SXU Athletics
The men’s basketball team played two games in the Trinity Christian College Classic last week.
The games were played at the Mitchell Gymnasium in Palos Heights, Illinois. The Cougars took on York College and Clarke University.
The first game against York College took place on Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. The Cougars defeated the Panthers 83-77.
SXU started the game with a 17-11 lead. At halftime, the Cougars trailed by 10 points (46-36), but they came out clawing the second half with a 19-8 run.
The Cougars had a 62 percent (18-for-29) shooting percentage in the second half.
Senior guard Jack Krieger contributed a game-best 27 points and nine rebounds to the Cougars’ victory.
Stanley Moore, a junior guard, posted 20 points and a game-high 10 assists.
SXU Athletics
Sophomore point guard Kyle Huppe followed with 18 points.
The Cougars’ early lead could be attributed to junior forward Tony Core’s layup. However, during the next five minutes, York’s 14-2 run put them ahead at 25-19.
The Cougars trailed closely until the last two minutes of the second period when York advanced into its 10-point lead.
SXU finished with a shooting percentage of 39 percent (13-for-33) and was rebound-shy compared to York (28-18) in the first half.
Right out of the locker room after halftime, the Cougars turned their game around and took their first lead (55-54) of the game thanks to Huppe’s three free throws with 14:16 left in the game.
During the final minutes of the game, the Cougars led by six points; however, the Panthers caught up with only 1:14 left in the game, making it a two-point game (79-77).
SXU’s Krieger shot a three-pointer and another free throw by Huppe put the Cougars back on top in the last minute of the game.
The second game, against Clarke University, took place the very next day at noon. The Cougars devastated the Crusaders 89-52.
This game was the 900th victory in the coaching career of head coach Tom O’Malley.
Four players from SXU’s side of the court scored in the double digits. Krieger led his team with 13 points.
At halftime, the Cougars led by 10 (36-26) and then advanced to a 63 percent shooting percentage (19-for-30).
Core and Mitch Uratchko, a junior forward, contributed 11 points, as did Huppe.
Early in the game, the Cougars and the Crusaders alternated taking the lead, and neither team could exceed a six-point lead.
With six minutes left in the half, SXU had back-to-back layups that gave them a 10-point lead (28-18). The Cougars kept this up for the rest of the first half.
After the half, the Cougars came out fighting just like they had the day before, and used Huppe’s three-pointer to get them ahead once again (57-41) with 12:08 left in the game.
The Cougars’ 17-4 run was what put them in the lead for the rest of the game and ultimately led them to victory.
Uratchko posted seven of SXU’s 17 points as they pulled away. This time, the Cougars led in rebounds (46-23).
Clarke’s shooting percentage was a low 36 percent (21-for-58) from the field compared to SXU.
Next, the Cougars hit the court on Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. for an exhibition game against University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC).
Alexis Flamburis
Sports Correspondent