Milwaukee, Wis. — The Concordia University Chicago men's basketball team picked up yet another crucial win on Monday night, taking down Wisconsin Lutheran College in the final seconds to leave with a 79-76 victory. With the win, the Cougars move one step closer to a potential conference championship. 

Senior Izak Ruddell (Saint Joseph, Mich.) was a spark plug early on, scoring the first four points for CUC. From there, it was junior Brent Hatten (Olney, Ill.) who took the reins for the Cougars offensively, shooting 4-4 from deep on his way to a team-high 13 points in the first half. 

The Cougars trailed in the early going before Hatten knocked down the first of his four three-point shots to even the game at 10. After the Warriors once again jumped ahead by five, sophomore Emanuel Wilson (Wheaton, Ill.) pieced together a personal 5-0 run to tie things back up. 

A 12-0 CUC run was the defining moment of the first half. It featured a pair of three's from Hatten as well as one from senior Jordan Matthews (Chicago, Ill.), who capped the run off with a second-chance layup to give the team a nine-point lead. 

The Warriors evened things with 1:06 to play for the first time since the CUC run, but Ruddell immediately answered at the other end to put the Cougars back on top.  

Hatten's performance from deep was a major boost for the team, as they shot 6-11 from beyond the arc as a whole. Great ball movement on the part of the offense was a major factor in producing so many good looks. Sophomore Justin Greenlee (Brown Deer, Wis.) was a huge catalyst for the ball movement in the first half, dishing out a team-high six assists. 

They also played aggressive defense, leading to five steals. The biggest of these came from Matthews in the final seconds of the half, robbing the Warriors of the chance at the last shot and instead giving his team a four-point halftime lead (42-38). 

Similar to Saturday's game against St. Norbert, the stakes of the game made it apparent the outcome would be determined in the final 20 minutes. The Warriors kept pace all evening, even getting as close as one on three separate occasions, but they were unable to push through when they had the opportunities.  

The Cougars made a habit out of answering Warrior baskets down the stretch, doing their best to add insurance whenever they could. Their lead grew as large as eight at multiple points, including after this perfectly executed inbound play. 

Team basketball continued to be the theme for the Cougars in the second half. After being held scoreless in the first, both Greenlee and senior Landen Gladney (Chicago, Ill.) came to life in the second half, exploding for 10 points apiece. The contributions were coming from all over the floor. 

The final minute of the game was as hectic as it gets. Wilson made a pair of free throws to stretch the CUC lead to seven with just 44 seconds left, all but putting the game away. Wisconsin Lutheran thought otherwise, however, scoring seven-straight points over the next 30 seconds to pull even for the first time all half. 

With the clock winding below 10 seconds, Gladney found an open Wilson out beyond the arc. The sophomore rose to the moment, sinking the eventual game-winner with six ticks remaining. Wisconsin Lutheran was able to get a look for the tie, but it wasn't meant to be as Wilson left the gym as the hero for the Cougars. 

Inside the Box Score

• Six Cougars scored in double-figures 

• Matthews once again led all scorers with 19. He also tied for a team-high in rebounds with six. 

• Spearheaded by his 13 first-half points, Hatten finished right behind with 17 points, also matching the team-high six boards. 

• Wilson's game winner brought him to double-figures for the night as he finished with 12. 

• Gladney, Ruddell, and Greenlee each finished with 10. 

  • Greenlee was a smooth 5-6 from the floor and added seven assists. 

  • Gladney had six rebounds and a pair of assists. 

  • Ruddell added four boards. 

The Cougars will head to Rockford University on Wednesday with a chance to win the conference championship for the regular season. It will be a big test, but the team has proven their more than capable of winning high-stakes games on the road. Tip off for Wednesday's game is scheduled for 7 p.m.