CHICAGO–The Illinois Tech men’s basketball team hosted a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) game on January 9 against the Marian University Sabres. After a tight first half, the Scarlet Hawks (9-5, 7-3 NACC) pulled away late to defeat Marian (4-10, 2-7 NACC) 58-51.
How It Happened
- The Scarlet Hawks allowed the Sabres to open the game strong due to turnovers. In the first half, Tech committed nine, which led to seven Marian points.
- Despite Tech’s sloppy play, the deficit was never larger than two possessions for either squad. In all, it featured seven ties and three lead changes.
- Tech was able to overcome this thanks to the play of Otis Reale off the bench, who scored seven points in the first 20 minutes to lead the Scarlet Hawks.
- With the team down two, Anthony Mosley Jr. hit a stepback jumper just before halftime to bring the score to a 26-26 tie at the break.
- The contest continued to be back-and-forth throughout, with Max Hisatake‘s 10 second-half points leading the way for the Tech. His offense, along with the three-point shooting of Jake Bruns and a 13-3 disparity in free throw attempts, helped the team to slowly pull away.
- Much like in the first half, Mosley Jr. provided an exclamation point. With 1:38 left to play, the senior made a driving dunk with his right hand, giving the team its largest lead of the night at eight (56-48).
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
- Hisatake had 12 points to lead the team. He also had eight rebounds and a team-high three assists from the center position.
- Ahmad Muhammad also scored in double-figures (11).
- Off the bench, both Bruns (eight points) and Reale (seven points) provided a much-needed spark to the Scarlet Hawks.
Stats to Know
- Rebounding has been Tech’s calling card all season. Tonight was no different, as a 37-24 advantage on the glass was crucial for the Scarlet Hawks.
- The Scarlet Hawk defense has also been a 2018–19 staple. Once again, Tech held its opponent to just 39.3% shooting (22-of-56), marking the seventh time this season opponents have shot below 40% against them.
- Tech turned it over 18 times compared to Marian’s 10.