By Jami Sponaugle 

Mequon, WI - On Saturday, the Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks men's basketball team picked up their seventh straight Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) win of the 2022-23 season while on the road. All five of the Hawks (9-7, 7-2) starters reached double-digits in the 81-67 victory over the Concordia University Wisconsin Falcons (4-10, 2-7). 

The Hawks were led by Desmond Price who knocked down a career high 19 points. Milos Dugalic extended his double-double streak to 15, which continues to lead all of NCAA DIII. 

First Half (Illinois Tech 39 - Concordia Wisconsin 34)

• After being tied early to start the contest, the Hawks took the lead over the Falcons, Going on a 9-0 run, the Hawk held a 14-4 lead with 15:57 on the clock. The Falcons began to slowly come back on the Hawks, eventually tying the game at 16-16 with 12:26 remaining. From there, the Falcons held the lead while the Hawks fought to keep the game close. Action briefly went back and forth between 3:34 and 2:49 when Price put the Hawks back on top at 28-27 with a 3 pointer. The Falcons then took a 1-point lead after a layup, but the Hawks quickly went down the court where Caden Gigstad nailed a three of his own to give the Hawks back the lead. The Hawks tallied 8 more points before halftime between the duo of Price and Gigstad. At halftime, the Hawks led the Falcons 39-34.

Second Half (Illinois Tech 42 - Concordia WIsconsin 33)

• Although the Falcons kept it close to begin the second half, the Hawks were able to hold onto their lead for the remainder of the game. With 14:48 remaining in the game, Zackary Davis made a layup to give the Hawks a 49-42 lead. The Falcons came within 4 just 7 seconds later with a 3-pointer. After a timeout at 14:16, the Hawks went on a 8-0 run, forcing the Falcons to take a timeout of their own at 11:56. The Hawks largest lead of the day came from a Furkan Mohamed layup with 4:07 remaining, giving the Hawks a 18-point, 77-59 lead. At the final buzzer, the Hawks secured their seventh straight conference win, defeating the Falcons 61-67.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

• Price led the Hawks with a career high of 19 points after going 6-of-12 (50%) from the field, 3-of-6 (50%) from three, and 4-of-4 (100%) from the free throw line. Price also led the team in assists, picking up 7. He finished the game with 6 rebounds, and 1 steal.

• Garrison Carter and Gigstad both finished with 15 points in the contest. Carter added 1 assist and 1 rebounds. Gigstad tallied 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal. 

• Dugalic and Otis Reale recorded 11 points each. Dugalic picked up his 15th double-double of the season with 14 rebounds. Dugalic ended the game with 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. Reale ended with 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal.

Falcon Standouts

• Jackson Freeman led the Falcons with 22 points. Freeman finished with 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals. 

• Gave Pruss recorded a double-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds. Pruss tallied 1 assist, 3 steals, and 2 blocks as well. 

Inside the Box Score

• The Hawks finished 31-of-64 (48.4%) from the field, 13-of-28 (46.4%) from three, and made all of their free throws, going 6-for-6 (100%). The Falcons went 25-of-61 (41.0%), 6-of-22 (27.3%), and 11-of-19 (57.9%) respectively.

• The Hawks outrebounded the Falcons 42-33. 

• Illinois Tech had 16 turnovers and forced Concordia Wisconsin into 13. The Hawks were able to pick up 19 points off turnovers while the Falcons recorded 11. 

• The Falcons finished the game with 36 points in the paint versus the Hawks 28. 

Up Next

The Hawks look to continue their NACC winning streak on Tuesday when they welcome Benedictine University Eagles to the Keating Sports Center for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off.