Box Score
Palos Heights, Ill. – The Cardinal Stritch University Wolves men’s basketball team held on for a key conference road win on Saturday afternoon. Facing the ever tough Trinity Christian College Trolls, the Wolves came up with some key plays to hold on for a gritty 79-76 win on Saturday afternoon.
Seeming as if they would run away with a blowout win, as the Stritch women’s basketball team had done earlier on in the day, the Wolves raced out to a halftime lead of 36-25 thanks to some hot shooting and stellar defense by Kody Braddix (Glendale, Ariz.).
The Stritch point guard would hit on 5-of-11 shooting to score 12 points at the break. He would also come up with four steals in the opening half of play.
The second half was a much different story as the two teams would battle down to the final seconds of play.
Stritch, who at one point owned an 11-point lead twice in the game, had to find ways of dealing with a Trolls offense that suddenly awoke as Matt Buren (Macomb, Ill.) went on to drop 24 points on the Wolves in the half alone. The Trolls also got a spark by Will Bruinsma (New Era, Mich.), who would add 13 points in the period.
However, it would be sheer grit and timely shooting that would help the Stritch overcome Trinity Christian despite their second half outburst.
The Wolves saw their lead disappear for the first time in the second half with 2:08 remaining as Bruinsma made good on two free throws, putting Stritch down 72-71. However, Navjot Singh (Mundelein, Ill.) would respond with a timely jump shot, putting the Wolves back in front 73-72.
After a rare miss by Buren on the next offensive possession, Braddix would come up with a key defensive rebound for Stritch with just 39 seconds remaining and the Wolves clinging to a one-point lead. Fouled as he went down the court, Braddix would get sent to the foul line and hit on both shots to put Stritch out front at 75-72.
However, the Wolves would need every point they could get as Buren would drive to the hoop on the ensuing TCC possession, making it a one-point game again. This time, the Trolls would end up fouling Stritch’s Nate Lemmens (Rhinelander, Wis.), sending him to the line for two shots. Lemmens wouldn’t disappoint his teammates as he’d hit both shots, extending the score to 77-74.
Buren, who had only two misses in the half, would again bring the game to within one at 77-76 after a layup. However, the Wolves would finally seal things up as Braddix would get fouled, hit both free throws, and then watch as TCC’s Jamie King (Pekin, Ill.) attempt at a game-tying three-pointer would rattle in and then out of the hoop, giving Stritch their 11th-straight win.
While Buren would lead all scorers with 33 points, the Wolves would be led by Trey Triplett (Lisle, Ill.) and his 21 points. Triplett, who only had six points in the first half, dropped 15 on the Trolls in the second half. Braddix net 18 points on the night while also finishing with 5 steals in the game.
The win helps the No. 13 Wolves improve to 19-4 overall and to 7-0 in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC). Meanwhile, the Trolls fall to 8-15 overall and to 3-4 in the CCAC.
Up next, Stritch will return home to face the Judson University Eagles on Wednesday, Feb. 3. Tip-off for Wednesday night’s “Jam the Gym” between the Wolves and Eagles is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on the campus of Stritch.