 

How it Happened

• The Knights opened up the game with an 8-0 run with Jalen Overway and Uchenna Egeze both taking four points apiece. The Hawks got on the board at 17:07 with a basket by Otis Reale At 14:49, the Hawks came within four after a Furkan Mohamed 3-pointer. The Knights led 18-11 at 12:18 with a layup by Luka Ressler before a scoreless streak followed. Milos Dugalic broke the streak at 10:02 with a jump shot, making it a 18-13 game in favor of the Knights. A back and forth battle ensued as the Hawks attempted to close the gap while the Knights fought to keep their lead. With 5:12 remaining, the Knights held a 10 points, 28-18 lead. As the half was coming to an end, the Hawks went on a 6-0 run to cut the score to 34-28. The half ended with a dunk by Owen Varnado to send the teams to the locker room with the scoreboard reading 36-28 in favor of the Knights. 

• Coming out of halftime, the Knights once again went on an 8-0 run. Reale broke the Knights offensive run with a free throw at 15:44. Momentum began to go in favor of the Hawks starting at 13:14 with a layup by Milos. Milos then picked up a defensive rebound before making his way down the court and passing the ball off to Reale who drained a three to make it a 10-point, 49-39 game. At 10:28, Caden Gigstad made a three of his own to cut the Knights lead. Then, after getting the ball off a Knights foul, Gigstad drained another three to make it 54-47 at 7:19 remaining. Ahmad Muhammad then picked up a steal before Reale made it 54-49 with a layup. At 4:37, Garrison Carter made a three to make it a 5-point game. A scoreless streak followed between the two sides before the Knights put in a layup at 2:26. With 21 seconds remaining, Reale made a jump shot to make it 63-59 in favor of the Knights. Gigstad made it a 3 point game with 5.3 seconds remaining after making three free throws. The Hawks fought until the final seconds to tie the game, but ultimately were unable to complete the comeback as they fell to the Knights by a final score of 65-62. 

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

• Dugalic led the Hawks with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks. He also finished with 2 assists and 1 steal. 

• Reale followed with 16 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. 

Inside the Box Score

• The Hawks finished 20-of-49 (40.8%) from the field, 8-of-22 (36.4%) from three, and 14-of-19 (73.7%) from the free throw line while the Knights finished 26-of-52 (50%), 4-of-14 (28.6%), and 9-of-17 (52.9% respectively. 

• Calvin outrebounded Illinois Tech 36-26. 

• Both sides picked up 14 points off turnovers. 

Up Next

The Hawks hit the road for their three games. Their first stop takes place in Waukesha, Wis. when they take on the Carroll University Pioneers in a non-conference contest. Tip-off between the Hawks and Pioneers is scheduled for 4:00 P.M.