River Forest, Ill. — The Concordia University Chicago men's basketball team celebrated its Senior Day by picking up a massive, much-needed victory over St. Norbert College at Geiseman Gymnasium on Saturday night. An explosive second half lifted the Cougars over the first-place Green Knights by a final of 73-66, putting them right back into the race in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC). 

The team honored its four seniors prior to the game. Jordan Matthews (Chicago, Ill.), Landen Gladney (Chicago, Ill.), Jalen Meeks (Aurora, Colo.), and Izak Ruddell (Saint Joseph, Mich.) were each celebrated by teammates, coaches, and family members for their contributions to the program and school during their time here. 

It had every bit the feel of two high-caliber teams battling for a chance to host a conference tournament game next weekend. Senior Jordan Matthews (Chicago, Ill.) set the tone in the first minute with a deep three, the first of his team-high 10 points in the half. 

Gladney brought the gym to their feet just over a minute later with a dunk to answer the first bucket from St. Norbert. He'd finish the half with four points and a team-high four boards. 

After a few empty CUC possessions, St. Norbert was able to open up a 14-8 lead. Sophomore Emanuel Wilson (Wheaton, Ill.) had an answer for this, however, knocking down a three like he does so often to slow the Green Knights' run. 

The Cougars trailed for the final 17:26 of the half, but never let the deficit grow larger than seven. They held St. Norbert to just six points in the final nine minutes of the half, clawing their way back to go into the locker room down just two (28-26). 

Both teams had nearly identical numbers from the floor in the first 20 minutes. The Cougars were 10-29 (3-13 from three), while the Green Knights were 10-30 (4-12 from three). The one discernible difference was the visitors were 4-4 from the charity stripe while CUC was just 3-8. 

St. Norbert extended the halftime lead to six within the first two and a half minutes of the second half after the Cougars failed to score from the floor in that time. Following a timeout by Head Coach Steve Kollar, Matthews went right to work, driving to the hole to get his team a couple points. 

He'd knock down a corner three to cut the lead to two on the next possession, but St. Norbert followed with a 7-0 run, forcing another Cougar timeout. 

This was just the beginning for Matthews. He'd connect on three more triples to score nine-straight Cougar points and once again bring his team within a basket. The crowd was behind the senior as he put up one of the best shooting performances of his CUC career. 

The Cougars took their first lead since the 17:26 mark in the first half when sophomore Justin Greenlee (Brown Deer, Wis.) rattled home a three with 11:47 remaining, forcing the Green Knights to call a timeout and regroup. 

Once again trailing and in need of a basket, junior Tavarus Davis-Williams (Fox Lake, Ill.) delivered for his team in a big way with an old-fashioned three-point play to put them back in front 48-47. 

Ruddell knocked down a three two possessions later to give the Cougars their largest lead of the night to that point at four, but St. Norbert had an immediate answer at the other end. 

In response, Wilson took it upon himself to go on a personal 5-0 scoring run to once again make it a four-point game (56-52). 

The Cougars spent the remainder of the game building on this lead, doing so largely from the free throw line where they were able to overcome the troubles they had in the first half. Fittingly, it was Matthews who delivered the dagger with a step-back two as the shot clock expired to give the team a 62-55 lead with just over a minute remaining. 

The Green Knights didn't go quietly. They kept pace by answering CUC free throws with three's, but it was too little too late. The Cougars pieced together a tremendous offensive effort in the second half that was too much for St. Norbert to overcome. 

Inside the Box Score

• Matthews matched a career-high with 30 points on his senior night. He was fueled by a 6-8 shooting performance from downtown. The Chicago native also grabbed six boards and dished out three assists. 

• Wilson finished second on the team with 12 points, thanks in large part to a smooth 5-5 from the free throw line. 

• Ruddell was also excellent from the free throw line, knocking down 6-7 on his way to 11 points. He was after it on the glass as well, adding six rebounds. 

• Gladney led the team with seven rebounds to go along with seven points. 

With the win, the Cougars move back in position to potentially host a NACC Tournament game next Saturday, Feb. 19 at Geiseman Gymnasium. They will have to finish strong, with games at Wisconsin Lutheran College and Rockford University this week. 

Monday's game at Wisconsin Lutheran will be another huge test for the Cougars against one of the best teams the conference has to offer. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m., and a stream can be found at cucougars.com/coverage. 

You can keep up with all things CUC Men's Basketball online at cucougars.com and on Twitter @CUC_menhoops.