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VALPARAISO, Ind. – In their final contest before heading to Notre Dame on Monday, Chicago State men's basketball fell 68-66 to Nebraska-Omaha on Saturday (Nov. 24) evening in a neutral site contest held at Valparaiso University as part of the Nebraska Joe Cipriano Classic. The game featured 16 lead changes and eight ties.
The Cougars held a 24-22 advantage with 6:59 left in the first after junior
Greg Tucker (Chicago, Ill./Lincoln Park) (Chicago, Ill./Lincoln Park/North Dakota State College of Science) drained his third 3-pointer of the half. Like a day earlier against Valparaiso, however, Omaha finished the half on a run to take a lead to the break. This night it was a 16-9 stretch over the half's final seven minutes to gain a 38-33 halftime lead on the Cougars.
Chicago State stormed out of the break on an extended 13-2 run. Junior
Matt Ross (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) (Dixon, Ill./Dixon/Sauk Valley CC) scored five points in the push. The Cougars forced four turnovers in the five plus minute stretch after Omaha had only three turnovers in the first half.
The Cougars held a five-point advantage with 4:21 remaining before the Mavericks rallied back. Justin Simmons banked in a 3-pointer with 1:11 remaining to give the Mavericks a 65-64 lead. Following a pair of Mavericks free throws, Chicago State trailed 67-64. Ross' potential game tying 3-point attempt with 13 seconds remaining missed the mark. A single Omaha free throw and a Chicago State tip-in at the buzzer made the final 68-66.
“Tonight was a sign of a team that is learning how to win,” Chicago State head coach
Tracy Dildy said. “We're at a stage right now where we are about to turn that corner and when you're in position to win you need to take advantage. But we did a poor job of closing the game out.”
Senior
Jeremy Robinson (Decatur, Ill./Eisenhower) (Decatur, Ill./Eisenhower/Iowa Western CC) recorded a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds. Tucker also added 14 points. Ross finished with 13 points.
Simmons and Omaha's Alex Phillips each scored a game-high 17 points for the Mavericks.
The Cougars held a 28-9 edge in bench points. Chicago State recorded a season-high 15 rebounds to Omaha's eight offensive boards.
Omaha improves to 2-5. Chicago State falls to 1-5. The two clubs will meet again on Feb. 19 when the Cougars go to Omaha.
The Cougars will stay in the state of Indiana and play at Notre Dame on Monday at 6:05 p.m. CT. The game will be aired live on ESPNU.
