By Jami Sponaugle 

Chicago, Ill. - In search of their eighth straight Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) victory, the Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks men's basketball team welcomed the Benedictine University Eagles to the Keating Sports Center on Tuesday night. In an energized atmosphere, the Hawks (9-8, 7-3) and Eagles (8-9, 6-4) came out fighting. The game was a battle for the full 40 minutes of action and came down to the final play. Unfortunately for the Hawks, the Eagles were able to get off a shot at the final buzzer. The Eagles defeated the Hawks 80-78. 

The Hawks now sit in fourth place in NACC rankings. 

First Half (Benedictine 45 - Illinois Tech 35) 

• From tip-off the two sides went at it. The Hawks got on the board first from an Otis Reale jump shot at 19:23. The Eagles then got on the board at 17:52 for their first basket. After a brief Eagle lead, the Hawks tied the contest 8-8 at the 15:42 minute mark. Both sides then took turns sharing the lead as neither was able to create a gap from their opponent. After a Desmond Price jump shot at 10:03, the Hawks trailed the Eagles 19-17. From there, the Eagles began to slowly extend their lead over the Hawks. Between 9:25 and 6:12, the Eagles went on a 10-1 run to make the score 29-18. Although the Hawks were fighting, the Eagles were not letting up. At halftime, the Eagles held a 10-point, 45-35 lead over the Hawks. 

Second Half (Illinois Tech 43 - Benedictine 35)

• Coming out of the locker rooms, the Hawks looked to turn things around. As the crowd kept getting louder and louder, the Hawks crept closer and closer to the Eagles lead.  3-pointers from Caden Gigstad, Price, and Patrick Blanchard between 16:43 and 14:07 put the Hawks within one as they trailed the Eagles 55-54. Then, at 13:36 remaining in the game, Milos Dugalic gave the Hawks the lead for the first time since 13:11 in the first half. The lead didn't last long as the Eagles went down the court and made a jump shot, but Gigstad quickly answered back for the Hawks with another 3-pointer to make it 59-57 in favor of the Hawks with 12:42 remaining. After being tied at 68-68 from a Garrison Carter 3-pointer at 8:35, the Eagles took a lead over the Hawks. With time starting to tick down, the Hawks were able to fight their way back to tie the game at 78-78 with 1:12 on the clock off a Price 3-pointer. Unfortunately for the Hawks, the Eagles were able to get off a buzzer beater to hand the Hawks a 80-78 loss. 

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

• Gigstad led the Hawks with 20 points. Gigstad finished with 4 rebounds and 3 assists. 

• Price picked up 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists. 

• Dugalic recorded 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block.

Eagle Standouts

• Trevor Montiel led the Eagles, picking up a double-double of 26 points, 12 rebounds. Montiel also had 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. 

• Andrew Stoke followed with 18 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist

• Marvin Agwomoh concluded the Eagles double-digit scorers with 10 points. Agwomoh finished with 3 rebounds and 1 block as well. 

Inside the Box Score 

• The Hawks finished 28-of-59 (47.5%) from the field, 11-of-20 (36.7%) from three, and made 11-of-16 (68.8%) free throws. The Eagles finished 31-of-65 (47.7%), 8-of-20 (40.0%), and 10-of-13 (76.9%) respectively.

• The Eagles outrebounded the Hawks 37-32.

• Off the bench the Eagles picked up 21 points. 

Up Next

The Hawks return to action on Saturday when they welcome the Marian University Sabres to the Keating Sports Center for a NACC contest. Tip-off is set for 2:00p.m.