By Jami Sponaugle

Chicago, Ill. - In a back and forth nail-bitter, the Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks men's basketball team came up short to the Aurora University Spartans. The contest, which was the 2022-23 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) opener, saw multiple ties and lead changes through the two halves. In the end, the Spartans came out on top as they defeated the Hawks 78-76. 

First Half (Illinois Tech 34 - Aurora University 34)

• Caden Gigstad opened the contest with a 3-pointer at 18:56 before the Spartans followed with one of their own. At 17:52, Otis Reale made a layup and Milos Dugalic followed with a layup at 16:49, giving the Hawks a 7-3 lead. The Spartans answered with a layup followed by a 3-pointer to take a 8-7 lead over the Hawks. Gigstad quickly put the Hawks back on top with a 3-pointer. At 14:32 the game was tied 10-10. After a block by Dugalic, the Hawks made their way down the court to where Reale nailed a 3-pointer. With 10 minutes remaining in the half, Reale made yet another 3-pointer, making it a 23-16 game in favor of the Hawks. The two sides then went through a scoreless streak before the Spartans made a jump shot at 7:57. Dugalic quickly made a three for the Hawks at 7:40 to take a 26-18 lead. After a Spartan layup, Reale made a layup of his own, forcing the Spartans to take a timeout as the Hawks held a 8-point lead. The Spartans then went on an 8-0 run between 6:34 and 5:43 to tie the game at 28-28. Following a quick Spartan lead, the Hawks tied the contest at 30-30 with 4:21 remaining. Both sides picked up 4 points before heading in the locker room tied at 34-34. 

Second Half (Illinois Tech 42 - Aurora University 44)

• Aurora began the second half with a 5-0 run over Illinois Tech to take a 39-34 lead at 18:45. The Hawks came back to tie the game up 41-41 with layups by Garrison Carter and Reale as well as a Gigstad 3-pointer. The Hawks then went on a 6-0 run between 16:32 and 14:53 to take a 47-41 lead. The Spartans didn't waste much time though to once again tie the game, this time at 47-47 with 13:41 remaining in the contest. The two sides remained close, as the Hawks and Spartans fought to take the lead. A Dugalic layup gave the Hawks a 55-52 lead with 10 minutes remaining in the game. Multiple ties and lead changes followed in the remaining minutes. With 2 minutes remaining on the clock, the Hawks held a slight 70-69 lead. In a nail-biter, the Hawks fell short to the Spartans 78-76. 

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

• Reale led the Hawks with 24 points as he went 10-of-14 (71%) from the field and 4-of-4 (100%) from behind the arc. 

• Dugalic notched a double-double with 23 points, 13 rebounds. He also added 3 steals and 2 blocks. Dugalic made all 6 of his free throws. 

• Gigstad finished with 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. Gigstad made all 4 of his free throws.

Spartan Standouts

• Michael Osborne led the Spartans with 26 points and 6 rebounds. 

• Justin Wilson followed with 22 points. 

Inside the Box Score

• The Hawks went 27-of-52 (51.9%) from the field, 9-of-19 (47.4%) from three, and 13-of-13 (100.0%) in free throws while the Spartans went 31-of-63 (49.2%), 8-of-16 (50.0%), and 8-of-11 (72.7%) respectively. 

• Both sides notched 30 rebounds and had 32 points in the paint.

• The Hawks finished with 14 fast break points. 

Up Next

The Hawks continue NACC action on Saturday when they head to River Forest, Ill. to take on the Concordia University Chicago Cougars. Tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m.