Galesburg, Ill. -- The Concordia University of Chicago men's basketball team picked up their first victory of the season on Saturday afternoon, defeating Knox College by a final score of 76-68 to bring their record on the year to 1-1. 

After a back-and-forth battle for much of the first half, it was sophomore guard Kieran Heller (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) who hit a pair of triples in a three-possession span to put the Cougars ahead. His second three put the team in front 28-25, a lead they would never relinquish. 

There wasn't much separation in the first 20 minutes, as neither team took a lead larger than five. Thanks to contributions from a variety of players, the Cougars took a four-point lead into the break. 

The Cougars jumped to a 10-point lead less than a minute out of the half thanks to six quick points from junior guard Brent Hatten (Olney, Ill.). He opened things up with a three-pointer before getting three the old fashioned way to push the lead to double-digits. 

It was smooth sailing from that point on for the Cougars, as they continued to shoot the ball well and keep the game out of reach of the Prairie Fire. Knox never got closer than eight points the rest of the way through. This was thanks in large part to selective shooting, especially from deep, where the Cougars were 6-11 over the final 20 minutes. They were lights out from everywhere, shooting 14-25 from the floor as a whole and 10-12 from the charity stripe. 

Notes 

• Hatten led all scorers with 17 on 6-12 shooting and 2-5 from deep. He also led the team in rebounds with eight. 

• Sophomore Emanuel Wilson (Wheaton, Ill.) filled up the stat sheet with 15 points of his own, shooting 5-10 from the floor. He was third on the team with six rebounds.

• Senior Jordan Matthews (Chicago, Ill.) was the third Cougar in double-figures with 11. He did most of his damage from beyond the arc, shooting 3-8 from deep. 

• Junior Tavarus Davis-Williams dished out a team-high five assists. 

• The Cougars' bench contributed 40 points, with Wilson carrying a bulk of that load. Heller and senior Jalen Meeks (Aurora, Colo.) each added six of their own.

The team will be back in action one week from today on Saturday, Nov. 20, when they host No. 5 Wisconsin-Platteville in their home opener. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. and a stream will be available on cucougars.com/coverage.